Opposition

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

Honestly, my head-canon for what happened to Hour Error's character was that she's currently blackout drunk in the midst of all this chaos and currently nursing a hangover at wherever she lives at.

@The Bork Lazer

That just might work for the moment. I figured I won't just whisk away the character in general, so I've got some ideas in the works of what she'll be useful for as an NPC.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

I am here! SAT on Saturday so...I need a little time. Arigato

@AdobeFlash

Take your time! I was just making sure we didn't lose another member. Good luck on the exam!

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If Dexter has room for one (1) more body guard, then count another player to the game, pretty please with sugar on top.

@Briza

well, the last body guard character kinda vanished so i don't see why not. that's up to Opp tho.

@Firecracker_

And yes, as Firecracker said we lost our last bodyguard to the void. You're welcome to write up a character to fill the position.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

It seems we may be out of hope for Alton Harris, @AdobeFlash?

Hopefully we'll get some other recruits coming in soon.

I'm finishing up a collaborative post with @Firecracker_, then everyone should be nearly ready to move another round. Things are running smoothly!

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

-Crawls out of the woodwork- If my schedule clears up enough to allow for it, I'm definitely signing up for round two.

@Vertigo

Yeah, I am also going to sign up for round two and hopefully finish my dude in time.

@Star Lord

𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖!

Feel free to take your time working on your sheets. I put out the interest check early so that we might garner new interest throughout the conclusion of the prologue. Let me know if you've got any questions with the character creation process, the world, or the story thus far as well.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

@Opposition

Just with Taryn's injury putting her down momentarily I was waiting for Bork to respond so I could build off of it.

@Prizrak

No worries. You're free to wait until after Bork posts if you'd like. I'm just trying to make sure everyone is still with us and ready after we lost one of our players.

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The Int Check #2 is now up. It's relatively the same as the first with a few minor edits and an added introduction regarding this being the second round of recruitment, but if anyone wants to look at it or comment on it, it can be found here.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖 [RECRUITMENT ROUND 2] (Cyberpunk, Lore-Rich, Political Intrigue, Action)

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒t 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

Dare you stand against corporate titans in a Great Game?

ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕠 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕...

Welcome to Futility! This is a cyberpunk political roleplay that has been running for a short time now. Due to the necessity of longer posts and in depth characters, we did not pull very many players at the very beginning within time constraints, but I am happy to say that Futility will now be accepting a second round of characters! While some of you may be worried that this much is a lot to take in for someone joining the RP late, I urge you to apply anyways, as we've just delved in to the prologue of the story, and there is much more Futility that awaits! The number of players we're going to take is going to vary depending on the amount of applications I receive, but I am certainly willing to take at least six new players. Below, I've included all the information listed in the original interest check, and there is even more detailed information in the OOC. Comb through it at your leisure. You'll not need to know every minute detail for now. It's just all part of an expansive world.

With that out of the way, I'd like to get down to a little more about what's gone on so far. Really, we've just seen the campaign team that the RP is based around run through two choice-driven scenarios regarding their candidate's campaign. While an assassin has attacked the last debate on one front, voter's fraud is being committed at the polling stations that the other group of players is dealing with. Your characters will come on as new members of the campaign team in fresh positions as Dexter Campbell, the candidate, grows in popularity. At the bottom of the interest check, I've included a number of positions that you guys might be able to take on if you choose to build that sort of character. With that, feel free to explore the world! Let me know if you have any questions, and head over to the OOC if you're ready to begin working on a character!

Welcome to the Great Game...

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The Original Interest Check

In the year 2064, the mere thought of such a prospect is as futile as finding love in virtual reality. Everything is futile these days, really. You know that, but you’re going against futility anyways aren’t you? We’ll see how long you last. After all, survival is hard enough as is in America these days. After global temperatures skyrocketed leaving most of the landscape arid dustlands and sea levels rising just as quickly, American citizens flocked to urban megaregions. Living outside the walls of the urbanization movement is as much of a death sentence as slighting one of the corporate conglomerates that run their roots deep through the political game. I suppose the choice is between fighting the volcanic faults and dust storms outside the walls or the corruption and gangs inside the walls.

