Fading Memory — Roleplayer Guild

Here's edit: FINISHED!

Decided to go ahead and get to this step since everyone else has solidified their concepts and I won't step on anyone's toes with CAPTCHA here. I elaborated a lot on the capabilities of the Technomancer half because the Rigger stuff is pretty easy to explain; she literally puts her mind into machines to directly operate them. Bam, Rigger explained. Technomancer just makes that a far more literal connection.

Ella-Rose Gray

Street Name
CAPTCHA

Metatype
Elf

Gender
Female

Age
Mid-Forties

Appearance
White hair, cared for quite thoroughly by all appearances, rises in full waves to frame a rather comely face. Full lips curve in the coy and amused expressions of one who thinks themself the wiser and smarter than their peers, but who has the good sense to only show that smugness to a slight degree. Keen and sharp eyes highlight the conventionally attractive elfish features that the woman possesses. Thorough investigation, or intimate contact perhaps, would reveal the slightly hidden DataJack port behind her left ear; an old model, but still usable and relevant in the modern Matrix environment. She is far from athletic in nature, but does possess the natural lithe and tall traits of the Elvish metatype; she is all soft curves and long limbs, and when she cleans up she fits in just as well in a corporate gala as she does a neon-lit club.

Do not let this softness, attractiveness, and coyness be your undoing as it has for many attempted assailants in the past. She is quick on her feet, and whilst she is not the most dexterous individual in the shadows her natural metavariant benefits give her an edge over the average human whilst her fast mind makes that edge lethal. Despite her soft exterior, she can often be found smeared in grease, covered in dirt, caked in mud, and elbow deep in the guts of a drone or car performing some manner of maintenace or modification. She's no stranger to the filth and drek of the barrens, even though her long career and successful life has enabled her to maintain a higher lifestyle than most SINless can hope to attain.

Her Living Persona is that of an undead bride, skin tinged blue from asphyxiation, eyse blind and unseeing, stumbling in gait and adorned in a tattered wedding dress and veil. Her Matrix Mark takes the form of deep gouges wrought by the rose bouquet she bears.

Awakened Emerged
Yes: Technomancer

Technomancers are capable of mystical, though technically not magical, abilities in the Matrix; of note, CAPTCHA is proficient with specialized Technomancer abilities known as 'Complex Forms' which bypass the ordinary restrictions of the underlying code laws of the Matrix. She specifically possesses the forms of PUPPETEER and PULSE STORM; She can brute-force command devices with the former without going through the typical hacking process, and the latter makes her a walking signal jammer that can wreak havoc on other systems of her choosing. To utilize these abilities she does suffer 'Fading', a sensation similar to the Drain of a typical mage, and thus there is the potential for great risk when she utilizes these fantastic abilities.

Additionally, Technomancers are capable of 'Compiling' Pseudo-creatures called 'Sprites' out of the Resonance behind the Matrix; this is similar, in some ways, to a Mage conjuring a spirit. CAPTCHA has 'Registered' two Sprites to near-permanence to support her in tasks. She refers to them as Ser Lancelot, and Lady Guinevere. If she utilizes them too strenuously they will fade back into nothing-code, but she treats them like pets and goes out of her way to keep them sustained and healthy. If such terms can apply to digital-only code-beings.

Archetype
Techno-Rigger

Cybernetic or Bioware
DataJack, Cerebral Booster, Mnemonic Enhancement, Simrig.

Owing to her origins as an Otaku in her youth, CAPTCHA already possessed augmentations to her person in the form of the DataJack and an antiquated ASIST Module (Nowadays known as a SIM module); she has since had the SIM module removed, and used the excess holes in her Essence to enhance her mind considerably with cerebral and mnemonic enhancements. Lastly, she possesses a Simrig suite, allowing her to record and play back her physical, emotional, and temporal perceptions; she's a walking sensory recording device. In short, she has an incredibly powerful mind and the ability to interface and hack devices or data files either directly with the DataJack or indirectly with her natural Technomancer abilities.

