"Things have changed, choom. Word on the streets are the corps are starting to fight again, with most the gangs weakened or just considered too much of a liability, Fixers in Night City have more gigs than ever before. The new owner of the Afterlife proved mercs are not to be underestimated any longer; welcome to the golden age of the merc!
Whether it's deckheads, cyborgs, techies, solos, or the odd nomad chasing something besides dust storms and smuggling routes--if you've got the cojones and the skill, legend and eddies are yours for the taking. One gonk move and it can all be over in a flash of gunfire or steel. Think you're ready? Chip on in, choomba, and let's find out."
- Trace Santiago, Night City Leak News
Welcome to the 5th Corporate War, a roleplay set in the cyberpunk dystopian future of Cyberpunk. Each player will be playing a Night City based Merc, though you'll be closer to a Jackie Welles than a Morgan Blackhand. So if you came to feel as bad-ass unstoppable as a Level 50 V from Cyberpunk2077...this is not the game for you. Sorry, choom.
The roleplay is a story driven affair, with plenty of space worked in for some semi-sandbox, create-your-own-storyline type of roleplaying between main Acts of the roleplay's plot. Despite the title of the game you will not be dropped into a red-hot shooting war between out of control corporations. Not to start with, anyway, and I guess we'll just have to see how player choice shapes the in-game universe.
Do you need to know Cyberpunk the RPG, or Cyberpunk Red the RPG for this RP? Nah, that's why I've gone through the corebook of Cyberpunk Red for you. You should probably have played the videogame, Cyberpunk2077 from CD Projekt Red, but hey if you really want to and think you can fake it using YouTube videos and wiki information...who are we to say hell naw?
Tensions between corporate rivals was already high after the Reunification War, when Militech fueled NUSA tried to force all former US states and cities operating as Free States and Free Cities back into NUSA, only to have Arasaka show up off the North Californian coast and throw their support behind those states and cities not willing to reunify. The death of Saburo Arasaka and the inflammatory rhetoric and actions by Yorinobu Arasaka have only further inflammed the tensions of the two largest entities left on the planet.
Stuck right in the middle of the conflict is the sprawling North Californian metropolis of Night City. While they were able to holdoff both reunification, unlike Southern California, or wide-scale destruction like other Northern California cities, it came at the cost of letting large corporations back into their city with influence that hadn't been seen since the 2020s, and that only ended in the near destruction and nuclear fallout of Night City. What could go wrong?
Unlike the 2020s there are other forces at work in Night City now, entities that would see the balance of power in Night City changed for good while maintaining it's now largely unique status in North America as a truly Free City. In true Night City, and Cyberpunk, fashion those entities are happy to lay low in the shadows and use Mercs to do their dirty work. Lucky you. Hope your nerves are as ready as your cyberware and your steel, because the age of the Merc has been ushered in by V.
The fate of Night City will be in your hands, if you can hold on...
Follow site rules, obviously, when posting to any of this game's threads.
⪭ GM Decisions
For all aspects of this roleplay, GMs get final say. We'd rather reach a collaborative agreement on any issue where possible rather than issue any unilateral judgment, however, it should be noted. So talk with us if there's an issue or disagreement.
⪭ Character Sheets
Make sure all the required information is on a Character Sheet when submitted for review. If your Character Sheet goes from WIP to Awaiting Review, do let the GMs know.
⪭ Character Sheet Review
It may take some time for your Character Sheet to get reviewed, especially those heavy on equipment and history. Patience is appreciated. Only move your Character Sheet over to the Characters tab after you've been given the okay by a GM.
⪭ Characters
Each character will be a Merc. What your background is, what your skill-set is, even what your equipment/gear/possessions are will largely be up to each player. Our only rule for this is they have to be good enough to get recruited, but not so good they're considered top-tier Mercs. Think Jackie Welles at the start of Cyberpunk2077.
⪭ Character Deaths
Characters can die, don't do something awfully stupid and you should be fine. We're not out to arbitrarily kill anyone's hard-earned character. Do not post killing another PC without the other player and a GM being okay with that before hand.
⪭ Posting Level & Requirements
Casual to High Casual/Advanced/whatever you want to call it these days. Each player will have two weeks to post, with additional time allowances for IRL issues that might arise.
⪭ Equipment
Weapons and gear will follow a tier structure of Basic, Expensive, Luxury/MilSpec. Cyberware will follow a similar tier structure, Basic, Expensive, Luxury/CorpSpec. This will be expanded on in the Character Sheet section.
⪭ Setting Knowledge Requirement
If you've played the game Cyberpunk2077, you know enough about the setting to play this game. If you want you can go find the most recent Cyberpunk RPG corebook, Cyberpunk Red, but it's not necessary.
⪭ Discord
Obviously use this thread for expressing interest and any questions, but if you'd like to live chat with the GMs and other potential players we've thrown up a Discord server you can reach here.
Night City is better than it's been in a long time. The NCART system is fully repaired, the Night City Data Pool is one of the most efficient and safest of all municipal Data Pools, and there simply isn't a better operating environment for most corporations outside home territory where the corporation has full control of a host nation government. (See; Arasaka, Japan.) Some outlying areas have been modified to allow for infrastructure of new neighborhoods and suburbs, with the conversion of older neighborhoods Dammed into Reservoirs of water to act as springboard along with new NET and power infrastructure. Construction of the transcontinental maglev line has undergone major progress and investment, connection between Night City and Chicago of NUSA to be completed no later than 2080.
Night City has struggled in other areas. The metrics of crime and aggregate Quality of Life (QoL) have both slowed their growth in 2077, though neither metric is currently trending in the right direction. The recent tensions between Arasaka and Militech corporations have highlighted the dangers of large scale influence by major corporate entities, though new Major Jefferson Peralez has announced initiatives to combat gang violence, raise corporate taxation, increase NCPD response time outside Corpo Plaza, and community outreach programs. Political observers quickly point out Peralez has also announced anti-homeless initiatives and a tax hike on private citizens, along with corporations.
The city has largely rebuilt after the incredible damage of the Fourth Corporate War and the nuclear bombing of the old Arasaka Tower. While Combat Zones were expansive and covered large sections of Westbrook and Downtown, today the only Combat Zone is in a small section of Pacifica. The Night City City Council has come to terms with Kang Tao, allowing new demolition and construction within the failed Pacifica district at incredibly low cost (rumored to be a symbolic single Euro-Dollar) to Kang Tao in return for assurances Kang Tao will bring the Pacifica Combat Zone and overrunning crime problem to heel. Proof that while The Reunification War has left Night City a free state, it has also allowed foreign corporate influence not seen since the 2020s.
While Night City itself is on the upswing, and most crime is on the decline (outside crimes against corporations and sex crimes), the streets are far from calming their collective shit. While the best Merc since Morgan Blackhand, V, proved just what a top tier Merc can do in modern Night City, they did so blazing a trail through nearly every district and gang in the city. Many of the gangs suffer drains of revenue, leadership, or both. As such the Scav presence has increased in nearly every district of Night City, there have ever been reports of Scav conducted abductions where they haven't been since soon after the Fourth Corporate War, such as corporate apartment buildings in Corpo Plaza.
Former CorpoRats, former Gangers, former Lawmen, and more have found it more lucrative to try to make it on their own as a Merc than join a gang. Merc groups have become to pop-up, groups of Mercs that work together to find greater success. While this is nothing new, and the afore mentioned V is rumored to have been part of an ill-fated Merc group before hitting the Big Leagues, this was closer to the exception than the rule. Most mid-level Mercs either operate in a group, have operated in a group, or wouldn't mind working in a group. Fixers have responded by cultivating their own roster of various Merc groups, and will often nudge one Merc in the direction of other Mercs.
Gangs are increasingly hostile to Mercs, tired of being targeted by the mid-level Solo looking to practice their skills or newest gear on little trained gonks wearing gang colors. Some Fixers still prefer lone Mercs, or hastily put-together Merc groups, then cultivating Mercs. Thus far no Merc group has been able to dictate terms to Fixers, though some Mercs have survived long enough to become Fixers on their own, these Fixers specializing in scouting Mercs and putting together teams. With the rise of Mercs have come an increase in Fixers, most with shadowy and mysterious ties, or low-level Fixers that would sell out their own mothers for a quick ascent within the ranks of Night City Fixers.
Saburo Arasaka's death began a chain reaction that, largely, ended with a crash and boom in the world of Night City's gangs. Whether it was getting caught up in a cold war between Arasaka and Militech, or finding the NCPD swooping in to take advantage of gangs that suddenly found themselves abandoned by corporate protectors, or just victims of the uptick in Merc activity--2077 was a bad year for the gangs of Night City. Especially hard hit were the Maelstrom and the Voodoo Boys. The leadership of both gangs is largely rumored to have been gutted whole. Tyger Claws have also sustained severe damage, both to mid-level leadership and various revenue streams like drugs, human trafficking, and various clubs. The streets are more dependent on Mercs than they have been since 2020, so much so NetWatch and NCPD have both newly established Merc Desks and Task Forces.
The ongoing conflict between the Valentino and 6th Street gangs seems unphased by the misfortune of other gangs. Both Valentinos and 6th Street have shown no decline in influence or resources, and both remain fixated on each other. Some Corpo watchers openly wonder if the raise in intensity of conflict between Valentinos and 6th Street is tied to this new cold war between Arasaka and Militech; conspiracy theorists claim each gang has become little more than proxy fronts for the two long time corporate rivals. NCPD informant reports dispute this analysis, with one classified informant claiming, "The 'Tinos ain't no Tyger Claws, some of them may be taking Arasaka money and protection, but not all. And not the most O.G. amount those motherfuckers."
While some expected the Mox to benefit the most from the misfortune of Maelstrom and Tyger Claws, that has not seemed to be the case. The small, non-territorial gang has largely remained that way. Despite a Mox backed effort to violently take-over the Tyger Claws dollhouse located in MegaBuilding H8, Clouds, the cloud is currently closed after what NCPD believes to be Tyger Claw retaliation. Mox informants are divided whether the Clouds incident was actually a Mox effort, or the efforts of a splinter Mox faction. The Watson MedCenter has reported an increase in violent theft of cyberware and the kidnapping of several doctors; N54 reporters have described this rash of highly targeted theft a clear sign that Maelstrom are rebuilding faster than expected.
Not that long ago, the Afterlife was Rogue and the newly returned Dex. Now both are zeroed and gone, but not forgotten...though in different ways. Dex has become a cursed name in the Afterlife, and it's not uncommon for Mercs to refer to a Fixer known to use and throw-away Mercs as, 'just another Dex in the system.' Rogue, on the other hand, is a well-remembered name with a drink in her honor. That's probably no accident given the new owner of the Afterlife; the Merc everyone simply knows as V. Has V gone straight Fixer, have they stayed Merc? Hard to say, because no one has seen V in some time. There sure as shit ain't a 'V' on the drink menu, so you gonks know they aren't zeroed.
Along with more familiar faces like head bouncer, Emmerick Bronson, and resident Netrunner, Nix, the Afterlife is filled with new faces both in terms of Mercs and Fixers. Taking the place of the top Fixer in the bar is a well-known, and generally well liked, former Corpo Plaza focused Fixer and current (ex?) rockerboy Dino Dinovic. Those on the outside looking say if you're big time enough to get access to the Afterlife's more private back-of-house section, 'Hades', you'll find more mysterious Fixers like Mr. Hands. Wilder rumors claim this is where sightings of V happen these days. Those Mercs with the street cred to get back into Hades...well, they just don't say anything.
A popular game for those entering Afterlife for the first time is to look for signs of the long-storied ghost of Morgan Blackhand. Ask around, however, and you're met with stone-cold silence...for the most part. According to one of the drinkslingers, Claire, it's worth noting there ain't no 'Morgan Blackhand' on the menu. She's just sayin'.
