MrSkimobile

Fantasy Pirating Adventure

First draft

Phazmun - Azure Dragonborn

^{Header source: Midnightman, by omaikraf on 1001Fonts | Image source: Sketch CM - Nuwisha by Fjorgael on DeviantArt}

Name: Phazmun

Race: Azure Dragonborn

Physical Description: Phazmun stands well over 6 feet tall, maw to tail. His sturdy build is accustomed to life on the sea, and is beset by scales that the centuries may have dulled, but swirling throughout one can still see the deep blue patterns of his people. His white slitted eyes may seem intimidating considering his tendency to barely blink, but usually he is just thinking about food, the stars, or the latest tune - it takes a lot to get under someone's skin when they've looked an angry seagod in the eye, after all.

General Backstory: Phazmun is a skilled but gruff navigator. His most valued possessions ever since he was a little hatchling were maps and journals and compasses, a result of a lifetime of travel. First with his merchant parents, then in various sailing crews, and now, captured by pirates. Throughout it all, his heart aimed stoicly at the greatest prize of his people: the Azure Heart. The Azure Dragonborn are a people from the sunken island of Drakkaris. Once a prosperous volcanic island that freely travelled the seven seas, Drakkaris was powered by a collossal magical flame known as the Azure Heart. It gifted its people long and healthy lives, and the power to forge magical artifacts that were renowned the world over. But it was also a beacon, attracting terrible forces from the abyss. One fateful night a massive leviathan creature attacked, a vengeful seagod that banished Drakkaris to the deep dark locker, and the Azure Heart was extinguished. What few Dragonborn survived have built up a new life in the centuries since, roaming the oceans and isles and harbors as artisans, guards, merchants, labor hands, and, occasionally, as pirates. A scattered and wistful people, but never aimless. For the whispers of their Azure Heart can yet be heard...

Special Abilities: Strength, amphibious, navigation, historical knowledge, mist breath attack.

Personal Goal: Phazmun wants to uncover the truth behind the Sinking of Drakkaris and the Azure Heart. He eagerly awaits the coming Remembrance Festival, held each century at the last remembered location of Drakkaris at sea.

Speech color: 7FFFD4

Fantasy Pirating Adventure

Sounds cool, I volunteer!

Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

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@Izurich SatoCorp VIP Lounge, June 12th 2177, 21:52, tick... tock...

"Data Acquired; Analysis Complete!" The tactical drone transmitted as its crumple zones bent and twisted by Lenneth's tackle. It struggled against her to the best of its abilities, but was quickly left in various states of matter phase transitions as Nibelungen's high velocity particle streams flash-heated its insides to temperatures approaching the surface of the sun. "Observation: Impressive, but futile." a distorted voice from the inoperable tactical drone's speaker spoke. "Advisory: Reinforcements are imminent; Consider cessation of hostilities."

The buzz-drones, or rather what remained of them, righted themselves after they were swatted out of the air. Not likely they'd give Lenneth much more trouble without the tactical drone coordinating them, but they could be enough of a distration for her when the more specialized reinforcements after this initial scouting party arrived. Lenneth's HALo system sweeped the area. The lounge may have been in lockdown, but there was a broken window to the outside now, as well as an evacuated turbolift shaft.

Zap! Zap! two more whistling rounds registered on Lenneth's sensors. "Consolation: Your termination will be swift."

---

@Expendable Safehouse, June 13rh 2177, 04:08, tick... tock...

"Sir?" A second person emerged from behind the strange decor, and Dex excused himself for a while to discuss the matter. A good while, longer than Niner anticipated - 744056 entire milliseconds to be exact. When he came back and sat back down, he continued the conversation without much delay.

"Niner, your rescue is part of a far greater operation than you realize. The NYSF has been trying to track down and unravel the Brain for quite some time now, but they continue to evade us. Shell companies inside shell companies. Whitewashing computations with continuously changing legitimate services. It was an ordeal to track you down and infiltrate the cell, and we managed in the end, but there are still more, others like you, still trapped, used, exploited. And their security will only get upgraded after last night. But we think you can help us in saving them, and dismantling their operation." He motioned towards the terminal. "The data stored in here aren't just of you, Niner. They also belonged to your... original. We hoped your mind was sufficiently alike that you could unlock its neural encryption, maybe even reconstruct some memories of key figures in the Brain's operation, or at least some accomplices. But it seems we were too hasty. The data isn't corrupted. Your brain just doesn't have the experiences to make sense of them yet." He took a breath. "I will have you live-in with an agent of ours. We will accompany you for now, for your wellbeing, of course. Rent-free, all-inclusive, and we'll show you the sights to boot. But we would like your help in the future. What do you think? Any preferences?" He asked with a smile.

---

@Eviledd1984 Black Sun Neurostim Den, June 12th 2177, 20:08, tick... tock...

"Thankz, bro." Benji said as he shook his hand, and Ben felt his digital wallet get lighter as the handshake signed their transaction. "Still, the shit you get yourself into, man... these ᛒlutwölfe are no joke. Ever seen the uncensored vids from the wars? Right gnarly. 'ᛒlood demands loyalty', they say. My azz, I say. Buncha cloned fuckers salty they were on the wrong side of the war." He nodded. Yes. That was his opinion on the matter. "Be careful out there, Zebrowski, else I'll never get that beer."