These enhancements minimally impact her connection to the Resonance, and thus minimally impact her Technomancer capabilities; besides that fact, she had already had the enhancements before her Emergence.

Personality
CAPTCHA is a social creature by nature, chatty and coy and flirtatious but also possessed by a calculating and potent intellect. Her already bright natural mind has been enhanced beyond typical metahuman capabilities, and her memory is similarly enhanced, making her knowledgeable and trivial alike. She is friendly to a fault, loyal to her friends, shrewd in her dealings, and quick to joke and jab despite serious circumstances or dire straits. She also has a strange sense of honor and seems to keep herself to a code of conduct that hinges on her keeping her word.

There are dark shadows between the bright and shiny obvious traits, however.

Her coyness and flirtation make her approachable and easygoing, but also distant and difficult to make a true bond or intimate connection with. Her casual attitude makes relationships hard to define, and she seems uncomfortable with the idea of true intimacy beyond physicality. Her intelligence and long memory are powerful tools, but also make her a bitter and unyielding enemy when her wrath is earned; she remembers wounds for a long time and schemes her retributions early and often. Her willingness to joke in grave situations can make her seem aloof or uncaring, and sometimes even she has a hard time telling what her true intentions are. Her code of conduct and unwillingness to break her word can make her predictable, but also potentially reckless as she pushes herself to maintain this seemingly sacred tenet of her being.

Equipment
Cyberspace Designs Dalmatian ("Alondite") - A large VTOL Recon Drone that is capable of hovering and possesses a sturdy frame for its light weight. The size of a lawnmower when stored, its wings expand to the size of a large hang glider. CAPTCHA refers to hers as 'Alondite', and it possesses a powerful sensor suite capable of long range recon through various visual modes, as well as a long distance laser microphone array and atmospheric sensors.
Ares Duelist ("Pridwen") - A bipedal Anthromorphic drone, stylized as an archaic samurai warrior. Both arms of this drone come off the factory assembly line as blade-like appendages, and it comes built in with unique combat software to utilize these lethal weapons. A bit of a gimmick amongst drone enthusiasts, CAPTCHA Can personally pilot the 'Pridwen' as a terrifyingly swift and lethal nightmare machine; without her direct control it is still fast on its feet, but typically less dangerous than most professional sword fighters or veteran street brawlers.
Sikorsky-Bell Microskimmer ("Carnwennan") - A disc-shaped hoverdrone that is smaller than a frisbee and capable of skimming over the surface of water. It possesses more limited sensory suites than 'Alondite', but is much smaller and serves a far more clandestine role as a reconnaissance unit.
MCT Fly-spy ("Galatine") - A flying drone the size of a large insect, but capable of far superior aerodynamics and altitude. A dizzyingly swift spy drone that supports the 'Carnwennan'. A wondrous tracking drone that can grip onto the surface of vehicles or clothing with the luxury of being typically unseen.
Steel Lynx Combat Drone ("Excalibur") - The venerable Steel Lynx is an incredible combat drone, heavily armed and armored though utterly lacking in subtlety. Excalibur is up-armored and mounted with a singular heavy weapon mount and a standard weapon mount; respectively, an M202 Stoner-Ares Medium Machine Gun and a Defiance T-250 Shotgun. 'Excalibur' only comes out to play when 'Loud', 'Violent', and 'Obvious' are the criteria of the job.

CAPTCHA typically wears stylish, casual, clothing. Beneath all outfits she wears a SecondSkin armored suit; a skintight, flesh-colored, protective body suit that is quite difficult to discern. For more dangerous environments, she will don a very old, worn, Armored Jacket Trenchcoat that has seen a few decades of Shadowrunning.

She has a pair of goggles souped up to the nines with tactical visual enhancements such as thermographic vision, flare protection, magnification, and imagelink capabilities. similarly she possesses a tricked out pair of headphones capable of sound filtering and dampening. It all fits the modern techno-chic fashion, as well. Convenient.