Arasaka Corporation was on top of the world going into 2077. They had largely regained most ground lost at the end of the Fourth Corporate War, forcing NUSA and Militech to the negotiating table to end the Unification War, cementing their status back at the top of the Night City foodchain. While most analysts saw it more along the lines of 1A and 1B between Arasaka and Militech for the soul of Night City, those within Arasaka clearly saw it as a matter of Militech slipping behind them for control of the Free City.
2077 was not nearly as kind to Arasaka as the years proceeding it were. Not only did Saburo Arasaka die, whether murdered from within or assassinated by Militech/NUSA forces (depending on who you believe), not only did the factions within Arasaka nearly come to actual blows, but it's clear to anyone that looks that Militech has gained ground on Arasaka within Night City. This perception was cemented with the Merc assault on Arasaka Tower, which resulted in the destruction of vital infrastructure to the Relic product.
Yorinobu Arasaka has returned to Tokyo, while Hanaka Arasaka has retreated from public life to focus on personal and family matters. Michiko Arasaka has taken over her grandfather's former office in Night City's Arasaka Tower, a move that is perhaps more than symbolic; many former Saboru supporters within Arasaka are rumored to have thrown their support behind Michiko's faction within the megacorp.
Militech International Armaments has had a relatively fantastic last half century. Not only did the Fourth Corporate War establish them as a true megacorporation in the world, not only did they found some measure in success by forcing Arasaka into being a Japanese only centered corporation and put a serious delay in Saburo Arasaka's plans of world domination, but they nearly found themselves in control of all North America via the NUSA Reunification War. Instead Arasaka showed back up as a true world-wide megacorp, and force NUSA--and by extension Militech--to settle for most of North America. Those who believe Militech will be happy with all their gains, instead of focusing on their losses, know nothing of Militech.
With over 60% of all NUSA government contracts belonging to Militechas well as the multiple times the NUSA has 'nationalized' Militech, many analysts consider the true leader of Militech to be former Militech CEO and current NUSA President Rosalind Myers instead of current CEO Lucas Harford. Whoever is really in control seems largely irrelevant on a practical level; Militech and NUSA have long been considered more intertwined than most corporations and their host nations. Speculation has surfaced than while the Reunification War was mostly a success, Arasaka entering the conflict when they did prevented from Militech and NUSA from cementing the former Free States as true NUSA controlled territories. Indeed, many of the former Free States seem to be NUSA States in name alone.
Both Myers and Harford have been reported, in private, to claim Night City is the key to kicking Arasaka out of North America for good.
The meteroic rise of Kang Tao has seen it go from a Taiwan high-tech manufacturer to a Chinese megacorporation and a worldwide leader in bleeding edge Smart Weapons and computer systems. Where Militech has used owning over 60% of NUSA government contracts as a springboard, Kang Tao owns nearly 75% of government contracts in China. This fact, along with bold choices and excellent multi-front strategy, have set up Kang Tao as a true rival to Arasaka in Asia--something considered nearly impossible in the height of the Fourth Corporate War.
Despite the greatness in the achievement of getting to their new lofty position, Kang Tao continues to push and grow. Most recently they have announced large acquisitions and expansions that will see them trying to become a major player in the crowded-at-the-top markets of defense and private security. They are one of the few megacorps in the world focusing on trying to make the world's oceans navigable once again despite major dangers of remaining sea mine zones, as well as autonomous submersible drones and underwater weapons platforms leftover from the Fourth Corporate War.
Their rise, and their current efforts, could be in a precarious state their long-time CEO passed away. The Kang-Tao Board of Directors has recently promoted Vice President of Research and Development, Xiaohan Ling, as the new CEO. Mrs. Ling had spent time recently in Night City at Konpeki Plaza, holding meetings with various Night City, Arasaka, and Militech officials. Some suspect Mrs. Ling, and Kang-Tao, of trying to find avenues to muscle into the top tier of corporations in Night City in terms of power and influence, no matter the cost to Arasaka or Militech. Although both Arasaka and Militech have avoided any kind of open rivalry or conflict with the Chinese-based megacorp, despite return attacks on a Kang-Tao AV and the recruitment of a high-level Arasaka executive, it remains to be seen whether that is a trend that can continue after the Reunification War and the renewed importance of Night City to the lucrative North American market.
By far one of the smaller corporations on a list of major players in Night City. While they are not considered a rival of any other corporation, or government, some analysts do wonder if there is something to the fact that Biotechnica does not have an office anywhere within NUSA; instead both their North American offices reside in locations outside NUSA jurisdiction with locations in the Republic of Texas and Night City. The true source of Biotechnica's growth has always been CHOOH2; the answer to the world's fossil fuel crisis in the early 21st Century. The raise in dust levels from the Himalayan War, as well as the increase in dust storms and hurricanes from the growing severity of Global Warming, only further cemented CHOOH2 as the global fuel standard.
Within years of it's development nearly vehicle and power planet converted to CHOOH2. Although Biotechnica held worldwide patents, it lacked the production facilities to meet nearly overnight worldwide demand, forcing it to license production to several large agribusinesses and petro-corporations. These deals made Biotechnica an extremely wealthy, but still not very large, company. SovOil and Petrochem have the exclusive rights into producing the fuel worldwide, although these licensing deals are rumored to be coming to a close in the near future. Arasaka has become a key client and contractor for Biotechnica, spearheading the CHOO2 Services market, supporting the production and distribution of CHOOH2 without actually producing the fuel itself.
Arasaka's CHOOH2 services and distribution contract is reportedly the first of the massive CHOOH2 based contracts to expire. Biotechnica has leveraged their contracts and copyrights to avoid being absorbed by a larger megacorp, growing and expanding in the last thirty years to include everything from bio-weapons to major efforts in cloning, reforestation, and medicines and vaccines. Founder and longtime CEO Nicolo Loggagia died under mysterious circumstances two years ago, ushering in Lars Marsted as the new CEO. Harvard educated and the business mastermind for the corporation behind all CHOOH2 licensing, Mr. Marsted was recently seen in Night City to oversee the investigation into the death of highly prized employee, and Biotechnica Night City Regional Director, Joanne Koch.
Night Corporation is the smallest corporation on this list, as their focus is entirely on Night City and it's immediate surroundings. They are also, perhaps most impressively, the most secretive and mysterious of all corporations on this list. No one knows exactly how much capital NightCorp has in reserves, what it's exact lines of credit are, let alone what it's main source of revenue is. Despite some projections, no one even knows how many people NightCorp actually employees. It's a level of secrecy no other corporation in the world has been able to duplicate. The corporation is part Richard Night's legacy, the visionary industrialist who laid the bedrock of Night City. It was founded by Night's widow, Miriam, who used the money her late husband left behind to build it from the ground up and structure it around Night's ideals and principles.
While Miriam was the longest tenured CEO of NightCorp, her death saw a succession of CEOs with diminishing compentency. Each new CEO achieved less than the one before, many in the Night City business sector believing it was only the Fourth Corporate War's fallout that allowed NightCorp to survive at all. With Arasaka forced to become a Japanese-only corporation for decades, as well as the massive public relationships crisis surroudning Militech following the near destruction and nuclear fallout of Night City, it was NightCorp that was left holding the bag to rebuild Night City--a task Night City, and NightCorp itself, didn't have the resources for.
Despite this, somehow, Night Corps was able to rebuild large sections of Night City. From shrinking the amount of Combat Zones in the city to the post-Fourth Corporate War estimate of half the city being a Combat Zone, down to a single small region in Pacifica being considered a true Combat Zone, to rebuilding the NCART system by elevating tracks and modernizing the system, NightCorp was able to engineer and construct solutions for a vast majority of Night City's population. Although it's argued NightCorp has not been able to fulfill it's promises to North Watson or Pacifica, the modern day Night City of 2077 would not exist without the efforts of NightCorp. Working with the technology firm Data Tech, NightCorp was able to make Night City the first city in the world to have a fully functioning and efficient Data Pool, allowing restore cheap and reliable communication across Night City for the first time since the crash of the first NET.
Despite changing CEOs twice in the last seven years, NightCorp has made two surprise announcements: that by 2080 the city's subterranian maglev system will connect Night City with the NUSA city of Chicago, and a related strategic partnership with Chicago based Storm Technologies, a growing rival to Militech on the North American continent in the areas of aerospace, technology, and defense.
Weapons and gear will follow a tier structure of Basic, Expensive, Luxury/MilSpec. Cyberware will follow a similar tier structure, Basic, Expensive, Luxury/CorpSpec.
When creating your character please understand you're, at best, a mid-level Merc. Jackie Welles has been our example, because he has enough reputation to get into Afterlife, he has a Luxury pistol. Similar to V at that stage in Cyberpunk2077, while V's weapons aren't above Basic, the Kiroshi optic is CorpSpec, bringing Jackie and V on the same Tier as a Mid-Level Merc. Enough Street Cred to get the job, but not enough Street Cred to own the street the job is on, or be expected to do the job solo.
As such keep that balance in mind when deciding weapons/armor/gear/cyberware for your character. As a general rule of thumb, one piece of Luxury/MilSpec/CorpSpec cyberware. No numerical system in place for this, just keep to the spirit of the intended Mercs and don't try to power play.
Format provided by @Lord Wraith. You can use whatever format you wish, just so long as the required information is all there.
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"Witty Quote"
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
Given Middle Surname _________________________________________________________ Age | ♀/♂ | Sexuality _________________________________________________________ Marital Status | Occupation | Affiliation
P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E
▼ P H Y S I C A L T R A I T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Build - Descriptor ► Ethnicity - Colour ► Hair Colour - Colour ► Eye Colour - Colour ► Other - Scars, Tattoos, Piercings etc -
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
▼ C H A R A C T E R I T E M S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Items - Related Information
▼ K N O W N A S S O C I A T E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Name - Description/Relevance
▼ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Skill - Description/Relevance
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C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y
This is where you outline your vision for the character including any notable changes or differences from the regularly accepted canon. This should be a short summary that provides insight into where the character is in terms of their overall progress and development. You could also include any notable differences from the standard canon you've added to your character.
D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E
A full physical description to compliment your face claim and physical profile. In addition to physical attributes, this section can be used to flesh out personal mannerisms such as how the character carries themselves, do they talk with their hands or other such notable details. A sense of personal style can also be described here along with any other elaboration needed to complement the physical profile such as a description of tattoos, coloured hair etc.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
Why do you want to play this character, what is the driving motivation behind both this desire and the character themselves. What do you hope to accomplish and where do you want the character's story/stories to go? For a driving character, there should be enough of an outline present to interest other players along with specifications towards how many players you're looking to involve or available roles. For supporting characters, this should indicate either a plot you've arranged to be part of or the type of plot you're looking to be involved in. Roaming characters have the privilege of doing either or simply stating a roadmap for the character to exemplify how you'd ideally like them to move between plots.
" Do no harm. Protect the client. Follow the rules.
That's what we were taught.
Awful hard to stand by that rule when everyone in this city's out to harm you."
//NAME: Connie Zhu / Hui Jiang
//STREET NAME: Scalpel
//GENDER: Female
//AGE: 36
//AFFILIATIONS
- Trauma Team International (10 Years)
- Tyger Claws (3 Years)
- Afterlife Mercenary (Current)
//APPEARANCE: Connie embodies the spirit of a rough and tumble street hooligan caged by professionalism and conduct. Her curled hair is cut precisely in a bob cut, various knots interspersed throughout. Black bangs frame an angular face rimmed with eyebags and a pensive frown. Memories of a misspent youth mark her wiry body as dysfunctioning light-tattoos scribed in a fit of paternal rebellion blink all over her arms alongside a grievous burn mark on her neck as a result of hazing at TT bootcamp.