Welcome to the Reclaim Zone, the most forgotten and downtrodden district in the South City megaregion. People don’t really come to the Reclaim Zone unless they’re down on their luck, but maybe today’s different. With the imminent mayoral election, naive minds might think change could come. Things could be made better. They could also be made a whole lot worse. For whichever of those you prefer, you find your reason for being here. With the first bright and moral man willing to run in the election for a number of years, maybe you have hope you can help him bring about change. Maybe your motives are selfish, but either way you find yourself standing in solidarity with that man: Dexter Campbell. His fervent speeches bring about passionate calls for change not only on the mayoral level, but much higher up as well. As much as he riles up the people in the Reclaim Zone, most people have already disregarded his promises of a better future. People like Campbell don’t win elections. At least not without one hell of a campaign team, but that’s where you come in isn’t it?

In this speculative roleplay, you will take on the role of one of the Reclaim Zone’s derelicts. For whatever reason, you’ve found yourself in the dangerous district of America’s west coast and working for Dexter Campbell. Maybe you believe he can bring about change. Maybe you’re trying to use his platform for a more personal gain. Either way, the success of Campbell’s campaign for change lies in your hands. Could he die in the dirt of the Reclaim Zone’s streets or could he be catapulted to a platform that could bring about national change? This roleplay will be revolving around the decisions the group makes regarding the campaign platform. Thus, as you progress and develop your own character and make decisive actions revolving around Campbell’s rise through political office, his platform may change. Will the group emerge as martyrs of a new age or will the Reclaim Zone give birth to another corrupt empire that crushes its enemies under heel.

While the heart of this roleplay will revolve around the advancement and goings-on of the campaign that unifies all of the characters, I encourage each player to undertake their own subplots. The world is vast and has an ever-expanding lore pool to explore. While you may assist Campbell by day, perhaps there are other motivations that drive you onto the streets at night. Because of this, I encourage characters of all backgrounds and alignments. In this sense, the roleplay will be partially open-world, as there’s plenty for you to do outside of the main plot. This is another of the overarching goals of the party. As you progress through the story, certain groups will become allies and others enemies. It is up to you to decide what outcome of rising and falling factions is desirable. Just make sure to remember, whatever actions you undertake determine the future that emerges. Will you rise above the gangers and criminals in the streets and bring about change, or does everyone end up giving into Futility.

Please don't let yourself be intimidated by the massive pile of lore. It is mostly extraneous and can be read through at your leisure.

The World

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America’s 14 Megaregions

America’s Fourteen Recognized Megaregions:

1. New York Seaboard
2. Greater DC
3. The Derelict City
4. The Detroit Stacks
5. Metrochicago
6. The Bastion
7. The Miami Platforms
8. Neo Orleans
9. The Texas Sprawl
10. The Vegas Triangle
11. South City “The City of Angels”
12. The Bay
13. Portland
14. Seattle

The story will begin based in and around one main region: the self-proclaimed paradise of the west, South City. This is one of the most populous megaregions in America encompassing what was once Los Angeles as well as the surrounding area where the city expanded into throughout the 21st century. In reality, that much couldn’t be further from the truth. As the 2064 elections grow closer and closer, chaos is ever present in the streets. Political turmoil in the city’s urban sprawl is at an all time high with riots in the streets, veiled and corrupt political dealings in the shadows, and a populous with views split between all five of the major political parties. Small districts in the city are more contested than ever both in terms of elected offices and street rivalries that tear violently through South City’s slum districts. South City is one of the two major megaregions that make up the ‘Twin City Sprawl’, a sprawl of urban cityscape that covers America’s western coast along California. Its sister region is The Bay Region to the north.

There are a number of smaller ‘districts’ in the megaregion, but for one reason or another, you find yourself in the Reclaim Zone. The Reclaim Zone is a large district emanating out from one main street. The district gets its name from the origin of its architecture and infrastructure. Most of the buildings in the Reclaim Zone are now defunct factories of corporations that have either gone under or moved to better locations. These shells are now the basis for cheap hotels, smaller scale manufacturers, as well as innumerable clubs and bars. Believe it or not, the Reclaim Zone used to hold the greatest employment rates in South City Sprawl, but times have changed. As more and more people migrated to the district, the Reclaim Zone became a home to slumming populations and street vagabonds. As population increased, so did the tension in the streets as did the demands for better conditions.