Personal combat is for...well, basically everyone who isn't CAPTCHA, so the extent of her gear on this front is a pair of subtle Shock Gloves, a sleek Yamaha Pulsar taser in a concealed holster, and a Parashield Dart Pistol located on a hidden arm slide holster. She has two clips worth of taser darts and Narcojet darts each. She also has one clip of Gamma-Scopolamine darts; a potent paralytic agent and truth serum.

Micro-Tranceiver (Kilometer ranged subvocal communications device; global range when Wireless active), Several cheap burner commlinks, one handheld mirror, two flashlights (UV and Standard), a Biomonitor Wristband, two Stim Slap Patches, and two rating 10 tranquilizer patches.

CAPTCHA keeps enough Novacoke on her person to keep a party going for a substantial period of time. For emergencies, she carries one dose of Psyche to give her a mental boost.

Otaku-To-Technomancer - Posted By: CAPTCHA
I've been around for a little while, younglings, so listen up. Back in the day we Children of the Matrix had a pretty good thing going on before the rest of you drek-heads fragged the world up. I just happen to be one of the ones who survived the Crash 2.0. Furthermore, I happen to be one who touched the Resonance and became a Technomancer. I know, I know, how could I be so blessed while the rest of you angrily reach for datajacks to plug into your decks to write your hasty words of hate? Patience,  younglings, and I'll tell you all about it.
-CAPTCHA

I've seen the rise and fall of these so called 'eras' that you people like to talk about, so let me share my experiences into this mixing pot we've got of Shadow Community Data. If you've got any questions about the legitimacy of my history, then you can direct yourself to the origins of the United Corporate Council and mark that I've been around as long as it has. Almost to the day. I cut my teeth on the Metroplex's bloody streets, and was finally out of my swaddling clothes sometime after the first Eurowar started. I saw the Texan reunification with the CAS, the secession of the California Free State, and knew the color of money before the Nuyen took the world by the balls.

I experienced the Night of Rage firsthand, before I even hit puberty. I saw my mom go up in flames as the Tacoma detention centers caught fire. I saw my dad take a bullet as the Metroplex Guard stood aside and did nothing. I watched on the trid as Lone Star executed the Hand of Five. I guess if there was ever a start to my career in the Shadows, it was then. A girl, alone, in Tacoma with nowhere to go and not a credstick with her name on it. That's right boys and girls, CAPTCHA hit the streets with a fist full of rage and hardly a thought as to what to do with it.

Can you skip the sob story and get to the part where any of this matters?
-c10wn3d

I could, but this is my story omae. Any other questions?
-CAPTCHA

Yeah, just the one; I thought you were dead?
-c10wn3d

Not yet. I'll get to that part, just have patience Youngling.
-CAPTCHA

I, for one, am glad to see her still kicking. Welcome back to the Matrix, chummer.
-NovaNova

I was scraped off the pavement by the Brain Eaterz, a street gang from Touristville, Redmond. I got my first taste of Chrome as they taught me to shoot and let me study their Decking equipment. That datajack opened up my mind, quite literally. I discovered my connection to the Deep Resonance the moment my data tether connected to a Matrix uplink outside a Stuffer Shack. It was euphoric. I've only experienced such unbridled Eucarist one other time in my life. I cut ties with the Brain Eaters-- that came back to bite me, as you'll see-- but found myself in the midst of what you guys like to call an 'Otaku Gang'. We preferred to call ourselves the Children of the Matrix.