Scars of his time as a Trauma Team EMT riddle her body, dimpled pockets of faded bullet wounds glazing her chest, with a grievous jagged line of mottled skin crossing the flat of her belly By far, the most pressing reminder of her time in Trauma Team International is the sleek blue chrome that makes up most of her left arm and shoulder.
In terms of tactical gear, Connie uses a modified version of her old TT gear that has been jury-rigged by various techies over the years into something that looks downright primitive. When she’s not flatlining gangsters or busy resuscitating gonks, Connie wears an unassuming combination of chic gear, preferring a poncho hoodie that allows her to hide within crowds.
//HISTORY:
Connie was 14 years old when she saw a Trauma Team aerodyne for the first time.
It was early noon on a Friday, the type of day that would call for a trip into the Upper Marina. Unfortunately, her mother had other plans,namely, going on a tour of the academic quagmire she would be getting stuck into her the next five years or so of her life. Getting into a prestigious pre-med program sponsored by BioTechnica was one thing but being a first-gen uni student was the cherry on top of the cake. Part of her was convinced it was sheer luck whilst her mother, being a stickler for tradition, believed it was a sign of blessing from our ancestors. Lucky stars and other crappy astrological palm-reading nonsense that she’d babble on to her.
A tour guide dressed in a sleek silver dress and wearing a neon smile was leading them along through the skeleton of an empty pavilion that was currently undergoing reconstruction. Connie watched as construction drones skittered about on legs, briefly turning noon into early morning with the glow of their plasma torches, before moving onto the next spot. Reconstruction was petering off in the ten or so years that had passed since the Red. Her mother told her of days when the sunset seemed to bleed orange and the rain that poured from those scab-like clouds corroded through the steel skyline. Now, all that remained of the mid-century holocaust was a faint rusty mist that cloyed to the blue sky.
“ Connie! For the life of me, could you not spend one moment staring at that device of yours? ” Her mother hissed, pulling at Connie’s ear, whilst she was busy parsing through my socials on the Agent. “ You should be excited. You are the first Zhu to enter a prestigious institute such as NCU!”
“ C’mon, ma ma.” Connie pulled her agent away from the prying hands of her mother as she rolled her eyes. “ This is boooooring. Couldn’t we have waited until next week to do this?”
“ And spend time with your gwai lo boyfriend at that ridiculous concert? “ My mother scoffed. “ I think not. Besides, this is a far more useful way to spend a Friday.”
Connie scowled. Those advance tickets she got on the night market was the sweetest hitch she ever got in her life! Getting seats at a crim-zone concert was notoriously hard to begin with alongside the secret crypto-seal which they used to hide the secret location of their concerts in the abandoned underground metros of Night City.
“ Whatever.” The teen’s cheeks were reddened with embarrassment as she tucked herself further into her Agent. “ I’ll probably flunk out in the first term anyway.”
“ Don’t you say such slander. Did I truly raise my daughter to believe so little in herself?” Connie wanted to scream internally as she sensed the signs of another incoming lecture. “ If I was your age, I would be grateful to stand here with Night City’s brightest. Instead, you want excitement- ”
The explosion then hits her like a freight train. Her eardrums pop painfully as she feels her feet being launched off the ground, agent shaking loose from her grip. Connie’s world becomes a storm of pain and dizziness, vision quaking as sounds of terrified screams and the staccato of lead begin to fill in the void of her senses. Her ears make out the faint noises of someone speaking as she groans out, struggling to stand up on her own two feet.
“ Fuck, what the hell was that for, Rory!”
“ You said to cause a distraction. I caused the distraction! Now, NCPD’s gonna be busy cleaning up this situation while we make our getaway.” “ You idiot! Do you want Max-Tac breathing down our necks?”
“ Hey, this one’s still breathing, Jimmy. What should I do with her?”
“ Just ice her and put her out of her misery.”
“ Right-o.”
The click of a receiver wakes her up to the sight of a barrel pointed downwards at her, laser sight trained on her forehead. Behind it is an arm leading up to a face that’s more metal than meat, the jaw replaced crudely with a fanged maw that resembles a bear-trap. There’s a hoarse reverberating chuckle as Connie begins begging for her life.
“ Please, no, fuck, I can pay you, please, don’t shoot - “
Her voice then becomes drowned in the sound of loud klaxons and the hungry roar of AV turbines. A shadow comes over the both of them as an aerodyne hovers above the both of them, a spotlight illuminating their figures in the darkening noon. Scratches and bullet holes cover the bulky blue-striped hull as the front of the aerodyne narrows towards the lunatic threatening to zero her out.
“ LANDING IMMINENT. STAND CLEAR. INITIATING SECURITY PROTOCOLS. “
Two hatches then open at the bottom of the armored hull and a set of barrels emerge, spinning together at the ready. Connie screams and closes her eyes as gunfire erupts again. A metallic gurgle cries out and then, the wet audible thuds of a body smacking on the concrete. She opens her eyes back up again to see the man cut in half, twisted legs and a vacated torso connected by a bridge of guts and blood. The stench hits her and morning’s breakfast comes tumbling out onto the pavement. As she wipes away the bile, the AV lands on the ground with a soft thud, pressurized gas hissing out as the aerodyne doors open up. Trauma Team personnel begin flooding the chaotic smoky scene, clad in blue neoprene suits with sterile kevlar plating covering their vital organs. One, the commander, Connie presumes, begins barking out orders and pushing back onlookers onto the ground.
“ PLEASE FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS.” The speaker blares once more. “ DO NOT APPROACH THE VEHICLE AND VACATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY. ANYONE WHO INTERFERES WITH THE DUTIES OF TRAUMA TEAM INTERNATIONAL PERSONNEL WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE PREMISES.”
It’s a series of firsts for Connie today as one of the Trauma Team EMTs strides past her in a sprint, sliding downwards on her knees to a stop next to one of the students caught in the explosion. A female voice begins barking out in a radio in a calm and precise fashion, hands moving in a blur. Connie watches her pull out a suitcase that mechanically unfolds itself into a workbench two times bigger than what it previously was, various medical tools and equipment hanging on the side.
“ This is TT-570. 3 platinum and one gold confirmed. One pulmonary hemorrhage. Two in shock. One cranial fracture. Prep two freezers on the double ASAP.” The Trauma Team EMT grabs onto two handles in the workbench and pulls out a blocky device to place onto the student’s chest. Interlocks on each side of the device clamp down as the EMT taps buttons on it in a furious hurry. “ Administering 30 ccs of dopamine and 50 ccs of midazolam. Beginning installation of venous catherer.”
The EMT continues chattering into the radio, using her left hand to stick a airhypo down into the woman’s shoulder whilst jabbing the catheter straight into the chest. Connie wonders whether it’s TTI training or experience that allowed the EMT to know precisely where to enter the catheter into the subclavian without much training. She’s seen experienced doctors take 30 seconds. She’s seen techies who treat their gear with more care than how this EMT treats their patient.
Her eyes then narrow as a shadow appears deep within the fog. It stumbles out, the dusty mist parting in hacking coughs. It’s one of the gangsters. The graze on his left shoulder bleeds onto his ragged sleeveless shirt as he blinks blearily. His face lights up in vicious glee as he lifts up his pistol, taking aim at the unaware Trauma Team officer in front of him.
“ Behind you!,” Connie shouts, pointing over the EMT’s shoulder.
The EMT’s head perks up just in time for a round to spark off her helmet. She grunts in momentary annoyance In one smooth motion, the paramedic twirls around, raising her iron underneath her cheek, before pulling the trigger. Connie watched as a line of bullets stitched itself up from the thug’s chest to his cheek, sending him down onto the ground in a mist of blood. Walking over to the still breathing body, Connie flinches as the Trauma Team EMT fires two more shots in the guy’s dome, legs twitching with every bullet. The EMT then continues to work on stabilizing the patient, not minding the growing pool of blood on the ground behind her, as Connie feels the gills grow green.
Connie sees another shadow in the fog and braces herself in fear. It’s the Trauma Team commander, fortunately. She notices that his pristine helmet is now covered in splatters of blood as he walks to the EMT who folds out a stretcher to lay the patient out on.”
“ Max-Tac is gonna be here soon to mop up what’s left. Finish up before we get flatlined by those psychos.” The commander then nudges his head to the AV. “ Exit is 2 minutes unless you want to walk back to Watson all by yourself.”
“ Clear. Get Dobbs to help me with the stretcher.” The EMT replies back. The commander nods, satisfied before moving back into the fog.
It’s just the two of them. The EMT is still busy securing the patient to the stretcher, tying velcro straps and securing a breathing mask onto them. Once she’s done, there’s a brief moment of silence that’s interrupted by brief bursts of gunfire and cries in the distance. The EMT turns her head to look at Connie and she freezes up. Was Trauma Team going to zero her for interfering? Hell, why didn’t she run away? The EMT scratches the back of her head, unsure for a moment of what to say.
“ Thanks, kid.” The EMT softly says before digging into her belt and tossing her a nozzle tube. It slips in Connie’s hand as she catches it. Before Connie can ask what it’s for, the EMT points to her head. “ Something for the cut. Make sure it doesn’t go septic, right.”
Connie’s brow furrows in confusion as one of her hands reach towards her forehead. She feels the warm trickle of blood as she looks at her fingers, now doused in red. Connie doesn’t get the chance to say thank you as another one of the EMT’s emerges from the smoke. They crouch down, one on each side of the stretcher, before hoisting the patient up and carrying them to the AV.
“ Connie! CONNIE!”
Connie feels her mother’s arms wrap around her in a crushing hug. Whilst her mother continued checking her little angel’s face erratically for any signs of damage, Connie watched the AV slowly hover upwards, jets buffeting away the trash and litter that filled the courtyard. The turbines then angled forward, little jets of gas puffing out from the sides to stabilize the rectangular craft. The AV dove before transitioning into a soundless glide, swerving left behind the university’s library out of sight.
She didn’t speak a single word as her mother took a bus home to their sequestered little copse in Little China. Baba came back late from work at and began another one of his lectures on safety and responsibility before mother shut him up with a pointed glare. After they finished their dinner of crappy pre-pack, it was only until she was alone and by herself in the shower that she collapsed on the wet floor. Her skin felt foreign to her as she began digging into it with her nails, hyperventilating, as she saw the speckled drops of dried blood that were on the underside of her fingers.
She never wanted to feel like that again.
Never again.
She was twenty when she signed up for TTI. She was the only one out of her entire cohort who decided to listen to the TT recruiter and signed up. None of the corpo heirs or her chooms that she’d made in med-school wanted to join. They all looked at her as if she was insane and now, her parents were the new ones to join that crowd.
“ Hui Jiang - “ Connie trembled for a moment as her father spoke her Chinese name, the one that had been shedded to survive in Night City. “ - please cease this foolishness. Do you really think you can make a difference out there? You’re just another uniform, a tool for these corporations to use as they see fit! Trauma Team earned its reputation for a reason! You’ll die out there! ”
“ Trauma Team’s different. They operate on an objective code of neutrality. We serve all our clients equally, no matter their background. They’re the best of the best, baba. I don’t want to languish in NCMC until I turn into a mummy.”
“ Best of the best.” Her father repeated in a mocking tone. “ Trauma Team serve whoever shells out the most eddies for their platinum packages. Do you understand what that means? What if you’re forced to save a murderer? A crime lord? A cyber-psycho? What then? Are you ready for that burden?”
“ It’s part of the job.” Connie sighed, looking down onto the table. “ This argument is moot, baba. I’m shipping out to Seattle next Monday.”
“ Very well.” Her father’s voice hitched for a moment, his voice more hoarse than ever. “ Leave. If you are determined to end up on the front page of NCT’s obituary, then, I will not stop you.”