The ᛒlutwölfe. What an enemy. Clones originally bred for cybernetic warfare, they were set to be decommissioned when the cyber-wars ended, but ended up doing what they did best: fight back, and killing a lot of people in the process. Many of them became the bought-and-paid-for enforcers for the mob-gov - mobsters who could well be called the de-facto local governments in the downtrodden districts of the Lower City. As such, these bloodhounds mostly terrorized the deepest darkest parts of Neon-York now, kept them in line, or at least contained. For this reason, the NYSF generally stayed out of their way to focus on more pressing targets. And the ᛒlutwölfe saw no reason to upset this unspoken truce, for now.

The Black Sun lived up to its name. Lit dimly only by UV blacklight, people would come to drink and hook up their brains to cheap stimulators. Or, that was its front, at least. Who knows how many private 'meeting' and 'interrogation' rooms could be found there. Its main entrance was flanked by a duo of bouncers, but Ben saw some private entrances that required a face-scan before entry. And around it were figures hidden in the shadows, many of them probably still reeling from their stims. One of the shadows spoke up. "Happy hour's long past, oji-san. Better keep walking."

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@KazAlkemi Sprocket's Scraphouse, June 12th 2177, 15:45, tick... tock...

"Finally decided to kit yourself out with some of the good stuff, huh?" Sprocket laughed as she took out some of her slightly above-average equipment, with only the most stylish touches of rust here and there. She definitely knew how to match her wares to the customer. "Boss got you a sweet gig or what?"

When Zain asked his second question Sprocket turned an ashen gray as the blood drained from her face. A terminal on the other side of the counter started blinking with a vitals-linked alert -one Sprocket quickly swiped into standby mode-, and the spider-bots started pre-emptively flanking Zain. "Ah. So that's the gig you're here for? I never thought..." She started. The caffee machine pinged and she poured two cups. In her own, with blatant disregard for the skull-and-bones warning label, she put a glug of cleaning alcohol. "Black market's a bitch, Zain, you have no idea. Cut-throat. Dangerous. And sometimes you have no idea what you're messing with until the unsavories come knocking at your door --no offence. Last customer was the whole damn trifecta. Wanted to buy a brain-case. Easy money, done it before. But this guy was different, wanted one of the oldest ones I had, ancient stuff! I tried prying at him a bit, if the brain he wanted to store in it was just as ancient, but he didn't answer. Just had this strange cold stare, creeped me out. Weirdest thing is I have no idea what he looked like now I think about it. Wore a green coat, strange ring, mole on his face, but nothing else about him particularly stuck out to me. So there you go." She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "Ah, I was bound to get bountied someday, but that's what they wanna hush me up for?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"Sprocket the fugitive, some title. Guess I'm gonna have to up my prices now for that... But I tell you what." Sprocket continued. "How about I offer you this baby here." She started typing in a passkey to a safe behind her counter, and slid forward a small package containing a chip. "Neural assistant, not the most advanced by a long shot, but it's plug 'n play. And it has a friend's discount on it. Best friend's discount, if you get what I'm saying. All I ask is you let some more time pass on that bounty-timer of yours. I get out of dodge, and you can tell the boss you got here too late."

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@AwesomeZero5 Somewhere in the Depths of the Lower City, June 12th 2177, 16:50, tick... tock...

The harpoon-claw scratched their car, and in the split second that it did, a digital signal briefly scrambled its systems. Kit could almost see the hovercyclist wince through her visor as she barely managed to swerve out of the disrupted car's way. Rizzo applied some percussive maintenance to the dashboard, and the systems quickly came back online. "Hmm. Should try that on you some time." Sticking his head out of the window looking down onto the scratched side, Rizzo grumbled some more. "Repairs for the dents are coming from your pay, amicello!" He said as he unlocked the safety off of his gun. The rider previously in front had quickly swerved back in line, hacking-harpoon retracted and ready to fire once more, but the gunshots of Rizzo echoed throughout the streets, and the front rider braked and quickly evaded the attack. When the other bikers caught up, their bikes got the full force of Rizzo's gunfire. Center mass, perfectly by the book. Their bikes started sputtering as their hover-pads sparked and flickered and the bikes slowly descended back into the city's cruel underbelly. The front rider quickly retreated behind and seemed to speak something into an earpiece, and the chase was broken off. "All too easy." Rizzo said as he came back inside, and clipped on his seatbelt.

The rest of the trip was comfortably uneventful. The skycar descended into an alley behind a dilapidated warehouse, out of sight from the main street. Rizzo checked his watch, then stepped out to scan the surrounding and popped a chewing gum into his mouth. He motioned for Kit to follow. The rendezvous point seemed as inconspicuous as ever, but Rizzo never ever settled until a job was done. "Something feel off to you?" He asked.