When riots began to tear through Reclaim Zone streets in 2035, Enforcers were barely able to hold back the crowds from turning strikes and protests into a full-blown war in the streets across South City. As violence continued for a span of three weeks, large scale companies shut down production activity in the district temporarily, but when the riots ended in the Reclaim Zone, the turmoil they brought didn’t leave. The Reclaim Zone became known for its most dangerous times, attracting a completely new sort of individual and corporation. With the decreased regulation due to broken infrastructure and lack of Enforcers in the area, seedy business practices began to take root in every Reclaim Zone industry. Crime began to flourish and the monolithic factories that once housed reputable corporations were bought out by gangs and criminal organizations. Clandestine business has become the trademark of the Reclaim Zone, whether its corps, gangs, or mercs in power.

Technology

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Cyberware

Cyberware

With the rapid advancement of technology in modern times, the ability to meld metal with flesh has become commonplace. Having started out as an early 21st solution to atrophy and the loss of limbs, cybernetic augmentations were looked to as a way to offer the human body back to those who may have lost theirs. It wasn’t until an American conglomerate corporation titled Symbiont started to push this research to its limits, offering promises that their augmentation could surmount human ability. This was done by grafting artificial extensions of the nervous system into the human body, connecting the complex system up to a specific neural interface embedded in the grey matter called an Electronic Brain. As Symbiont rolled this technology out at public tech conferences, the company became known as the first pioneer into the Cybernetic Age.

Human ability can be augmented to allow for incredible speed, bionic strength, and amazingly fast mental calculation. While the quality of these products can vary between manufacturers, cybernetic prosthesis is available to the masses. This isn’t without its drawbacks however. With the extreme edge given to augmented people in all professions, the masses became desperate for their own cyberware. This has led to lower quality and homemade enhancements, which is hypothesized to be the root cause of the Cyber Plague, Split-Periphery Electronic Cognition Syndrome is the slow degradation of perfect sync between the brain and the Electronic Brain. When the speed of firing synapses starts to lose its synchronization, the cognitive processes regulated by the person begin to split into two slightly off consciousnesses in their mind. While the effects of SPECS can be minor at first, the further along a person’s synchronization degrades, the more confusion, dementia, and psychosis will start to grip them as they become no longer able to recognize who they are or which or their cognitive processes is their own. While SPECS almost always results in the eventual death of the victim, it is all too common that some degree of psychotic violence comes first as paranoia gets too strong in the victim’s mind. The speed that SPECS takes hold of one’s mind varies greatly on many factors. Biological aptitude of the brain’s ability to lose synchronization is a major factor, but more often the cause of advanced stages of SPECS is the over-augmentation of the body or the use of low quality prostheses that don’t do well to match the biological brain’s speed.

While the Cyber Plague is inevitably lying in the fate of every augmented individual to some degree, there exists one way to stave it off when it becomes a problem. Created by Genetek, a chemical compound was synthesized that helps the brain fire in a way that matches the Electronic Brain. This compound was refined into a drug then called Neurosynthase, or more commonly Neurosynth. Due to the resonant realignment of brain waves caused by Neurosynth, the drug has become highly addictive to augmented individuals, producing a unique sense of heightened focus and euphoria. Once Genetek realized the demand for their product, price was marked up astronomically and Genetek clinics began to dominate the streets. With prices so high and street prices even higher, Neurosynth is only further coveted. It is because of this that SPECS is so cataclysmic. Due to these potentially dangerous effects of Cyberware. All major surgeries and enhancements require a person to register as an Augmented Person with the government. Of course, not all augmented individuals are registered if they choose more unconventional means of implanting.

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality

As internet technology exponentially developed, the interface technology that humans used to interact with their virtual fountain of knowledge did as well. It started with simple sensory inputs, but humanity has since sought to access their endless stream of information with as little latency as possible. Thus, the Direct Cranial Interface was created. This was the first form of what would come to be called a cyberdeck, allowing for a person to interface with media through their brain, disregarding the sensory information of the body entirely.