And thus, began Connie’s 20 weeks of hell. The first week, she couldn’t take shits properly as her body struggled to adjust to the near sadistic physical regimens her TO’s put through. TT bootcamp for her was a mixture of NCPD SWAT training and studying for a medical PhD. A TT EMT was expected to know the exact location of every single spinal nerve within the vertebral column and where exactly to administer epidural stims without a proper scan whilst being versed enough to commit hostage-rescue ops.
By the time Connie made it out and started her tours, she was tossed in the meat-grinder of NC’s combat zones. TTI was beginning to regrow the roots it had lost since the 4th Corpo War and with their growth in profits came the installation of new FOBs and offices across Night City and most of NUSA. Recruitment grew and after five years of service, Connie was promoted to the role of Senior EMT in the TTI. Connie grew in renown in TTI for both her compassionate treatment of non-clients as well as her almost suicidal tenacity to rescue her clients, the former of which her COs viewed as her being “ emotionally compromised on the line of duty”.
Then, it all came to shit one day. It was a normal call. A group of mercs who’d managed to pool together their eddies for one license in Heywood. A standard TT unit was assembled and when they got there, things seemed odd. No bodies on the ground. No signs of a firefight.
That was until their AV was crippled with a Kang-Tao EMP munition that sent Connie and her team tumbling down onto an electronics shop.
The situation had just transformed from a rescue to a firefight. The license was true and the client was injured but TTI had never considered that their client might have injured themselves on purpose. A group of Maelstroms had lured them into a trap with the goal being to hijack and commandeer their AV for their own use. Their comms were jammed thanks to Maelstrom netrunners.
Somehow, Connie and her team made it back to Watson with her team mostly unblemished and alive thanks to her leadership. However, with an arm missing and only a biro worth of blood left in her, Connie ended up on medical discharge for a month or so, receiving a new cybernetic arm courtesy of company policy and with over 2000 eddies of newly synthesized blood in her system.
Naturally, as TT began to reshuffle its books, Connie got axed off her position as Senior EMT. Elucidating the reasons behind her termination has been a constant source of frustration for Connie. Was it corporate backstabbing? One client complaint too many? Did her COs see her as a potentia liability? Regardless, she threw her generous severance package on the ground and with it, her company’s privileges. Whether out of good will or good luck, TTI didn’t stick to the standard protocol of removing company cybernetics, allowing Connie to retain much of her dignity as she packed her belongings and moved back to her familiar hometown of Little China in Watson.
No longer being a TTI employee, Connie hitched up with the Tyger Claws as a lone merc for a while under the employ of Wakoko Okada. Then, in 2077, when Arasaka Tower got hit for the second time in the 21st century, Connie found herself scratching the bottom of the barrel to find gigs and contracts to pass the time as mercs flooded the street, eager to pick up the remains of the Arasaka empire.
Nowadays, you can find her in some seedy corner of the Afterlife, schmoozing away on sake and reminiscing about the good old days of the 2050s.
//PLOTS AND GOALS:
CONNIE ZHU’S TO-DO LIST
1) Find out whoever fucking axed me from TTI and put their ass permanently in a cryo-bag.
2) Pay rent
3) Try to stop Dad’s hawker business from going under (and repair relationship?)
4) Find a good gig and fast.
//SKILLS: You don't become a senior Trauma Team EMT by pulling a few strings to work your way up the corporate hierarchy. Under Carrie Lachanan's guidance, the only way to move up the ladder is to prove yourself. Connie is a skilled paramedic and emergency surgeon, able to conduct routine amputations and open air surgeries to save an individual's life. If you don't want to be flatlined, she's the gun-toting angel you can rely on to save your ass from entering the pearly gates too early and having your sins judged by whatever cruel god made this sick joke of a world.
In addition, Connie is also trained in urban combat situations and hostage rescue operations, having coordinated a Trauma Team unit of her own for a period of five years before being terminated by TTI. Things often go pear-shaped in every Trauma Team call which has fostered a sense of adaptive intuition and reactive planning in Connie to allow her to respond to every situation with a calm and steady countenance.
//EQUIPMENT:
KT G-75 Submachine Gun - "Xiao" : The bastardized inbred cousin of the tried and true iron of Trauma Team International. This sucker performs admirably in your typical firefights but without the fun of automated reloading , custom porting to ensure zero heating issues and hyper-spectral radar guidance system. It sure does sucks that your guaranteed, free company supply of guided 5.45 mm hollow-point gyro-ammo runs dry after you terminate your contract, doesn't it?
Don't answer that question.
Medkit - A titanium toolkit containing all the bells and whistles needed to conduct back-alley surgeries and med ops in the most hazardous of environments. From air-hypos filled with various stimulants, pressurized tanks full of liquid oxygen, bonesaws, scalpels, stents and the works. Just don’t expect Connie to work as a ripper doc. It’s not her specialty.
Modified Trauma Team BDU - Connie’s old TT uniform, now with several more holes, scratches and with that classic logo scratched off, lest, she wants to risk a corporate lawsuit. The shins and elbows of the suit have been reinforced with kevlar padding with a thick plate of ballistic armor-gel at the front to support her vitals.
//CYBERWARE:
TTI-ECP-G-2060-V4.5 Articulating M-Class Cyberlimb (Modified) - The best that the nano-surgeons and biosculpters of Trauma Team International have to offer. Composed out of a mixture of lightweight ceramics and hybrid alloy poly-laminates, this cybernetic limb allows a higher degree of rotation and flexibility than normal organic homologues, allowing full 360 degree rotation of ulnar-radial joints. In addition, the synthetic carbon-myofilaments allow Connie to crush metal in her grip.
In addition, this cyber-arm still contains the full integrated suite of surgical and medical equipment that Trauma Team International gives to veteran Trauma Team paramedics including but not limited to: a broad spectrum medscanner, a high-voltage defibrillator, a selection of automated hypodermic syringes and a suture applicator.
Biomonitor - A built-in biomonitor on Connie’s left arm that reads out her vital signs. Can be customized in a variety of 64 colors.
Defunct Smart-Link - Allows a user to interact with smart-weaponry if it was operational. Thanks to TTI's built in ICE, no ripper doc thus far has been able to crack through it to allow Connie to use it.
M A C K I E R A N I C E N I M A C K I E R A N I C E N I
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"The longer I live, the stronger my notion that this is the world we deserve."
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
Mac Kieran Iceni _________________________________________________________ 31 | ♂ | Heterosexual _________________________________________________________ Single | Solo | Ex-Iceni/Ex-UK Penal Legionnaire/Ex-Raffen Shiv
P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E
▼ P H Y S I C A L T R A I T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Build - Stocky ► Ethnicity - White British ► Hair Colour - Dark Brown ► Eye Colour - Brown ► Other - Blade scarring across forehead and right cheek. Bullet wound scarring on upper chest and lower back. Blade scarring on stomach and hip. Facial tattoo that shows forced conscription into the United Kingdom's Penal Legion and years served. Many tattoos covering arms and torso. No piercings. No visible cybernetics. -
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
▼ K N O W N A S S O C I A T E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Sebastian Ibarra - Mac's primary source of work since coming to Night City. ► Lisa Fletcher - A fellow ex-tribesmen of Del Lobo's and the closest thing to a friend that Mac has in N.C. ► Nic Aisling "Ash" Iceni - A 20 year old woman and former friend and family member of Mac's. They looked out for each other both as kids and in prison. For an unknown reason Aisling left England and came to Night City.
▼ C H A R A C T E R I T E M S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Malorian Overture (Expensive) - A double-action .42 calibre heavy revolver. ► M-10 AF Lexington (Basic) - A lighter automatic handgun, usually worn with a suppressor attached. ► Kukri (Basic) - A machete-esque curved blade with a razor sharp cutting edge and tip. ► Thorton Mackinaw Larimore (Expensive) - One of the few luxury items Mac owns. This truck is his main form of transport and his home away from home. He keeps a sleeping bag, tent and a few essential supplies in the rear. ► Muscle and Bone Weave (Expensive) - Biomodification that uses nanites to thread microscopic artificial fibres through muscle and bone tissue, making the recipient stronger and more resistant to damage.
▼ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► CQB Training and Experience - Growing up in a tribe of literal eco-warriors, surviving his teenage years in wars and free fire zones, living through four years on a brutal prison island and then not only surviving, but excelling after conscription into a military force used mostly as cannon fodder has left Mac an efficient, if not unorthodox warrior. He excels at getting the job done even without high level equipment or intel, having had to survive everything in life so far on his wits and weapons alone. He is quick and aggressive in a fight, able to strategize calmly even under extreme pressure and often turn the tide of a fight he's on the wrong side of. To both his credit and detriment, he has very rarely been on the advantageous side of a battle. He's the perpetual angry underdog and fights as such. ► Educated - Mac is one of the shrinking minority lucky enough to have been given something of an education. The Iceni knew very well that the ruling class and corporations controlled the population in large part thanks to their attacks on education and idealism. The ignorant were easiest to control and corral after all. To combat this The Iceni modelled themselves keepers, collecting and distributing to the tribe all pieces of knowledge they could get their hands on, largely in the form of old college textbooks and scientific journals. Going even further they accurately surmised that the present would be misrepresented just as the past had been, so they started writing it down. When it was inevitably twisted they kept and remembered the truth. As a result Mac has a better understanding of both the past and present than many folk, as well as a basic knowledge of maths, science and literature. -
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T
Mac grew up in the United Kingdom, a lifelong member of a tribal and nomadic faction called the Iceni. With the islands increasingly being torn apart by corporations, gangs and governmental politics and poisoned and polluted; mostly in the name of profit the majority never saw, a large demographic of the island's inhabitants became sick of this status quo and longed for simpler, environmentally cleaner and less corrupt days.
A group of such people became the Iceni, a faction inspired by the Iron Age tribe of the same name, and especially its queen Boudica. At first they simply wanted to be left alone to wander the countryside, making their homes in what remained of the forests, hills and lakesides of the kingdom. They were a mostly peaceful tribe outside of the small wars and skirmishes they had with more aggressive nomadic groups. As more and more of the island was taken by corporations to be exploited and polluted and their way of life became threatened they started becoming far more antagonistic however.
It wasn’t long before they were attacking corporate interest sites and fighting back against what they believed to be a blight to all natural good. These activities put all sorts of hunters on the clan's trail, so to make their hunt as difficult as possible they largely stuck to living in free fire zones. This was a double edged sword, as the extremely dangerous areas protected them from outside excursions but also made it so they had to be extremely combat efficient and wary to survive inside of them.
They fought a good fight against the corps for a time, even taking out especially insidious corpo’s in London once or twice, but the forces they were up against were simply too well funded and too well trained and armed for them to have any long term hope at impeding their progress. The more corpo's they killed and sites they destroyed the more the forces after them grew. Gradually more and more of The Iceni were killed or imprisoned, as they were hounded to the ends of the isles by corporate funded merc groups and police forces alike.
By the time Mac was 21 most of the tribe had been annihilated, and he himself was caught and imprisoned during a raid. He was sentenced to life but only ended up locked up for four years, refusing to give up any information on the hideouts or possible plans of what remained of his clan during that time, despite frequent physical and psychological torture. Once the cops and corpo's were sure they wouldn't get anything out of him they shipped him off to the Isle of Wight, a prison island.
It was more like a city run by prisoners, with crime of every kind, a lot of which being cannibalism a daily, if not hourly occurrence. Eventually almost all of the Iceni were killed or captured and they quickly became a governmental afterthought, with some hilarious bigwig corpo-cunt having the idea to release Mac after a compulsory four year period of indentured soldiering. Apparently he thought it'd be funny having Mac do the work of those who had caught him.