Some minutes later, a figure emerged from the shadows, smoking a retro-cig. A tall woman, her features obscured by a hood. "Rizzo," she acknowledged, then eyed the scratch. "Ran into some trouble did you? Did you get the drop at least?" As she came closer, she noticed Kit and turned to face him. "Good thing you brought the tin man." Virginia smiled. "It's been a while, Kit..."

---

GM Actions and Prompts:

• @Izurich: Tactical Drone Defends (-1 vs 1, stress applied: 2, taken out); Buzzdrones Defend (3 vs 3, stress applied: 0, boost gained: disoriented), Sniper-Controller Attacks 2x (roll Defend against 4 and 3), Buzzdrones Create Advantage "Tied up" (roll Defend against -2).
• @AwesomeZero5: Front Blackstar Chaser Ties (gains boost), Back Blackstar Chaser Defends (4 vs 7, stress applied: 3, taken out), Front Blackstar Chaser Defends (4 vs 2, success, Concedes).

Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

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@Izurich SatoCorp VIP Lounge, June 12th 2177, 21:50, tick... tock...

tick... tock... said the clock on the wall, pretending to be analogue.
tick... tock... bing! said the elevator's display as it reached the lounge.
tick... tock... BANG! said the lounge's doors as they were blasted outwards, spreading a thick particle-laden cloud of smoke throughout the fake wood and leather-clad space. The air started to vibrate with the unmistakable whining whirrs of six buzz-drones' rotors. They wasted no time in diving straight towards Lenneth, their electric saws at the ready. Out of the elevator emerged a tactical drone as big as Lenneth herself. And in the blink of an eye -if Lenneth had the need to blink, that is- a glass panel to her left became transparent again as its bulletproof state was disengaged and instantly shattered as a hypersonic round whistled through the floor. A sniper, in another building? The attack was impeccably timed, she'd have to give them that...

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@AwesomeZero5 Somewhere Above The Conga Exchange Nightclub, June 12th 2177, 16:20, tick... tock...

Mr. Rizzo gave some of his signature side-eye as he drew his piece, and quickly swallowed his curses as he was pushed back into his seat when Kit hit the accelerator. "Reminder: Please obey the traffic regulations" the car helpfully reminded as it swerved in and out of traffic. They were lucky the less-than-savory parts of town has most of the infrastructure modded not to automatically alert the authorities on their conduct. As they sped ahead amidst cars tooting horns and its passengers gesturing their displeasure, another hovercyclist popped up to entrap them in a pincer maneuver. Rizzo grunted. "Well, Mr. Big Mouth, let's see that famous flexibility of yours get us out of this one, then...", as the hovercyclist fired a wired harpoon straight at them.

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@Eviledd1984 Capsule Hotel T11H38X, June 12th 2177, 16:45, tick... tock...

"Bro, that's like, some aristocrat shit or something. What kind of ring was it? Can I see it?" The room -if you could call the capsule that- smelled of a cheap synthetic foodpaste. Seated in it, wearing a strange cobbled-together headset, was one of the lankiest people Ben knew, even amongst the more virtually-inclined residents of the city. You don't always have the pick of the litter for your contacts, but Benji had a varied set of hobbies (read: cryptic obsessions), and was always up for an interesting challenge (read: a tit-for-tat). "Tsk." He moaned at the rough drawing of the symbol Mary had given Ben. "You and your old-fashionz, Zebrowski. Couldn't've have given me a 3D scan or something? This' gonna make it even harder to trace, eye witness testimony'z notoriously unreliable, you know: a line or two can be the difference between a royal bloodline, cult, or counterfeit..." A deep and exaggerated vocal sigh finished his theatrics, and Ben knew that it was now his turn in the haggling game: Benji was fishing for money, favors, but details most of all. That was the thing (and possibly the best thing) about him: the most successful way to buy his expertise was simply to pique his interest.

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@KazAlkemi Sprocket's Scraphouse, June 12th 2177, 15:32, tick... tock...

The bounty's coordinates were close enough -always lucky when you don't have to spend half your bounty-timer on travel. Sprocket's was a typical pick-up-and-go shop: a hollow cube some standardized length x width x height meters that could be slot into most of Neon-York's modular architecture. The place was filled with stacks and racks, and piled high with scrap and components, recycled implants, the usual software ads, even some rusty pre-war cyberlimbs. A couple of banged up MicroFabs tied the whole place together, probably modded to manufacture all your less-than-savory needs. An impressive stock for sure, but nothing that stood out to Zain as warranting the bounty on Sprocket's head. There seemed to be nothing extravagant when it came to security either. The entrance had some tripwire sensors rigged to standard anti-burglary tech. A couple of spider-like securitycams followed him wherever he went. The counter was surrounded with (presumably) weapons-proof plastics. And behind it was someone whirring about with a multi-tool, punctuated with some good old-fashioned hammering and cursing in a language Zain couldn't place. A small-ish middle-aged woman, tatted-to-the-max, perked up at the sight of him. "Well well well, if it ain't a valued customer, what can I do for ya? Want some caffee, mister?" she said, dapping away her forehead sweat. "I only serve it black here, f-y-i..."

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@Expendable Safehouse, June 13th 2177, 03:31, tick... tock...