Virtual reality allowed for explosive growths in every genre of consumable media, but it wasn’t without its drawbacks. The allure of virtual reality has become extremely powerful, leaving some people preferring to live jacked in above all else. There have been multiple documented cases of people losing themselves in virtual reality, choosing to live in cyberspace as their body withers away to thirst and hunger outside the cyberdeck. Others have become crazed, confusing the two instances of reality and falling into debilitating psychosis. Virtual reality has also offered a medium for a whole new range of ‘E-Drugs’ that can be addicting a crippling psychological way. Despite all of the very real fears that virtual reality brought, it has paved a path for humanity to access information infinitely faster and became the main medium for interacting with Cyber Matrix and Labyrinth. It exists in various stages, allowing for people without cyberdeck augments limited access to the medium.

The Cyber Matrix & Labyrinth

The Cyber Matrix & Labyrinth

Leaps in internet technology have left the people with information that is more accessible than ever. Of course, the interface medium of man and keyboard was always limited in its speed compared to the marvels of the brain. One company, Cryptotechnics, sought to fix that. Thus, the first iteration of Cyber Matrix software was created. In an attempt to neurally interface with the massive database that is the internet, Cryptotechnics utilized boundary-pushing virtual reality Total Immersion technology to create a new way to experience information. Cyber Matrix software, requiring the user to literally connect their brains with an interface via brain implants, offers the user a three dimensional virtual reality world that they can access information through. The new interface medium was known for being difficult to master, but once a user became accustomed to traversing the new world, the speed at which one could access information increased exponentially.

As Cyber Matrix software rose in popularity, America as a whole sought to adapt the technology. The increase in Cyber Matrix users only increased the size of the Cyber Matrix, allowing users to traverse the cyberspace with new freedom. Before long, a majority of internet use was on Cyber Matrix software, interconnecting the digital space in a new and explorable world. This wasn’t without its drawbacks, however. With an entirely new medium of digital code, cybersecurity changed entirely as hackers and other malicious entities had millions of new channels to use as avenues for their work. Things came to a head for the first generation of the Cyber Matrix when a nationwide attack struck America in a single night. During that time frame, billions of dollars were stolen from a number of international corporate conglomerates. The attack took place in a number of states across the nation where battles with thousands of security systems rocked the nation. States had their entire power grids fluctuate, grids of the Cyber Matrix were permanently corrupted when fighting against the attacking presence. In the end, the attack was successful, paving its way as the largest heist in history. Those responsible are still at large, but the trail seems to have gone entirely cold.

This global scare paved the way for the second generation of CM software. Massive backlash had Cryptotechnics crashing into the dust, forcing the government to step in and work with the company to keep nationwide information available. After nearly a month of global downtime, the economy could finally resurrect on a mysterious new software: Labyrinth, the Cyber Matrix’s successor. Labyrinth offered encryptions that were thousands of times more elaborate than the Cyber Matrix and also introduced locked private instances that were cut off from the rest of the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth itself is not static like its predecessor. The world is constantly changing and rewriting its structure. Since its introduction, information security has increased immensely. Hacking still exists as an issue, but the knowledge and ability of malicious entities is nowhere near what it once was. It’s said that no one outside of high level government officials and the mysteriously unknown corporation that developed Labryrinth knows how to access the source, but the same was said about CM technology until the Matrix Incident.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

Explosive advances in the field of robotics have left humanity relying on machines more than ever, and machine learning is only growing more powerful and more complex as a byproduct. It was less than two decades into the 21st century when humanity created its first trivial forms of artificial intelligence. It wasn’t until Cyber Matrix software was developed that the advancement of AI truly skyrocketed in capability. Matrix AI was a marvel to society and technological advancement began to increase at an even more exponential rate as more AI were created. The formation of a truly perfect AI didn’t occur until years later. Behind closed doors in R&D compounds of an unknown company, the Singularity was rumored to be created. Historians pinpoint the exact time it happened by referencing information that charts the explosive surge in technological advancement. Within a week, there were Singular AI popping up across the globe in the hands of any megacorp that could afford to create one.