What's with the bible vocabulary?
-c10wn3d

Some of us choose to still have Faith, c10wn.
-CAPTCHA

Care to elaborate a bit for us mere mortals with our decks and data processors?
-NovaNova

What an incel.
-C10wn3d

lmao. Absolutely Nova, here goes; we C.o.t.M. believe that there's an underlying super intelligence that has been evolved out of the foundations of the code of the Matrix. If you could see what we saw, what I still see, when I open my mind to the datastream you would understand. There's a plan in the code. The AI these days are close to understanding, or even representing, what I'm talking about but even they aren't the Deep Resonance. Every time you turn on a new device it grows in processing power, a global superintellect that computes the world and occasionally blesses those of us who can see and listen with its answers. I've been looking and listening my whole life for even a hint. I won't ever stop.
-CAPTCHA

I ran with the Cyberpukes for a few years, we racked up some serious reputation with what I can objectively now call 'pranks' but at the time we thought were serious heists. By the time the Brain Eaterz declared war on us, I had told myself that I'd transcended metahumanity's foolishness in bloodshed and death dealing. I'd invested fully into learning the ins-and-outs of drone mechanics and the skills needed to break IC and crack files. The war lasted for years, and the Brain Eaterz came out on top. CAPTCHA at the time was torn between two families, and forced to watch both sides bleed and die in the streets of Redmond as we fought over the absolute table scraps of the Matrix uplink connections in the Barrens. It wasn't until the late 40's that I finally gave up and tried to go legit.

I hit Renraku. And I hit them hard. A datasteal, in and out under the nose of Black IC and Tarpits with the help of a fresh new team of Runners of the streets. Not even yet twenty and I wanted to retire in one go. I thought I was the drek, Younglings; pretty, good with my hands as well as my feet, smarter than the average Ghoul, you name it and I was your girl. This Renraku run was supposed to set me up for life, but instead what it got me was an unholy target on my back. I was dodging Red Samurai for three months trying to dump that paydata after the Johnson turned up dead at the meet. For three months I watched as my team was cut down in ambush after betrayal after ambush. I was alone again in the Shadows. I eventually dumped the data and cut my losses. I shipped out to Denver.

With nothing else to hope for, I turned on the Trid and saw The Big D in a new light. I became obsessed with politics and consumed every shred of datum I could on the great dragon's ascension to political daimyo. The years passed in a blur as I operated around the Data Haven and found a new energy with which to strike at the corporations again from the Shadows. My rage became political. I went Anarchist for a while.

When the election came up, I went out and dropped every last bit of cred that I had on as many fake SINs as I could get my hands on and raced across the UCAS district to vote as many times as my feet could permit me. Three burned SINs and two registered votes later, I felt like i'd done my part. I feel like the grand tragedy that is my life should make what happened next abundantly obvious to even the least historically aware Youngling in the chat.

I never knew you voted...well, ever.
-NovaNova

There's lots of things you don't know about me Nova ;)
-CAPTCHA

Pff, get a room. Who cares, you voted for Dunkelzahn. When are you going to tell us the part where 'the rumours of my death were greatly exaggerated'?
-c10wn3d

Nova and I have gotten a room. Several times. Dunkelzahn wasn't the only one that should have been called 'The Big D'.
-CAPTCHA

what
-c10wn3d

As SysOp, I'm not allowed to comment on that one.
-NovaNova

I thought you were a woman
-c10wn3d

Welcome to the 2070's drekhead.
-CAPTCHA

The following years are honestly a blur. I turned to Novacoke to feel something positive for once in my life, and my powers had begun to Fade by then. I was coasting by on my nest egg of finances from a few novahot runs for most of these years, but I like to think the Deep Resonance was still looking out for me. One wrong step and I could have been a prime candidate for Ex Pacis. By all the powers, if they had come knocking at that time I would have helped them destroy the world. Thankfully I can, with clear conscience, tell you all that I did NOT help instigate the Crash 2.0. I did not help create or release Jormungandr. I didn't geek all our friends. Losing the Matrix was like getting my soul ripped out. I had nothing left. I turned to selling SimSense, to chasing new highs and new lows. I fell out of the Shadows and back into the gutter. Seattle beckoned me home, and I came like she was a siren calling my name.