Dex couldn't help but wince a little at the answer, and signalled the sudden commotion to calm. The girl had waited patiently after awakening, as if on standby for instructions. And when she finally answered, the daunting task of their whole operation became apparent. It's nothing they hadn't expected. They had simulated the operation of the Brain before, but its goal had eluded the NYSF to this day. They hoped the biological nature of this 'Brain', imperfect and chaotic, could have leaked some critical information between its 'cells'. But it seemed each one only had the most basic details on their goals, indeed, of their own sub-tasks, and even then it was hashed to hell and back. Abstract file designations. Alphanumericals. Percentages. Frag it all. "Niner, huh? You've been through something most people can't even imagine. The Brain was exploiting your brain as a computer, and now you're back in the real world again. I understand, it must be disorienting. We had to pull you out because if we hadn't, there wouldn't be anything left of 'you' to save." Her blank stares ennerved him. How do you reach someone whose mind doesn't even register her own trauma? But maybe, just maybe, there was a way, the tiniest of seed. "I have a task for you, Niner." Dex said as he pulled up a sleek device. "I need you to access this terminal. There’s a file in there holding what little of your personal credentials and memories we were able to recover. It’s encrypted, and all yours to unlock." He paused. "Do you think you can do that?"

---

GM Actions and Prompts:

• @Izurich: Tactical Drone uses Stunt: Creates Advantage: Smoke Grenade (2 free invokes for enemies, 1 used), -1 FP from GM pool; Sniper-Controller Attacks Sneakily (roll Defend against 2); Group of Buzz-Drones Attacks Quickly (roll Defend against 1). Lenneth's Action Budget for this round: 3. (see Tabletop section in OOC)
• @AwesomeZero5: Blackstar Chaser Attacks Quickly (roll Defend against 3), you may choose to engage in conflict or to try and overcome 2 challenges instead (your narrative choice as to what they represent during the chase) at Difficulty 0 and 2, also feel free to control Rizzo as if he were your character/using your own stats. Kit's Action Budget for this round: 3. (see Tabletop section in OOC)
• @Eviledd1984: roll for 2 challenges, Difficulties: 0 (haggle with Benji) and 2 (what the investigation yields, defined by the Shift between roll and difficulty, consult the Ladder for interpretation).
• @KazAlkemi: roll for 2 challenges (your narrative choice as to what they are for in your interaction with Sprocket), Difficulty: 0 and 2.
• @Expendable: roll for 2 challenges, Difficulties: 0 (hack the terminal) and 2 (what memories you can recover, defined by the Shift between roll and difficulty, consult the Ladder for interpretation).

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Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

(just a reminder that we'll use the FateBot on Discord for our rolls, with the /roll2 [modifier] [description] command)

(also, just to be clear, and I can't emphasize this clearly enough: the rolling is to make the story a bit less 'on rails', if you will. I may set difficulties and play out the opposition, but I'm not actually against you as players, so even if rolls fail we'll just roll with it (hehe) and try to make it interesting in some other way than 'yay! we succeeded')

Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

@Eviledd1984 @Izurich @KazAlkemi @AwesomeZero5 @Expendable

First introductory post is a-go (party crackers all-round).

Please add your CS in the character tab, and then we're off. I'll send you the discord link via PM

Next week's post, I'll introduce some complications into your scenes (feel free to write some setups yourself that I can bounce off of, if you'd like), and then we'll get a bit more into the rolling and that good stuff. For now: have fun :)

Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

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Neon-York is quite the sight. Three massive layers of increasingly chromed-up architecture stacked on top of each other like one of the pyramids of old and surely a hundred thousand times their size. Hovercars and trains zip through skylanes and tubes, and all is lit by neon lights and holographic images beyond your wildest imagination, and some even wilder than that.

"New here, friend? It's quite the sight isn't it? You won't find a place this neon-drenched in the whole wide world and beyond. Yes, Neon-York, good ol' New-York, the megacity where the Bits flow free and rich, if you've got the know-how and/or/xor the guts for it. 's not for everyone, I know, I know. But there's a life to be had here, in the Undercity megaplexes or the deep dark corners of the Extranet, or, who knows, in the highest spires of the upper city, eh? With whatever soulless things lurk there..."

The man scowls and you notice the chromed scarlines running across his face. Quite the figure himself, come to think of it. Seems like this city truly takes its toll on people. And he must have some tall tales to tell.

"The ozone stench 's one you get used to I suppose, but do let me tell you one thing: you better watch yourself, or you will end up in someone else's story here, hah! And not all have a happy ending, if you get what I'm saying. And I do say. Hmmhmmhh. Now, how 'bout a flavor-stick, eh? On the house... Where was I?"

---

Prologue: in which They find out who they are...

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@Eviledd1984 Ben's Office, June 12th 2177, 12:27, tick... tock...