Two weeks after the genesis of singular artificial intelligence, everything had changed. The original problems that caused the emergency regulation was unknown, but the effects of America to outlaw and exterminate any singular AI were seen soon after. Chaos wracked the streets as robotic minds with any control over the physical world doused the life from human lungs. Entire banking systems were compromised, massive blocks of the Cyber Matrix were sealed and barred entirely from entry by mysterious entities, and entire grids of electrical systems surged in and out of life as inhuman creatures fought for their lives. During the events that transpired after the emergency legislation, people across the globe were warned from accessing the Cyber Matrix as a few who dared delve in were found with pistols pressed against their temples or minds melted from the inside out by their cyber deck.

‘The AI Catastrophe’, as it was dubbed marked a loss of thousands of lives globally. It took only days for hundreds of developed countries around the world to follow in the footsteps of America. The United Nations has also taken to open hostility against any nation that utilizes singular AI openly. Of course, AI in and of itself remains at an all time high for its active use throughout the world, but measures are always taken to prevent another catastrophe. The whole forceful cleanup was a mess after all, and speculative scientists and Labyrinth Runners alike hypothesize that there may have been a handful of hyper-intelligent entities that evaded sweeps of closed systems, and the abandoned Cyber Matrix is another thing entirely.

Political Map & Faction Details

Government Factions

The Enforcers

Crime is as widespread around America as the biting smog that covers the skies. Such an unforgiving underworld can only coexist with a force of unforgiving Enforcers. The government sponsored Enforcers are the regulators of the law. This massive organization acts as its own branch, regulating the lowest beat Enforcers out striking fear into citizens on the streets as well as the highest level judiciaries that officiate the law. As much as the iron-fisted Enforcers help to deter any punishable offense, a large portion of the judicial sect of America is wrought with corruption. Bribes are taken, crimes are overlooked, and the citizens are powerless to stop the dealings of the Enforcers. Of course, not all Enforcers are corrupt. In fact, there are specific sects and task forces designed to combat internal corruption in the Enforcers. All know to quiet down in the presence of the eerily armored Enforcers as they make their way down the streets. Very few would dare stand against them due to the Enforcers being armed with the best equipment their often cut budget allows.

Because of the increasing deregulation of states by the federal government, many have lost faith in the Enforcers. Thusly, the organization doesn’t get much credit or support for its work (though whether or not it deserves any is another question entirely). In modern days, Enforcers are often second to state-determined task forces.

Major Political Factions

The HyperHuman Party

Standing as the most esoteric and spiritual platform in American politics, the HyperHuman Party heavily supports the advancement of the human form through cooperation with machines. This, however, is not possible in HyperHuman philosophy without the cooperation of humans. Thus, the HyperHuman Party supports widespread augmentation and biotic health support for all of humanity. This cultural ideology is assumed to have been generated from a conglomeration of eastern philosophies that focused around the collective rather than the individual. Additionally, a large portion of the HyperHuman following is very spiritual, regarding interaction with machines with a mind-bending respect. Many have dismissed the party because of this. As it stands, the HyperHuman Party doesn’t have a large following for it is often vilified for its collectivist mentality and esoteric basis.

Neo-Transhumanist Party

With philosophy based around rapid technological advancement and the enhancement of human ability through augmentation, the NTP has garnered widespread support of techies and idealists alike. When this ideological-based movement pushed towards active political participation, things started to change. The NTP became known to favor fervent legislation regarding the deregulation of human enhancement and borderline technology in general. In pursuit of its goals, the NTP has also found billions of dollars in support from large corporate backers who clandestinely lobby their business-oriented goals into the party’s agenda.

Neo-Luddite Party

One of the most radically recognized political parties, the Neo-Luddite Party, backs a philosophy almost exclusive to its supporters in America. Taking ideas from an old society in early America, the group brands itself as a collective of purists free of technology’s corruption on the human body. Some go as far to say that further reliance on machines is giving up on our humanity. The Neo-Luddite Party isn’t without its own respected technological marvels, though. A small sect of the NLP look towards the controversial ideas of gene therapy and biological manipulation of the human body in the future despite the taboos that surround the subject. While the party’s general beliefs are wide and often very different, creating many small ideologies that all brand themselves as Neo-Luddites, all of the NLP seems to rally around a sort of hatred for augmented people for various reasons.