Mac agreed, so long as the children of the Iceni the government had imprisoned on the Isle would be pardoned at the end of his service. Probably not expecting Mac to last even a few months, the government capitulated. He was to be part of an initiative the government had put in place to put violent, combat-skilled offenders to work in small military units to quell the ever-present and uncontrollable gangs in the many urban centres throughout the kingdoms. The idea was to free up a little space in the UK'S massively overcrowded prison system whilst also gaining a foothold in chaotic areas.
The chosen prisoners were to be tattooed, chipped and tracked during jobs, with even the suspicion of escape plans or any transgression taken as proof of the impossibility of rehabilitation and punishable by summary execution. The government called them Penal Legionnaires. After surviving the first year of conscription with good behaviour and supposed dutiful service he was "rewarded" with standard UK Combined Forces biomodification, something he didn't want, especially as a reward from the government but didn't exactly get a say in.
His conscription finally ended three years later and he was released along with the few Iceni children, now teens who had been lucky enough to survive. Refusing continued military service as a free man despite the offer of a very lucrative contract, Mac tried to move on, mostly by helping the kids as much as he could to settle somewhere as safe as possible.
His clan dead, imprisoned or scattered to the wind and everything they had hoped and fought for ruthlessly crushed, Mac found himself free but alone, a lost soul without a map. To see and live among the isles now caused him great pain, like watching as the last fragment of home and beauty was tortured and lost and not being able to do a thing for it. He made the decision to leave the country, having heard that the N.U.S.A was large enough for a person or even a clan to get lost in.
In the following two years Mac travelled across the ocean, fell in with a raider type nomad group called Del Lobo's and then left not so long after in disgust when they started doing jobs for the corporate bitches they had previously fought against. He'd done similar in the past to save his own life, but he sure as hell wasn't going to do so again just for profit. Especially if it meant attacking those who had no way to defend themselves.
Finding himself not far from Night City upon leaving Del Lobo's he decided to head there, it being a place where a man of his specific talents could find plenty of work. The city innately repulsed him, but at this point so did the world. He’d found no evidence that his version of happiness or peace could be found on Earth, not outside of a few happy but now corrupted by loss and sadness memories anyhow.
D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E
Mac is a man of average height with an athletic, leanly muscled build who generally finds it quite easy to blend in most places. The scars and military tattoos on his face are among his most conspicuous visible features, but being scarred and tattooed is far from uncommon, especially among the company mercs tend to keep. His features are hard and angular, with slight wrinkles already forming at his mouth and up on his forehead, despite his relative youth. Dark brown head and facial hair blend well with chocolate brown eyes to altogether form a rather attractive visage. Not that it matters much, for Mac wouldn't know the first thing about using sex to his advantage.
His unclothed body reveals by far his most distinct characteristics, with both his torso and arms being covered in Celtic and pagan tattoos. His back is covered almost entirely by a Tree of Life, his chest is a mural of ravens and an artistic interpretation of The Morrigan. His arms are an amalgamation of triskele, spirals, wheel of Taranis, triquetras, knots and animals made up of spirals and ancient pagan inspired design. The artistry is interrupted only by the occasional scarring of past bullet, blade and bludgeon wounds.
Stylistically as relates to clothing Mac wouldn’t seem too out of place in the west at any point in the last century. His wardrobe mostly consists of various vintage-seeming leather jackets, jeans, boots and sneakers. The only thing really distinct about his style are the ballistic vests he invariably wears underneath his jackets, or perhaps the bulky handle of a revolver or handgun jutting out somewhere, but even those don’t get much of a second glance in Night City.
Possibly the only thing perceptive folk really find off about Mac is his composure. He’s unusually and coldly confident and rather direct for a man in a world and profession of extreme violence. He walks among gangers, killers, psychopaths and sadists alike with a reserved, almost tranquil disposition some find eerie. Employers often expect their hired killers to be quick to anger or at least annoyance, but with Mac they get the opposite. People are generally quite wary of unpredictability in a world of extreme risks.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
Mac is a man almost completely ideologically at odds with the world he finds himself in. Raised to treasure and live off of the earth and land, he sees it polluted and slowly dissipated. Raised to put loyalty to friends and family above everything and to see a corporate or government paycheck as dishonourable, he finds himself in a world where friends murder each other for the latter and folk like him are forced to degrade themselves or be crushed by those who will. It is a life he despises, yet one he must learn to live with… Or not.
Mac must try to find a way to live as a mercenary whilst staying as close to his beliefs as possible, or else do away with them and become someone he doesn’t recognise. Night City doesn’t suffer principles in its survivors for very long, so Mac must find a balance between who he has always strived to be and who he must actually be and hope that he can live with what that eventually makes of him.
Currently Mac is taking what jobs he’s offered and hoping against hope that they don’t put him into a moral spiral, and maybe, just maybe that he’ll meet people in such a hellscape of a city that don’t continue to fuel his suspicion that humanity was an unfortunate misstep in evolution. Deep down he wants to feel the sense of belonging and idealism he felt in his youth, and if human goodness can exist in a place that wages constant, unyielding war against it perhaps there’s hope, however small for people somewhere.
P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E
▼ P H Y S I C A L T R A I T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Build - Average height, lean build ► Ethnicity - Caucasian ► Hair Colour - Dark Green ► Eye Colour - Blue ► Other - Slight scarring on the arms. No tattoos, clear cybernetics on legs and head. Datasets on back of skull. -
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
▼ C H A R A C T E R I T E M S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Stephenson Tech Mk. 3 (Luxury) - High End Cyberdeck. Installed w/ Ping, Sonic Shock, Reboot Optics, and Short Circuit. ► Lexington Handguns (Basic) - Militech M-10AF Lexington. Equipped in dual shoulder holsters. ► M221 Saratoga (Basic) - Submachine Gun, typically brought in only as a violent last resort. ► Knife (Basic) - Combat knife, tucked in combat boots. ► Armor-Coated Jackets (Expensive) - Low-grade ballistic and slashing protection, one professional and one biker jacket. Can help cushion a few bullets, but not much. ► Retired NCPD Patrol Car (Expensive) - Villefort Cortes V6000 NCPD Overlord
▼ K N O W N A S S O C I A T E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Johnny Walker - Low-Level 6th Street Ganger, but a great marksman. Just goes by "Walker" to most folks. ► Laurie Walker - Mechanic, and owner of the Walker's Garage. Techie at heart, with a fiery temper. ► Lieutenant Velez - NCPD Quartermaster and former Vice detective. Was partners with Detective Santos some years back before getting desk duty.
▼ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Quickhacking - The ability to infiltrate, take control of, or disrupt anything connected to the net. ► Investigating - Able to notice small details in a room or crime scene, and make deductions based on the info available. ► Stealth - Years of skulking around and trying not to get caught or shot makes Trip a very sneaky boy. ► Sidearm Training - Not the most accurate, but firing with two guns means double the bullets. Law of large numbers, and all that. -
C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y
Don Walker was born to a family of mechanics in Rancho Coronado. His father was once a ganger for 6th Street in his youth, before going straight and running a small garage. He wasn't in the greatest health, and Don never got to know his father particularly well. He was found in a scrap yard with the back of his head crushed in when Don was only 7. The images Don saw of his father desensitized the boy from a young age to the death and destruction prevalent in Night City. Rumor was Don's father was shaken down and killed by local scavs. This might be why Don's form of acting out was sneaking around Scav hideouts and stealing odds and ends that his mother pawned off at some local shops. While it may not seem it on account of messing with armed criminals, Don was a smart kid from birth. He loved, more than anything, what he could access of the net. He was quiet, not much of a talker and instead more fond of just absorbing information. He spent a lot of his youth sitting inside messing with the computer learning anything he could. Kid like that didn't make a lot of friends in Santo Domingo. Don managed to get his first cyberdeck at a steal: an old Militech model scrapped from a corpse at the salvage yard. Before long, Don became quite the troublemaker at the age of 16.
A teenager with a cyberdeck is an instrument of chaos... and one of unbridled ego. Don Walker caused all sorts of trouble, and was lucky that he didn't cross anyone with no qualms of crushing a kid into the dirt. Instead, NETSEC was able to track the boy down fairly quickly. He had managed to funnel out a few thousand eddies from various local businesses and low-level corpos in Night City in a short amount of time, enough to even impress Detective Walter Santos of NCPD Vice. With a fairly open and shut case, Don Walker ended up in prison for illegal wire transfers for 2 years: as close to a slap on the wrist the young netrunner could manage. At the age of 18, and fresh out of prison, Detective Santos made a visit to the Walker home. He knew promise when he saw it, and knew a kid who just needed a little direction to put his skills to some semblance of good. So, by pulling a few strings and putting Don through some testing: Don Walker became NCPD Officer #908333. Most people didn't call him Officer Walker, instead resorting to a moniker based on his badge number: Triple 3. Don Walker loved working with NETSEC. He fit in quite well with his fellow Netrunners, and picked up a lot from his friendship with Detective Santos. Walker even made ended up falling head over heels with fellow NETSEC Officer Hayashi. It wasn't long before the two were wed, and Officer Walker was happy with his life.
Then it all came crashing down. The day is still a blur. Over the course of an evening, Don Walker lost his mentor and his husband. Detective Santos had died in a warehouse raid in North Watson, and Officer Hayashi was killed in a robbery attempt at home in Rancho Coronado. The days after were more of a blur, as the investigations were handed off to inexperienced officers who wrapped up both cases as quickly as possible and without much effort. Attempts to get any information were met with stonewalling, and it wasn't long before Officer Walker found himself terminated for "insubordination." Officer Walker kept his NETSEC-sponsored Cyberdeck, and was now left out in the cold and alone for the first time since he was a kid. So, Don has turned back to what got him in trouble years ago: freelance netrunning. His skills with the NCPD have helped him establish himself as a Merc with skills beyond just accessing the net in a short amount of time under the name "Trip." On the side, Trip also runs a net-site for his side-gig "F1ND3R'5 K33P3R5," a private investigation service for mercs and gangers who prefer to keep their matters discreet.
Of course, Trip has a case of his own he's been working the two years since his husband was gunned down: who was the bastard behind the trigger? Perhaps, more importantly though... who ordered the hit? And why?
D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E
Trip is average in height and build, only standing at around 5' 9" and weighing in at only 135 lbs. He was never imposing or intimidating in appearance, and his well-combed green hair shaved at the sides lets him fit in with all the other bar flies anywhere from the clubs of City Center to the dives in Arroyo. Trip's clothes are always neatly pressed (he tosses a few extra eddies at the cleaner's to keep things that way) and well-fitting, striking an odd conflict with the ever-present five o'clock shadow he sports when he forgets to shave every other morning. He always wears a jacket to hide that he's carrying heat under his arms. He alternates between "street" clothes to blend in with the gangers of Santo Domingo and an all-black ensemble for more quiet or professional operations. Regardless of outfit, Trip is almost always seen sporting a modified infovisor and a form-fitting thermal suit indicating his true profession: a netrunner. Though, in the midst of a job, you'd be surprised to find he was a professional netrunner. Trip prefers to keep by the side of his crew in the midst of a job, rather than remaining offsite in a cozy chair like most netrunners worth their salt. While he'd never admit it, Trip prefers the thrill of living in both the virtual world and the real one.