Stefania wiped her tears with the tissues Ben had offered her. "There was a man," she began, her voice as shaky as her darting eyes. No matter how often people rehearsed what they'd say in their minds, when the moment of questioning was there, the emotions always came, and won. "Tall, wearing a slick green coat, watching from a distance. Thought he was selling flavor-sticks at first, but... I can't remember his face. It's like... there's like a static there, in my mind." She looked at Ben, confusion and sadness clouding her eyes. "Mary from down the road was there too. She was near the fountain. Maybe she could have seen something when I was putting the picnic basket away. And then, there's the park's security system. I tried to ask for access, but they never let me see, not without the permission of the authorities, and..." Her voice lowered to a mere whisper now. "They don't want them involved in this. I don't know, but I just have a feeling the Company board doesn't want what's happened to get out." She paused, looking at Ben with a mix of desperation and hope. "Please, find my son. I don't know who else to turn to."

When Ben finally left his office that day, his mind raced. He pocketed his notebook with the photo of Alexander before it got wet from the city's seemingly perpetual condensation-rains. Now then, what to think of it all, and which of the leads to investigate? Time would be of the essence here...

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@KazAlkemi Downtown, June 12th 2177, 14:59, tick... tock...

Downtown was every bit as literal as it was figurative here in Neon-York. The lower city may technically be the 'first' level of the megacity, but within it, it may as well have been hundreds. Layers upon layers of tower blocks stacked upon each other, with overpasses linking each layer together like cobwebs. Suspended in between were floating markets, squares and parks, data lines, and skycar speedways. Holo-ads and extranet graffiti floated wherever there was any space left. And in the midst of it all were the humans. A lot of them too. A writhing mass of desires, fears, dreams, nightmares, processing, shouting, loving, and, above all: crime.

Zain's PID buzzed with a new notification. He already knew the deal: boss had something to say, no compliments. "You're late on your bounties again, Anders! You know that's gonna cost ya." Remi (affectionately 'Ratface') Rodriguez' tone wasn't lost on Zain. Not even his cheap cologne could mask that sourness. "You’re lucky I keep you around with the way you blow your bits, boy. But listen, I got some more chores, perfect for someone of your... abilities. Got a shady junkie that someone wants taken care of, likes playing flavor-stick seller to kids, currently hiding out at the Midnight Edge Caf-shop I hear. Also got a scrap dealer known as Sprocket. Been selling suspicious tech, from your own neighborhood too, what are the odds. And I haven't heard from Vex for some time, getting worried here, her bounty-timer's way overdue. Now pick one and get a move on." The click came before Zain could even respond. That's Remy for you. Millisecs are Bits too, after all, and Zain's bounty-timer had started ticking once again...

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@AwesomeZero5 The Conga Exchange Nightclub, June 12th 2177, 16:16, tick... tock...

Night becomes relative when the only sunlight reaching the deep bowels of the city comes in the form of solar electricity. That's why in Neon-York it is said that the time of day doesn't matter, party time's always now or never. And for Kit, party time was now. As their sky-car zoomed away from the Conga Exchange Nightclub through the neon-lit streets of the so-called Pleasure Box, Kit's senses were on high alert, a digital simulacrum of adrenaline coursing through his circuitry. Seated beside him was the mobster in the pinstripe suit. Mr. Rizzo, calm and quiet as always. Too calm and quiet, as always. Kit could feel his tension, it hadn't been this bad in a long time, not since their last job together. What was on that chip Rizzo slotted into him back at the club? No matter. They may have secured the data, but now they were in a race against timed self-deletion encryptions and, as it turned out, against unknown opposition too.

"Congestion ahead" the skycar informed them in a tone too non-plussed for the occassion, as the skylane filled up around them. "At this hour?" Rizzo asked. Was traffic control being manipulated? "Pull over, there in that alley!" Rizzo ordered. Just as the car started to comply, three gunmetal-black hoverbikes appeared behind and started speeding their way. Looking around for even the smallest of squeezing spaces, Kit saw the possibilities - this was what he was made for! Screw traffic: there were the service tunnels underneath the Pleasure Box they could take, bob and weave into the various skylanes to try and get rid of them, or maybe they could even take the fight down to the streets. Whatever choice, gotta go fast...

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@Izurich SatoCorp VIP Lounge, June 12th 2177, 21:47, tick... tock...

The greedy businessman hung back in his chair. Whatever was left of his face and the whisky therein sloshed onto the floor. His vital signs couldn't get any more flatlined than this. And with that, Master's task was complete... almost. Lenneth only had one more objective: get out, alive. The sudden eerie silence of the room was broken only by the silent alarm's digital wail. Set off by the kill-switch in the man's skull. Lenneth knew - her cleanups almost always ended like this. Automated security measures sprung to life all around her. The windows glazed over as they hardened into their bulletproof state. Lights dimmed and near-infrared rangefinder beams swept across her body, and she knew that all of the building's security would know exactly where she was now. Lenneth's systems processed her options in milliseconds:

• Option 0: Escape via the ventilation shafts. They could offer a potential escape route, away from most of the security forces that would undoubtedly be up here in minutes. Assessment: moderately difficult, Stealth mode recommended.
• Option 1: Rooftop escape, to the emergency exit all the way at the top of the building. Scaling to the rooftop would be risky, but it could offer a swift and open escape route, provided she could navigate the treacherous heights and evade any aerial surveillance. Assessment: moderately difficult, Agile mode recommended.
• Option 2: Stay here and have a standoff at the VIP lounge. This could provide adequate fortifications to make engaging with the coming security easier, and this place did have less cameras considering all the shady deals that went on here, but she would likely have to engage most of the building's security. Assessment: dangerous, Combat mode highly recommended.