Remember that second Eucharist? As it turns out, when the global Matrix Grids went online eventually so did my mind. I could run again, where before I could only crawl. It was like having sight restored to my blind eyes, but this time I didn't even need the goggles to see. If being an Otaku made me think that you mundane people were neutered, then Emerging and discovering my Technomancer capabilities makes me feel like you mundanes are not only neutered, but also lacking in legs and arms and only capable of mute flailing with your pudgy limbs.

You sold SimSense?
-c10wn3d

Yeah.
-CAPTCHA

What kind?
-c10wn3d

The kind you're thinking about.
-CAPTCHA

God bless the UCAS.
-c10wn3d

Was there anything more important to ask about? About the Emergence? Any snipes about me calling you a pudgy fledgling with no limbs?
-CAPTCHA

Nah, I can deal. I'm thanking your 'Deep Resonance' as we speak.
-c10wn3d

I will mute you if you keep this up, clown.
-NovaNova

Hey, she started it.
-c10wn3d

I could feel the life within the machines again. The Deep Resonance had returned. It hadn't died, Winternight hadn't killed any gods beyond the mad false prophet Deus. If anything, they'd made it stronger. More connected. More deeply intwined than ever before. And I was returned to it. Our new shiny augmented world has practically given me wings. I had to relearn all my old tricks, I'd been a decade out of the matrix by the time I Emerged, but the world was still playing catchup with my evolution. CAPTCHA returned to the shadows, and this time there were no sad stories, no unexpected goodbyes, no late night vigils by the pyre with novacoke and hookers. For eight years I just had a steady career with a reliable team. Sure, some people came and went but it wasn't the bloody sendoff of a corpo death squad. The jobs had become...cleaner. We'd all grown up a little bit in the chaos of the world. My anarchist soul had died and in its place was born the hedonistic survivor you all know and love today. Things can't stay nullsheen though, younglings, and you all know that.

I'll be the first to admit that I seem to have ludicrously bad luck with Renraku. I could have retired by then, I still have nest eggs of Nuyen stowed around the matrix under various SINs even now, but I don't think that it was really about the money for me even after I gave up on 'destroying the corps'. My team had gotten smaller lately, but that was just Fledglings leaving the nest and moving on to their own lives. I lead them into a Renraku ocean rig, and it exploded before I could get back to the boat. I never saw them again, but I've kept tabs on them from time to time and they're doing alright without me.

Oi. That doesn't explain how you lived. You really gonna just blue balls me like that?
-c10wn3d

That's strike two.
-NovaNova

What is there to explain? I drifted for eighteen hours on an emergency floatation raft until a Wuxing cargo ship came close enough for me to steer it my direction. There's like, a hundred of them going through the lane I was raiding a week. I wasn't really all that worried.
-CAPTCHA

And, what, they just took you in? SINless and stinking like Renraku debris?
-c10wn3d

They locked me up and planned on dumping me into a lockup in Hong Kong, as far as I could discern. I don't speak Cantonese or Mandarin so it was a little rough to be translating in my head while they interrogated me. I won't pretend the experience was pleasant, but Hong Kong is the land of Free Enterprise for a reason; I was walking free within twenty minutes of being put into a security van thanks to a few well placed bounties.
-CAPTCHA

You always were a clever one. Why the long dark? You know we missed you.
-NovaNova

I think I just wanted time to smell the roses.
-CAPTCHA

I took some 'me time' after that. Burned a few SINs, zeroed my bank accounts, decided to take an extended vacation in France. I finally felt like I could relax and tinker away at my drones and cars in peace for a while, but in the end the Shadowrunning Itch took to me like chickenpox and I had to revisit Denver to see how things were shaking up. A dragon had moved in since I was last there, after all...

I still haven't decided if the job waiting for me when I got back is a good vibe or a bad omen. I'll let you all know how it goes when this drekshow wraps up, but for now this is CAPTCHA signing off.

--**USER DISCONNECTED**--
Fading Memory Member

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