Trip is incredibly restrained when it comes to interacting with others, but his eyes are always focusing on a new thing in any room every few seconds. An untrained mind would take this for absent-mindedness, but the more astute would find he is the opposite: he focuses too much on anything in the room. He switches between analyzing the room through the net, and keeping his eyes focused on everything in the real world. He usually keeps his words as brief as possible, airing on the side of being almost cryptic rather than wasting breath on an unnecessary article or adjective. Since his hands aren't required to hack the net, Trip's hands have formed an almost unconscious pattern of reaching into his coat pocket and combing his hair back to keep it pristine.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
Trip is a hardboiled detective updated for a world like Cyberpunk, and is a fascinating in-road to exploring Night City. He's got his own case and side gig on the side, following dead ends and cold trails in the hunt to figure out who was responsible for the death of his husband. But, Trip needs money and connections if he's going to have a chance at vengeance. He lives in a more conflicted world than he did a few years ago, where he can't hide behind a badge to justify his actions anymore. He also has living family that he cares for and helps support in Rancho Coronado: be it his ganger brother that he has to keep out of trouble, his down on his luck sister who inherited the family business, or keeping the gifts and small bribes to Lieutenant Valez flowing to get leads from the NCPD. Trip is very much a support-type character, one that I am trying to design to be as flexible as possible so that he can fulfill niche needs the other mercs might need. He's less of a traditional netrunner, meant more for on-site support and troubleshooting than shouldering all the netrunning responsibilities.
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
Edward “Ned” Kelley AKA Dead Kelley _________________________________________________________ 29 | ♂ | Pansexual _________________________________________________________ Single | Assassin | Afterlife Mercenary
P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E
▼ P H Y S I C A L T R A I T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Build - Tall, Lean, Athletic ► Ethnicity - Caucasian ► Hair Colour - Brown/Red ► Eye Colour - Blue ► Other -Cybernetics, Scar on his throat, multiple tattoos on his back, arms and chest -
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
▼ C H A R A C T E R I T E M S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Techtronika SPT32 Grad AKA - Whisper - Ned’s pride and joy. Heavily modified, it can fire explosive and armour piercing rounds, with bullets also being able to ricochet off of surfaces.
► Midnight Arms SOR-22 - The SOR-22 is a high precision, semi-automatic, mid to long range rifle. It holds nine rounds and possesses a high fire rate, though suffers from high recoil and a slow reload speed.
► Constitutional Arms Unity - The Unity is a semi-automatic, magazine-fed pistol, with a capacity of 12 rounds
► Electric Baton - An electrical charged club often used by Militech personnel
► Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X - Ned’s primarily mode of transportation, stolen from a Tyger Claw he assassinated.
▼ K N O W N A S S O C I A T E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► ”Pathfinder” - a mysterious figure from Ned’s past. The mere mention of his name makes the usually stoic Ned lose his composure.
► Richard ”Dirty Dick” Van Sutter - Ned’s former CO and current contact within MaxTac.
►”Black” Alice Akane - A Netrunner and information broker that Ned often works with.
▼ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Sharpshooter - Ned is arguably one of the top snipers in all of NC. A patient and precise killer. He is not adverse to waiting days or even weeks for the perfect shot. With his gun and personal modifications, he rarely misses a target.
►Stealth- Part in parcel of being a sniper means moving around quietly and hiding to wait for the perfect chance, having made a career of this Ned has essentially turned himself into a ghost. He is fleetfooted, able to silently and easily move around areas be they slippery rooftops of NC or the dust filled canyons of the badlands.
►CQC - Having worked both NCPD and MaxTac he has seen his share of the action up close and personal, so Ned is well versed in hand to hand combat but he does prefer the time and space to line up a shot.
-
C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y
Edward “Ned” Kelley got his name from the famous Australian outlaw from the early 19th century.
By all accounts, he was born and raised in Adelaide but somehow wound up in Night City at the age of eleven with his mother Esther; one of the earliest dolls to ever work at Clouds. She rarely had time to look after her son, so Ned was often left in the care of “Padre” Sebastian Ibarra. In Ned, Padre found a willing student in the studies of the good book and the two spent hours pouring over religion and philosophy amidst the comings and goings of the Padre’s other disciples, the Valentino’s and Mercs of Heywood. These early encounters set within Ned an appreciation for the so-called outcasts of society. They were just as human, if not more so than everybody else. It was just a shame that people neglected to see that. As he matured, Ned would venture into deeper territory when it came to his spirituality and began to adapt a variety of different ethos from different walks of life into his own code of honour and conduct; essentially building his own personal faith.
After earning enough of a nest egg, Esther Kelley opened up her own little bar in Heywood called “Outback”. It wasn’t anything special and would never rival the likes of the Afterlife or El Coyote Cojo but it was a small slice south of heaven that made Ned feel like he was home. Not by design, Outback became a resting place for the cops of Night City, a safe place away from the corpo’s and scavs that dwelled within the NC that they had to to deal with on a daily basis. It would be through this connection that Ned would find his next path in life.
When he came of age, the young man from Heywood signed on with the Night City Police Department. As with most, he started on the beat and began his career being the lowest form of shit there possibly was. Thankfully, due to a superior knowledge of the street and an aptitude for firearms, Ned would soon be recruited into MaxTAC. Things did not go according to plan for Ned during his first MaxTAC mission. Called down to Pacifica for a Cyberpsycho sighting, he and his team infiltrated a factory. Unfortunately politics had been at play the entire time, as it too often was in NC. The entire mission turned out to be an ambush. One of the team members had gotten on the wrong side of the wrong mayoral candidate which resulted in the hiring of the Animals to take out the squad and make it look like a failed mission. Everybody was zeroed, save for Ned and his CO Dick Van Sutter, who had survived by sheer luck. Although Ned did briefly flatline for a short amount of time. During his recovery, Ned leaned heavily into his faith and rediscovered himself somewhat. When he returned to active duty, the boys at MaxTac had rechristened him from Ned to “Dead Kelley”. H Upon his return to the field, “Dead Kelley” began to make a name for himself as one of the top sharpshooters that MaxTac had to offer. Very few were as deadly with a rifle as him and he swiftly began to rack up the body count. Many began to believe that he had lost a part of himself after he was zeroed, a part that made him more human. Ask Ned, and he’d say he found something. After a few years cleaning up after the cyberpsychoes, Dead left MaxTac, the exact reasons of which he has never shared. He began working as a merc for his old mentor Padre as well as various other fixers in Night City.
Slowly but surely, Dead has been building a reputation for himself as an absolute professional.
D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E
Ned is a tall, lean young man with thick, long auburn hair and luminous cybernetic blue eyes. He stands around 6’2 and weighs in at a trim 220lbs. Sans garb he is in tremendous physical condition with tight strong muscular definition on his arms and torso. He does not like to rely just on his cybernetics so being in top shape can only work to his benefit.
Ned has multiple tattoos, each representing a different aspect of his belief system. His left arm is covered in ink that depicts Japanese kanji, cherry blossoms and a samurai clashing with an oni. He has a cross on his left pectoral to represent Christianity and a bullseye on his left hand. Ned’s back carries the face of a demon and his right arm is etched with Nordic tribal symbols. On his throat is a small scar which he refuses to cover up.
As far as his body modifications are concerned, Ned has tried to keep it fairly minimalist. Both eyes have been replaced with experimental optics which enchanted Ned’s vision even more than many could believe possible. When working in conjunction with certain cyberware, it allows him to see around corners and with different displays. He has a built in optimal camo but this is currently malfunctioning and not in use. He also has various other generic enhancements that allow for him to survive the harsh conditions of Night City.
Clothing wise, Ned dresses well in cheaper versions of a corpo style. He enjoys looking good in suits and smart clothes as it makes him feel more like a professional. However when working as the assassin Dead Kelley, he conmbines some left over MaxTac gear with a triweave hood to make blending in that much easier. He carries both his rifles on his back with his side arm and baton strapped to each thigh.
When conversing, Ned is quite personable and even warm which is in direct contrast to when he is working, when everything becomes matter of fact and blunt. He always speaks calmly with a monotone almost fluid voice which harkens to his spirituality.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
Dead Kelley is a character whom I’ve designed to be the quiet man. He has little care for the politics and bravado of the Night City regulars. He is someone who has honed his entire body into a deadly weapon but has complete and utterly disconnected his soul from what he is doing. The Ned on a gig is a dangerous tool that can be used from a distance or up close and personal, making him a valuable asset to any crew. Outside of that, he is a man of faith living in a society that has none. He believes in the afterlife and God, yet he does not believe that his actions have any merit to where goes when he eventually catches a bullet to the head. It is Ned’s body that does the killing, not his soul. Life is but a dream.
Storyline wise, Ned’s side gig surrounds the events of his leaving MaxTac and the mysterious Pathfinder. He is trying to leave all of that behind him and move forward with his new career but the past keeps coming back to chase him down. He considers himself a ghost bit right now he is a ghost that is being haunted.
"Trust issues in this line of work should be inevitable."
//C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T //C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
//C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y //C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
Conrad Louis-Callaghan _________________________________________________________ 35 | ♂ | Bisexual _________________________________________________________ Single - Widower | Solo | Afterlife Merc / Ex-NetWatch
//P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E //P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E
▼ P H Y S I C A L T R A I T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Build - Athletic, average build, tall ► Ethnicity - White-European ► Hair Colour - Black ► Eye Colour - Faded Blue ► Other - Old, small burn mark on right cheek, small blunt-force-trauma scarring on back and blade scar on left shoulder. -
//C H A R A C T E R N O T E S //C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
▼ K N O W N A S S O C I A T E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Elyse Louis-Callaghan - Conrad's younger sister, and only living family member. She works at a small electronics store in Westbrook.
► Norman Reiner - An old NetWatch agent, still within the group. Sometimes fixed Conrad up with Merc work or assisted in netrunner-based jobs.
▼ C H A R A C T E R I T E M S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Constitutional Arms Liberty (Expensive) - A robust 12-round, semi-automatic handgun. Conrad's choice of carry, typically tucked in an underarm holster.
► Militech M221 Saratoga (Basic) - A famous, albeit common, submachine gun. A reliable fire rate saved for jobs that require more firepower. Not for concealed carry.
► NetWatch NetDriver Mk. 4 (CorpSpec) - Although considered CorpSpec, this out of date cyberdeck of the far more powerful NetWatch NetDriver Mk. 5 in current use holds its own as a comparably useful Merc tool. Installed w/ Cyberware Malfunction, Breach Protocol, Short-Circuit and Ping
► Tire Iron (Basic) - A reliably shaped club for desperate beatdowns. Good for incapacitation, but can typically be fatal.
► Old Ballistic Vest (Basic) - A hand-me-down of sorts. Wearable under and above shirts, but does a better job at withstanding blunt-force than stopping anything high-calibre. Once stopped a pistol bullet - once...
▼ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► NetWatch Trained - Having served NetWatch for just over a decade, necessary skills surrounding the Net and Quickhacks are part and parcel with the portfolio.
► Dexterous Hand - NetWatch typically required fast hands to make for quick work. Another quick trick he learned was his way around handguns above all other forms of weaponry, being a personal favourite for concealment and reliability.
► Negotiator - Though he lacks the spirit of his happier days, he still knows that words and bargains can make for bloodless reward. Handy for fixer negotiation, job offers and anything that can bring out an extra Eddie or two. A lack of trust, however, is always at odds with this, and can combat it when he needs it the most.
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//C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y //C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y
Conrad Louis-Callaghan's heritage was all over the place, but concentrated from two areas in particular: North America and Western Europe, most likely France. Early on in life, he lived an almost anti-nomad lifestyle, in that his family were constantly on the move, but were never attached to a clan of any sorts during such times. He was the eldest of two children, the other being his sister Elyse, and despite financial hardships, his mother and father retained a healthy relationship. Wherever in France he was born, a few months later they'd left, and such an early detachment from any sort of land had set a precedent for what constituted as a home for the young boy. Back then, a home was the people he could be surrounded by. Nowadays, Conrad's view has warped.