The milliseconds went by some more. Decisions, decisions...

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@Expendable ???, June 12th 2177, 23:59, tick... tock...

Tara? Who was Tara? They used her brain as an extranet server? What in the wide world was going on? The girl stared around her, her eyes slowly but surely adapting to all the new stimulations. She could see variations in the light's intensity now, not just mere blobs of qualia. Against the sterile interior of the ambulance there was her rescuer - the man who disconnected her from the Feed, from the comfort in the numbers and calculations, from... An electric tingling ran through the girl's arm as a needle was run into it. Unknown substances dripped into her, and her mind slipped beyond the edge between consciousness, and something not quite.

The cup of hot water warmed her up, and the shivering started to subside. The safehouse's mismatched furniture and carpets tickled her skin. Behind the thin walls, she could hear people pacing about, anxiously whispering. “Welcome to your new home for now." The man said. "Name's Dex. Not my original name, obviously, not after that stunt we pulled just now. Half of my profile's gonna have to be wiped again, even as a member of the NYSF, but it's worth it." He flashed a small smile, but it was a warm one. "We're gonna have to swap out your PID as well before anything else, get you a new identity, else they'll just track you down again in no time. Speaking of which...” His face suddenly grew serious, and the whispers behind the wall stopped. "What's your name? What do you remember?"

---

Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

Dramatis Personae

@Eviledd1984 Ben Zebrowski
@Izurich Lenneth
@KazAlkemi Zain Anders
@AwesomeZero5 Kit Cochrin
@Expendable Niner

Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

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Glossary

GLOSSARY

↦ AI: Artificial Intelligences are computer programs that imitate (some would say surpass) biological brain functions. Though some are highly specialized, most general-purpose ‘local’ AI are limited to human-level intelligence due to energy and compute limitations.

↦ Bits: the currency of the world in 2177. Though it comes in different forms, from parallel resource and reputation systems, to company-internal productivity points and monthly allocated processing power, everything can be reduced to bits in the end.

↦ Cybernetics: broad term for technological augmentations. Robotic limbs, multi-spectral eye-cams, neural interfaces, pheromone dispensers, smartwatch skin-graft, multi-functional nanite-tattoos. You name it, they probably have it. Most bio's are augmented in basic ways.

↦ Extranet: once advertised as ‘the internet, but more!’, this network of networks of information systems, digital twins, AI’s, roaming Minds, and layers upon layers of augmented and virtual reality, has grown to permeate most of everyday experience, with most physical objects in some way being linked to it.

↦ Human: good old-fashioned (mostly) flesh-and-blood humans.

↦ Neon-York: the massive arcology city formally known as ‘New York’. It is made up of 3 interconnected layers stacked on top of each other like a pyramid, shielded from the outside environment. The Lower City comprises its original boroughs plus a sprawl of many more recent ones, with a tangle of high-speed skylanes and optical datalanes for travel running throughout. The Lower City houses most of the city’s inhabitants, from the ungoverned and indentured to the neo-religious communes, sub-urbanites and data center tenants. The City Center is its second tier, mostly made up of commercial, cultural and governance districts, and houses the travel hubs connecting it to other megacities. Last, but not least, the Upper City is a truly mysterious place, said to be occupied only by the most important influences of the city.

↦ Omni-fab: devices able to (dis)assemble most items to and from a raw ‘basepaste’ and (bought and paid for, of course) specification files. A.k.a. replicator, fabricator, 'fab. Small-scale devices found at servicing stations are often called 'microfab', whereas 'macrofabs' are used in large-scale fabrication.

↦ PID: ‘Persistent Identifier’, collection of a personality’s records (birth/creation/modification timestamps, passport) and other tracked data (certificates, digital wallet, medical/criminal/ads/communications/purchase/travel history). Used as a form of official identification, but also for communications, payments, and to authenticate aspects of a personality (clearances, subscriptions). A.k.a. Profile.

↦ Power: ah, power, that most wanted and despised thing… But who wields it in this world of ruthless business interests, AI anarcho-trolls, government gangs, and x-celebs? A good question! To which not even the quantum computers, cracking chaos theory conundrums 86.400.000 milliseconds a day 7 days a week, have an answer. Skulls may crack and bits may clank, but who truly owns the soul of a man?

↦ Shape: the physical form a ‘personality’ currently inhabits. A.k.a. form, case, container, can, bin. These can be "bio's" such as the trad-born and pod-born, but also cyborg, robotic, or even entirely digital.

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Previously on...