At age sixteen, his family finally found a place to stop running. Night City - City of Dreams. Such an ever-enticing slogan. Life was difficult at first but a sudden boom in financial stability for the family landed them with the first real apartment they'd had in years. His mother went on to work as a Doll on the opposite side of the city and his father distanced himself with work under the radar. Ironically, family settlement was what tore the family in two. Elyse kept close tabs on Conrad as he fell in and out of small street life, working odd-jobs, such as an important step at a cyberware store. After he was fired at age nineteen, he swiped a cyberdeck and fell into bad blood with the owner, who in turn made do with a partnered netrunner to financially ruin and disrupt the family in which he hailed from. Things spiralled out of control a little. Conrad's father took to pursuing the netrunner and booked himself a body bag. It was only when NetWatch picked up on the week-long spree when they came across Conrad, who was halfway on his trip to foolishly go after the netrunner through The Net.
Though NetWatch did the work, the Agent on call - one Najee Chabani - saw to help alleviate the family's financial collapse. He offered Conrad a job and training under NetWatch, arguing that his desire to go after the netrunner was full of all the spunk and drive of an Agent, just without the necessary skills. Conrad agreed fairly quickly and soon detached his life from Elyse and his mother.
Conrad spent years working his way up as a trainee to certifiable Agent. Along the way, he fell in love in a volatile working environment. Beatriz Soria - another NetWatch Agent stationed near his regular beat. Her job was centred around Blackwall protection. Of course, the height-of-his-life Conrad and her hit off rather well, and five years later, they were married. All romance, probably the best and only great thing he could think of happening in Night City besides the stable yet dangerous career path he'd taken. But, two years into their marriage, the cold hand of NetWatch espionage played its deck. Beatriz began working with the Voodoo Boys in breaching the Blackwall. A two week game of cat and mouse ensued, and eventually Conrad reached her before the assigned agent in pursuit. He was still caught in the belief that she could be reasoned with. Yet, despite their time together, her beliefs were too steadfast, and in violent confusion, a gunfight broke out. Seconds later, Beatriz was dead. Conrad's life soon spiralled downward.
In 2074, Conrad left NetWatch two months after Beatriz's death. He fell into a long-felt depression. His home, the one he dedicated to be around, had done everything behind his back, and it edged him into a dark place. For two years, he became addicted to Glitter, and spent the first year stumbling around in brood. It wasn't until his mother died of a drug overdose in 2076 that he was hit with a sensory restart. In eight months, he'd been funded by Elyse to get off of Glitter and to seek employment. Another month later, he discovered of his father's actual line of work as a Solo Merc in Night City, albeit an ill-fated one. Without too much money to his name, he made his dive just before the turn of 2077, with his skills as an ex-NetWatch employee to bolster his porftolio. Unfortunately, it's seemed that, even still, he never really healed from the scars of Beatriz.
//D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E //D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E
Back in his prime, there was a lot more professionalism, and arguably more Merc, to the look of Conrad. But the last few years had their toll on the man. Longer, shaggier hair now coats his skull and neatly organised stubble has been replaced with a less-stylised moustache and beard. The smoothness to his face has been doused in rugged coarseness. And worst of all, the life in his eyes has dimmed and dulled in the face of struggle. Thus, he appears to be a brooding individual, one who sometimes comes across as uncaring, both in attitude and appearance, but to those who garner more than a minute with him, the looks often can seem deceiving.
Fashion was never a big game, even before his downward spiral. Corporate business wear was replaced by long coats, practical sets of cargo trousers, jackets and plain button shirts to hook holsters underneath his arms. He never stands out for anything, though he does still own a business suit, just in case. If any is provided, he clenches on to the NetWatch setup of putting protective vests underneath his main shirt, though they're more for assurance and second-chances than anything else.
Cybernetically, the somewhat well-built Conrad is surprisingly bare for most NetWatch agents. Apart from a barely functional Ballistic Coprocessor - which itself acts more as plating on his hand than its original intended function - his pride and joy comes from an out of date NetWatch NetDriver Mk. 4; a heft downgrade from what NetWatch runs presently but on par with competitive Mercs. Other than that, he's only managed to remain mostly barebones on enhanced cybernetics that are beyond netrunning, for the cost was always just out of reach.
//P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) //P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
Conrad Louis-Callaghan is your man who'd risen from hardship, only to go crashing back down. Trust and personal connections are the mainstay of his contribution to the cast, whilst also adding the ex-Corp layers of connections that come of use to a Merc. The betrayal and death of his wife is still a very real trauma that haunts him, and his side-gigs may involve him investigating more and more into the remnant mess of the Voodoo Boys, of whom were supposedly ransacked at the turn of the year. However, his main function among the sea of Mercs is finding personal meaning left in life and reviving the once told motto of his family: Home is those in which you are with. It's a lot more reserved in terms of the grand scale of the city, being more of a micro-personal journey to recovery through those he may end up working with, or the very real and potential threat of slipping further down the rabbit hole as the Merc life eats him up.
Incidentally, another potential side-gig would be figuring out as an individual what he believes in. NetWatch was his life, but once out, there's a gaping hole left in ones life. As a Merc, should he still do what he did before, or should he detach himself completely until he can build a new Conrad, one who's defined not by the badge he wore but the marks he leaves in the Merc Life, and for the impacts he makes on others he may grow to love, hate or collaborate with.
Alrighty...well, I see Discord has given me a break to focus on the rest of my CS so here's the 98% finished draft.
I pretty much need to add some "Known Associates" and should be good to go.
Some feedback on the history would be great, as there is A LOT going on with regard to the connection to certain lore characters, and I want to make sure there is cohesion.
Q I Λ R Λ H E L I Ø S Q I Λ R Λ H E L I Ø S
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"People are much more difficult to deal with than machines."
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E
▼ P H Y S I C A L T R A I T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Build - Short/Petite ► Ethnicity - Multi-Ethnic ► Hair Color - Jet Black ► Eye Color - (Natural) Hazel ► Other - A few scars on her body from the accident -
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
▼ C Y B E R W A R E ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ NOTE:- Due to genetic anomalies in her body unable to sustain implants, anti-rejection drugs are administered twice daily to normalize usage and lower the risk of cyberpsychosis. Typical side-effects can sometimes include suppression of emotions, loss of appetite, and lack of sexual stimulation. Weekly medical checkups are required per employer. ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Biotech MK.2- Cyberdeck with increased RAM recovery rate. ► Synaptic Signal Optimizer (SSO)- Enhances natural resistances and performance. ► Reinforced Tendons- Interfaces with SSO to help Qiara use her legs normally for a short time, pending any rejection. ► Self-ICE- Intrusion Detection, prevent hacking from enemies. ► Memory Boost- Optimize sync between brain and cyberware. ► RAM Upgrade- Support better processing speeds. ► EX-Disk- Increase in brain storage and processing.
▼ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Quick Study - She was blessed with epic study habits as well the ability to pick up new information at a greater pace. ► Cool Under Pressure - Probably more so in the Net than in the physical realm. ► Mental Alertness - Both in and out of the Net. ► NetSec Specialist - Well versed with the ins and outs of data fortress infrastructures, security protocols, and implementations in the Net. ► Low-level Techie - Knows enough to fix minor issues with her gear, but anything more requires expertise.
▼ E X T R A S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Trauma Team Status - Silver Status: funded by NightCorp as part of their medical benefits package.
▼ K N O W N A S S O C I A T E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Name - Description/Relevance
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C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y C H A R A C T E R H I S T O R Y
No one ever said that just because technology was evolving, life would be that much simpler. And even in the virtual world of the Net, while a girl with physical handicaps could be anything she wanted, there was always that looming thought of having to return to her real life. To the aches, pains and rollercoaster of emotions...
Night City had been a place of dreams for the child who was born and raised in the bright lights and big sprawling city that never seemed to sleep. A girl who imagined herself as perhaps a beautiful dancer like the many she witnessed in the virtual world and in person at performances she had been treated to. If not a dancer, then a professional artist, painting wonderful portraits and landscapes for all to enjoy. Or music, yes! Music was the very soul of the city and its people, so why wouldn't a child of ten years want to contribute to such joy? To truly enjoy and be passionate enough to delve into the arts, bringing fresh ideas, inspiration, and a slower pace to a place that seemed to always be in a hurry was something of wonderment.
But, “dreams” were just that, and as her mother would later succumb to mental illness and eventually a brain aneurysm that took her life, Qiara felt alone and lost. It was then that the father she barely knew -the once councilman and mayor of Night City, Lucius Rhyne- stepped in to fill that void, knowing that his daughter needed love and guidance. He deemed that her mind needed to steer away from fantasy and fairy tales, and take root in what really mattered: innovation and growth. Or, better read as: “Work for a large and successful corporation and you'll make something of your life”.
Twenty-four years ago, Qiara was conceived out of an affair that Lucius had with a woman named Samantha Helios, who was not only a co-worker during his Cybernetic Law years, but a trusted friend. However, it was an affair that never surfaced for a variety of reasons -even after his unexpected death- and yet Lucius cared for his illegitimate daughter nevertheless through financial support, the best education opportunities, and visits when he could slip away from the public eye.
Among the many stories that her father would share, it was those that revolved around his mother, Vivian Rhyne, that genuinely gained her attention. Perhaps it was the way Lucius spun the narrative as though it were an adventure novel, but Q’s grandmother was a person who she began admiring and taking a deeper interest in as she got older. Not much was known about the woman’s personal life except through the accounts of her son, but what could be ascertained was she had been a loving and hard-working mother, a top-tier Netrunner, and brilliant Netwatch Agent. She was also known to be quite the “anonymous” patron for certain charities that fought homelessness and hunger, especially in the case of the City’s children.
However, the story tragically ended with her sudden capture by what was considered one of Rache Bartmoss’s rogue AI’s, while on a mission in the Net, and most likely now locked behind the Black Wall. However, with the help of Netwatch, Lucius had his mother’s physical body kept on life support and eventually put into a cryo chamber, hoping that one day her mind could be retrieved from the dark net.
By late adolescence, Qiara’s interest in the Net, and cybersecurity grew as she was enrolled in classes specific to the discipline, as well as absorbing as much information as she could through topical forums, deep dives into encrypted lockers that were designed for more advanced runners, and games that challenged her mind and reflexes while in the Net. But, there was no better experience than simply adventuring throughout the various networks, sometimes learning the hard way, but always finding a way out in the end.
Eventually needing an online persona, she took on the handle and likeness of “Kasumi Goto” from the Mass Effect series. A strong female archetype that stood for independence, and a skilled infiltrator and hacker who let her abilities do the talking, since she herself said very little otherwise.
A turning point in her life changed not only her physiological makeup, but her whole outlook on the future, as a stroll along the city streets resulted in a hit and run accident that left the girl in a coma. She awoke in the hospital, cut, scrapped, bruised, and without any feeling from the waist down. Unfortunately, the damage was too serious for surgery to be of help, or any cure possible, that would allow her to walk again without mechanical assistance. Cybernetic augmentations would have been a viable option, however, her genetic makeup for whatever reason rejected many conventional limb replacements that could have made walking possible again. So, as it happened, implants along her spine and neural network were placed, allowing her to maintain control of her legs for a short while. Although, she was, for the most part, resigned to a powered wheelchair.
Years passed, and a surprise invitation came to join the ranks of NightCorp, specifically as a Netrunner in their cybersecurity division, overseeing all of NightCity. Apparently, Lucius Rhyne had put in a good word for her with the company for two reasons: The first being that he was confident in her abilities as a “whitehat Netrunner with a conscience”, and the second, he hoped that she could use her own knowledge and the resources available to locate and retrieve his mother’s consciousness from the fragmented Net. It was a task that would be no easy feat, but Q had a few runner contacts she could call on for aid, including one whose life had been cut short.