STORY RECAP

(this will hold the story recap once we get a bit further into the story)

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Tabletop

CURRENT TABLETOP

Scene: SatoCorp VIP Lounge
Type: CONFLICT
GM FP: 0
Action Budget: 3
Characters:

• Lenneth: FP: 2, Stress Boxes: 1-2-3, Consequences: Mild (2), Moderate (4), Severe (6), Advantage: Weak Point Detected (1 free invoke remaining)
• Group of Buzz-Drones, "Flying Electric Buzzsaws", Good (+2) at: Quick. Bad (-2) at: doing anything when our Tactical Drone is destroyed. Stress Boxes: 1-2-3.
• Sniper-Controller, "Hide-and-seeker with a SMRT-13 Sniper Rifle...", Good (+2) at: Sneaky, Bad (-2) at: Forceful. Stress Boxes: 1, Consequence Slot: Mild (2).

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Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

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Are you still in? Yeah, why? Meet me at the usual spot. Be in good shape. What's the rush? We've got a new job. Details? Encrypted. Meet me. Fine. Give me 30.
[EOT]

Took you long enough. Traffic's a nightmare. What's so urgent? We're hitting a [D̡̗͍̘̬̜̎̕A̦̲̤̩̓́̅̇T̛͖̠̄͊̃̂A̰͑͒̎ ̢̜͔̎ͅC̪̅̇́͒Ò͔̫̙̺͇̍̒͝ͅR͍̎͐́̆͝R̘̘̺̩͍̀̇̉͗͊Ù͈̦̻̒̌̽͝P͕͇̼̈̀T̻̘̓͋̽̐͊̈́I̛̗̺̣̠͛̚͜͝ͅO̮̮̼͕̥͛̆͊̓̐͆N̪̥͍̩̄͑͊]. Again? This one's different. They're up to something big. What kind of something? Not sure. But someone's willing to pay a fortune for it. Sounds risky. That's why they hired us. Any backup? Just us. Great. What's the plan? Infiltrate, retrieve, get out. Simple enough. Don't underestimate it. We move in five.
[EOT]

You good? Yeah. You? Got what we came for. What about security? Dealt with, permanently. So now what? Lay low. Wait for our next move. Should we be worried? Always.
[EOT]

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Welcome to Neon-York! The year is 2177, human cybernetic augmentation and robots are commonplace, and recently, a series of crimes have reverberated the Pyramid-City of Neon and Chrome across all of its three city layers. From the lower-city districts to the upper-city penthouses, no one seems safe, as a clear connection between them is missing save for one: a complete wipe of the victim's brain. As private investigators, fembot fatales, slumdog mentalists, and possibly mental cases too, you will deep-dive into crime scenes, computer systems and cybernetic minds across the city to uncover the madness behind the mystery.


^{(Image source: Rolly Rocket by Valenberg on DeviantArt}

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About the Game

Neon-Noir is a comfy-dystopian cyber-sleuthing RPG inspired by the settings and the feel of Cyberpunk 2077, L.A. Noire, and Eclipse Phase.

We are currently FULL, so please check back later. Happy to have you!

The code of conduct:

• Standard board rules apply.
• Don’t be a d*ck (but don't be too easily slighted either).
• We play a minimum of once-weekly updates.
• Rolls will be made using FateBot on Discord (link will be PM'ed to players).
• Though roleplay may involve mature themes, there will be no explicit 18+ roleplay.
• Anything else can be discussed and determined by the group in OOC.
• The GM decides on matters that can’t be resolved by the group, and can always be consulted.
• Keep real-life politics, religion, and drama 'off the table'.
• Most importantly: Have fun!

The Fate Accelerated PBP system (thread): in this game we will use the Fate Accelerated system adapted to play-by-post. It is a minimal system of rules for collaborative storytelling games (see the thread if you want a thorough explanation with many examples, or here for a one-pager quick-reference). As it is a narrative-first system, play will not be very different from your usual RPG on this site. The changes will mostly be in how challenge and conflicts are resolved (elements of randomness), in that players are rewarded for acting in-character (even when that means getting into trouble, or failing sometimes), and in how players can add to the setting. If you have any questions about it, please don't hesitate to ask me. I will remind players of the rules as they become relevant, and will check-up with you, and update these as we learn what does and doesn't work.

Submit your Character Sheet for approval in OOC or via PM, using the template in the Resources below. Notice how it is quite minimal. This is on purpose: this lets other players quickly understand your character and how to interact with them, it gives you a lot of freedom in how to apply and develop your character in-game, and through the Fate system, these aspects can come back to help you (without your character becoming overpowered), or bite you in the ass. In my experience, it works best to focus on a few meaningful aspects you’d find interesting to play rather than choosing what you think is ‘optimal’, or very rigidly pre-defining the entirety of the character. Also consider if it fits the established setting (see the Glossary below).

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Resources

Character Sheet

[header with the character name, colored by IC speech color - check if it is sufficiently legible and different from other players'!]
[optional image representing the character - if possible, credit the source]

Name: character name, colored by the speech color you'll use in-character
Gender: M/F/W
Refresh: how much Fate Points this character starts with each chapter, usually 3
Description: a 1-paragraph summary of the character, including appearance, personality, skills and history

Approaches: how does this character approach challenges: Careful, Clever, Flashy, Forceful, Quick, Sneaky?

• Good (+3) at: pick 1 approach
• Fair (+2) at: pick 2 approaches
• Average (+1) at: pick 2 approaches
• Mediocre (+0) at: pick 1 approach

Aspects: 5 short-and-sweet descriptions of the character, 1 for each of the following categories. Each aspects has to be one single meaningful and descriptive fact/aspect about the character. These can be invoked in-game for 1 Fate Point to get bonuses on rolls, or can be used to compel you into action, so make sure to think about how you want to actually play this character. Any flavoring, details and interesting or fun facts about the character are better put in the description, writing sample, and the trivia sections.

• High Concept: short phrase summarizing your character as a whole
• Trouble: short phrase summarizing a flaw or obstacle that frequently complicates this character's life
• Want: short phrase summarizing what this character wants, or what's really important to them
• Relationship: short phrase summarizing their relationship with another (preferably player) character
• Extra: short phrase summarizing any other thing you think is important to know about this character

Stunts: special abilities/traits/items the character can use for 1 Fate Point

• Because I am/have/know trait/item/ability, I can create an effect/get a bonus when some in-game condition is met.
• add more, up to 5 in total; try to vary them, some utility, some combat, some trivial, some 'ultimates'. Ask GM for help if needed.
• if you want MORE than 3, up to a max. of 5 stunts, your Refresh will be decreased by 1 for every stunt over 3 as a trade-off. That means each chapter you'd start with LESS Fate Points, and therefore would be able to USE your Stunts/Aspects less often out of the gate!
• Making Stunts is often the most difficult thing to get right on the first go. SO ASK GM IF YOU'D LIKE HELP!

Trivia: anything else you want to add about this character that isn't essential, but still fun to know

• Possibilities: face claim, speech color, theme song, other fun facts (favorite drink, NPC connections, etc.)

Writing Sample: 2-3 paragraphs of IC writing illustrating this character (for example their life, mindset, potential storylines and themes).

EXAMPLE Character Sheet

Name: Lola Shon
Gender: F
Refresh: 3
Description: Based on her utilitarian looks alone, you'd never take her for the feisty and ruthless business woman she is. With short black hair, tanktop, several guns hidden in the pockets of her cargopants, critical eyes, and a blabbermouth that would put the Mid-City Neurovid actors to shame, Lola Shon is a large personality in a petite frame. No surprise too: a brainstim-dealer's job is a hard life - a successful one, even harder - and Lola has quite the resume. Currently endebted to the Staten Island Thugs, she scours the city with her Centurion Hoverbike and trusty guard dog for their next big job.

Approaches:

• Good (+3) at: Sneaky
• Fair (+2) at: Quick, Flashy
• Average (+1) at: Forceful, Careful
• Mediocre (+0) at: Clever

Aspects:

• High Concept: I am the hottest brainstim-dealer in this blasted city.
• Trouble: I only look out for numero uno.
• Want: I need to pay off my debt to the Staten Thugs, and soon.
• Relationship: Bacchi is my trusty guard dog, and my only friend.
• Extra: I’ve kitted out my hoverbike with some surprising modifications.

Stunts:

• Because I Always Shoot First, I can gain a +3 bonus on Attacking Quickly during the first round of a Conflict.
• Because I Have The PR_SEC v.12 Package Installed On My Neural Chip, once per chapter/session, I may declare I found a way past or out of trouble.
• Because I Have Many 'Medicinal' Stims, once per chapter/session, 1 Mild Consequence may be Recovered on anyone during a conflict.

Copyable Character Sheet Template

[hider=CHARACTER_NAME]
[center][h1][color=]CHARACTER_NAME[/color][/h1]
[img][/img]
[sup](image source: [url=]... by ... on ...[/url])[/sup][/center]

[b]Name[/b]: [color=][b]CHARACTER_NAME[/b][/color]
[b]Gender[/b]:
[b]Refresh[/b]: 3
[b]Description[/b]:

[b]Approaches[/b]:
[list][*] [b]Good (+3) at[/b]:
[*] [b]Fair (+2) at[/b]:
[*] [b]Average (+1) at[/b]:
[*] [b]Mediocre (+0) at[/b]:
[/list]
[b]Aspects[/b]:
[list]
[*] [b]High Concept[/b]:
[*] [b]Trouble[/b]:
[*] [b]Want[/b]:
[*] [b]Relationship[/b]:
[*] [b]Extra[/b]:
[/list]
[b]Stunts[/b]:
[list]
[*]
[/list]
[b]Trivia[/b]:[list]
[*]
[/list]
[b]Writing Sample[/b]:
[/hider]

Player Actions Footer

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Actions: actions plus rolls ex. Attack Forcefully + Invoke (1+2+2 = 5) | FP: FP cost of the action, ex. -1 | Stress: if any stress boxes have to be ticked, ex. tick 1 | Consequences: if any consequences are taken, ex. Concussion (2)
Tag: player tags, ex. @MrSkimobile

Copyable Player Actions Footer Template

[.hr][b]Actions[/b]: | [b]FP[/b]: | [b]Stress[/b]: | [b]Consequences[/b]:
[b]Tag[/b]:

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