T-Bug had been considered one of her closest friends, and while they had never met in person over the handful of years they knew one another, they chatted via the Net in some capacity almost daily. Unsurprisingly, Bug herself was quite the enigma, which is how she liked it considering her line of work, but she was good at what she did and much less reckless than the typical runner. Sadly, however, before Qiara had the chance to speak to her about the issue regarding her grandmother, T-Bug’s last job ended her life.
As if the death of one of her closest friends hadn’t been enough, her father -Lucius Rhyne- died unexpectedly, leaving an even larger void in the girl’s heart. It was clear that both the death of Bug and Lucius were no accidents and things were being set in motion in Night City that the young netrunner hoped to uncover, if for no other reason, to put their souls at final rest and her own mind at ease.
It was only after the death of Lucius Rhyne that NightCorp intervened, and took over funding Vivian Rhyne’s cold storage; perhaps out of respect for Lucius and Qiara, or for their own interests. In either case, she vowed to find her grandmother’s consciousness buried somewhere in the deep net and hopefully bring back one of the only family members she may have left in Night City.
When a break can be had in her otherwise busy work life, she enjoys the simpler things from those early years of “dreaming”. A few hours on piano or a cityscape painting from the balcony of her Heywood condo would set her mind at ease and realign the chaos within to at least sleep and make it through the next day. While she enjoys the perks of cyberware implants, specifically those that augment her already fine-tuned intelligence, the technology doesn’t always play nice with her biological makeup, and her reliance on antirejection drugs is something she absolutely despises about herself. But, the threat of cyberpsychosis or other mental illnesses were constantly looming like a dark cloud ready to swallow her whole.
Tech dependency was just part of living, especially with the career path she had chosen, but she simply hoped each day that she would not lose herself and hold onto humanity for as long as possible.
D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E
Standing at just under five feet, Qiara doesn’t mind the fact that her smaller, petite stature keeps her hidden in plain sight which compliments her introverted nature. And being rather on the androgynous side, she leans toward gender neutral and simple wardrobes, especially those that don’t draw unwanted attention. She keeps her dark hair short most of the time, and a few ear piercings. Bound to a wheelchair since a vehicle accident rendered the lower half of her body paralyzed, she is forced to look up at most people regardless. Scars left over from the accident cover parts of her body, but those areas aren’t normally exposed. The most striking features -or so she’d been told on many occasions- are her hazel eyes, which seem to give off an iridescence depending on the lighting; perhaps a side-effect of her optical implants.
P E R S O N A L I T Y P E R S O N A L I T Y
Qiara is highly intelligent, yet introverted for the most part, and the social awkward side isn’t too far behind. Not to mention obsessive compulsive tendencies; she likes things the way she likes things, and there is usually very little you can do to dissuade her otherwise. But over time, and under the right conditions, she can be less rigid and a little more talkative to those she trusts. She tends to feel more at home jacked into the Net, and would more likely engage in conversations with a machine -cyborgs included- than any actual flesh and blood being.
She exudes confidence in her work life, but never attempts to flaunt or boast, leaving the accolades for others to revel in. However, don’t ever mistake her friendly disposition with weakness, as she will quickly remind you otherwise by disabling access to any technology you might deem important to your livelihood.
She was a long-time friend of T-Bug before her unexpected death during a job, and Qiara has had a tough time reconciling what had happened to her fellow runner. But while she knows Bug would never have worked a contract she couldn't handle, Q still blames the fixer Dex, as well as Jackie and V for her own personal reasons.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
Her primary directive has always been to do what’s best for Night City, especially working for a company like NightCorp who are fully invested in its future welfare. She believes in the vision of the late Richard Night, as well as countless other “dreamers” who wish to only see their city and residents prosper.
Qiara is at her strongest behind a computer terminal or diving head first into the Net, and its many variations, providing support for field personnel in as many capacities as deemed possible while “jacked in”.
She is also very much invested in finding her grandmother, Vivian Rhyne, whose consciousness is (allegedly) still trapped in the Deep Net after being captured by one of Bartmoss’s rogue AIs decades prior. NightCorp does seem to have an interest in her as well, whether out of respect for Lucius, or the fact that she may have valuable information. Perhaps both?
I know that there's still much to do, but I finished with Bluejay's backstory. So hopefully, I get done with the rest of the sheet before the deadline.
B L U E J A Y B L U E J A Y
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“‘So few want to be rebels anymore. And out of those few, most, like myself, scare easily.'”
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
Silvain Cellier De Roos _________________________________________________________ 24 | ♂ | Homosexual _________________________________________________________ Single | Prostitute/Technician | Mox
P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E P H Y S I C A L P R O F I L E
▼ P H Y S I C A L T R A I T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Build - Tone ► Ethnicity - Caucasian ► Hair Colour - Brown ► Eye Colour - Green ► Other - A right arm sleeve tattoo going from the shoulder to the hand featuring a bluejay in the center -
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
▼ C H A R A C T E R I T E M S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► DR-12 Quasar (Basic) - A semi- automatic revolver. ► Tsunami Nue (Luxury) - A semi- automatic pistol with a XC-10 Alecto silencer. "Obtained" from a client that happened to be a Tyger Claw member. ► Xiphos (Basic) - A bronze one-handed shortsword from a past life. ► Tetratronic Mk.3 (Expensive) - System Reset, Reboot Optics, Sonic Shock, Synapse Burnout, and Memory Wipe ► Camillo RAM Manager (Expensive) - Enhanced with a RAM Upgrade ► Archer Quartz EC-L R275 (Basic) - An affordable sports car for the working people.
▼ K N O W N A S S O C I A T E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Xian Zexian - Former member of the Tyger Claws and a netrunner for hire ► Marina Galanili - Stripper at Lizzie's Bar, member of the Mox, and a "close" friend ► Anatoliy "Crimson Iron" Kadnikov - A high-ranking Maelstrom member and frequent client
▼ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Gun In My Hand - The sheer determination that drives Silvain to do what he does best every single day. Whether it's pulling the trigger or meeting with a client, there's that willpower keeping him going until it's time to rest for the day. ► Sweet Tooth - Of course, willpower isn't enough for a person like Silvain to live one day at a time. Drugs, more specifically marijuana and happy pills, are sometimes the necessary push to wrap up an eventful day or get through the night with another client. And it hasn't stopped persisting in his mind for a long while. ► Dance in the Dark - Silvain witnessed his entire family being torn apart, overdoses, deaths, and even a cyberpsychosis or two. There were things that used to frighten him well, but an incident changed everything. Now that lack of fear is what drives him during a firefight regardless of his wellbeing. Of course, he isn't stupid and won't rush off into a fight without a plan. However, he won't have second doubts about killing someone or witnessing some terrible shit from a scavs' hideout. ► Ghosting - Given up by his mother, abandoned by his intended parents, and then witnessing the destruction of his chosen family caused Silvain to develop attachment issues towards any relationship—platonically and romantically. Back in New York City and Detriot, he often ghosted folks that he felt were getting close so as to avoid the headache of the inevitable demise. And being a sex worker ensured he was disparaged by society. The attachment issue is still persisting at Night City even among the Mox, with which he has only a few acquaintances. But he is slowly working on it with some help. -
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T
Silvain Cellier De Roos was born in the heart of the European Union, Brussels, to a surrogate mother and delivered to her close friend and his husband. Both of them worked for Euro Business Machines—a megacorpration that generalized in the manufacture of computer products, information technology and electronics—as project managers for the various departments. Working for a prestigious European-based megacorporation guaranteed them a luxurious life.
But for Silvain, he was never able to truly experience it.
In 2061, the hacker collective, r4n, leaked classified documents that tied EMB to a bloody coup attempt in Germany. Public support for the megacorporation quickly fell along with its stocks as investors began pulling out. Eventually, the European Union unanimously approved plans to prevent EMB from going bankrupt by transferring ownership to the German government. In addition, warrants were issued to individuals responsible for the coup attempt.
Silvain and his surrogate parents fled Brussels and sought sanctuary from the authorities in Sparta. Whatever wealth left was spent in brides and living arrangements, leaving them dirt poor with an outstanding warrant on the parents. Given he didn't remember much of his early childhood, Silvain wasn't struggling as much as his parents were to adjust to their new lives. But, it was his teenage years proved to be challenging.
At the start of his third year at gymnasium, one of his parents was abducted and coincidentally ended up in the hands of the German authorities. A few months later, the other parent ended up overdosing on smash and nearly committed suicide due to its destructive side effect. Fortunately, paramedics responded quickly enough to save his life at a nearby hospital; and yet, the authorities were alerted and soon apprehend him upon his recovery.
Silvain was all by himself and living on the streets.
That all changed when the Sacred Band bought Silvain into their life. It was one of the many gangs within Sparta constantly fighting for control and influence. Unlike the other gangs, Sacred Band was a refuge for the marginalized and oppressed folks across Greece. And that made them frequent targets for the police state and rival gangs. Silvain had to pull his own weight and soon found his knack with technology, which was highly appreciated by other members.
By 2071, Silvain was routinely repairing or modifying cyberware, weapons, gear, whatever required his talents. Sometimes he had to play the role of a ripperdoc to patch up a busted cybernetic on a wounded gang member. Still, despite the hardships and struggles, he loved being the technician of the gang. Plus, it paid extremely decently given his circumstances. Unfortunately, the golden age came to a sudden and brutal climax with the murder of the Sacred Band's leader.
Sacred Band and the other gangs of Sparta were rapidly and brutally targeted by the military police and mercs eager to claim the bounties during the early 2070s. Silvain, realizing that his life was in jeopardy, gathered his hard-earned eurobucks and used much of it to book passage to North America. He left behind the gang and his home country without a farewell to avoid drawing attention from the authorities and bounty hunters.
The first three years in the New United States were difficult but survivable compared to Grecce. Silvain operated a back-alley clinic in New York City as the local ripperdoc before moving west. In Detriot, he found decent work as a prostitute for two years while tinkering with braindances on the side. And then, he left further west after being nearly beaten to death by a powerful client and found himself in Night City.
Night City, despite being overrun by corporations and gangs, was easy for someone like Silvain to adjust rather fast. But what he didn't expect was learning about the Mox. Seeing the similarities between them and Sacred Band, Silvain didn't waste any time approaching them to offer his talents. At first, Susie "Q" wasn't looking for "any more strays" and not "running a charity." That was until their own braindance technician and editor left town out of the blue.
Nowadays, Silvain works for the basement of Lizzie's Bar with the leftover equipment for the last occupant as the Mox's own technician. On the side, however, he recently returned to sex work and started working for fixers in Night City to earn a little extra eddies. And with the uncertainty that comes with living in Night City, 2078 is going to look like an eventful year to Silvain.
D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E
Silvain Cellier De Roos is an average height person whose body type is between skinny and tone. Being a Mox and a prostitute has made sure that eddies are spent on maintaining a fashion style between kitsch and entropism. Gender roles be damned as long as the final product looks sensational to the client and functional in case of a firefight. And once in a while, you might be able to see his right arm sleeve tattoo (featuring a bluejay in the center) out for all to marvel at.
There won't be an easy way of figuring out Silvain and that's done on purpose. His attachment issues make him effortlessly dodge any question about him with utter absurdity or performative distractions (that goes extra on men). And he isn't for one to hide his attraction to the same-sex including members of Maelstrom. But he will show his disdain towards police officers and those in positions of authority pretty loud and clear.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
Silvain Cellier De Roos is still young and filled with potential despite his rough beginnings. While Night City doesn't treat new arrivals kindly, he is built differently and has been handed worst situations. Still, his primary is survival while the secondary is The Mox, which I hope to explore more than what the game provides. I am especially interested in its leader, Susie "Q", and the rivalry with the Tyger Claws.
Of course, I also want to explore and develop Silvain as he slowly finds his place in this chaotic world. And who knows, maybe a few familiar faces will be allowed to pop up.
1x Thank