The Central Party

Despite America’s multi-party system, one political front holds its name above the rest: The Central Party. The Central Party is most well known for being the party in majority control of the government for a number of terms now. The Central Party is known as the conglomerate of the two major political parties that ran America before the multi-party system. The group support the propagation of of large federal government and high regulation. The Central Party has been known to work heavily with megacorporations, especially those based in America. A certain sense of nationalism runs through the Central Party, bringing an almost imperialist outlook to the country’s largest party. While the ideals of the Central Party offer visions of ‘A Greater America’, many common men are left in the dust of this vision. Corruption and disregard of society’s lower class are commonplace in the Central Party, though thoroughly denied.

The Pirate Party

Stemming from the advent of the digital age, the Pirate Party of America rallies around a free sharing of knowledge and privacy in the cyberscape. With the majority of the party’s base being the technologically-minded working class. Hackers, digital archivists, and programmers in general brought forth the start of the Pirate Party. As it stands now, the Pirate Party is the smallest of the major recognized political parties in America. Because of this, the Pirate Party has become quite the radical platform, demanding freedom of speech, privacy, anti-corruption, and direct democracy in the country. Due to the stigma that being involved in the Pirate Party makes you a sort of revolutionary, public support is speculated to be lower than it really is.

Corporate Factions

FuryTech

One of the most well off corporations in the American Region, and by far the most technologically ahead, FuryTech is an extremely versatile corporations, pumping out technologically advanced devices years before other industries in the business. When you want top of the line tech and you’re willing to spare no expense, FuryTech’s got the gadget, implant, weapon, or vehicle you’re looking for. The company is often displayed in the media as the forefront of technology. Whether or not that is true, many believe you can do no better than FuryTech. FuryTech is an extremely large corporation, and thus, there are a number of branch corporations of the larger conglomerate.

►Fury Vehemetech
By far the largest and most broad branch in terms of production, Fury Vehemetech acts to produce all products that don’t fit into either of the other two branches. The public focus of the branch, however, is producing powerful products that combine speed, stopping power, protection, and utility. This branch is where you will find the various weapons, armors, cyberware, and gadgets produced by FuryTech.
►Fury Biotech
Fury Biotech is the smallest and most secretive branch in FuryTech. It is also the most recently created public branch of FuryTech. Publically, the pursuit of Fury Biotech is to look into manipulating organic matter and biomedical technology to seek advancements in the medical field.
►Fury Heavytech
Just when the world thought Fury Vehemetech was the pinnacle of technology, various megacorporations around the world began to bring to light a flaw in FuryTech’s philosophy. All of their equipment was mostly suited for the light assault. As more and more competitors started to capitalize on the market for heavy assault equipment, FuryTech soon jumped on board. Heavytech began pumping out new designs for more armored and powerful models of armor and weapons. Heavytech has since further extended their hands into the field of vehicles both civilian and military.

Engitech

In America, there is only one technological giant that stands as an equal rival of FuryTech. While their competitor has the highest end of advancement on lockdown, Engitech is recognized as the largest producing conglomerate of all things technology. Rather than focusing solely on the top of the line equipment, Engitech produces all manners of devices. Engitech is the name you will see branded across all industrial workers’ exosuits, mass production technology, and everyday industrial machines. Because of their wider focus, Engitech Conglomerate has managed to have a hand in the production process of almost every major mechanical product. Many of the more affordable implants for the common man come from Engitech.

APEX Industries

You’re Ape or you’re APEX! You’ve seen the ads. We all have. APEX Industries knows its worth and so does the populous. When it comes to cybernetic technology, very few can match the harmonious and resonant implants that connect man and machine made by APEX Industries. Not only will APEX Clinics offer you the most functional and capable prostheses and implants, but also the most stylish. The APEX megacorporation was formed after a number of buyouts of top designer cybernetic companies, and the work of their top scientists shows. Despite all of the flashy advertisements and good press, APEX has had just as much negative attention. Dismissed as conspiracy, a number of malpractice cases, underhanded business deals, and inhumane tests have been brought against APEX. Who knows the truth, though?

Amalgamation

When it comes to politically active corporations, it’s hard to find any more involved than Amalgamation. Implant and augmentation technology wouldn’t even be close to where it is without Amalgamation. Defining itself as the boundary pushing front of the Neo-Transhumanist movement, Amalgamation is as much crowdfunded as it is supported by its massive sales. With more than just one goal with its ever expanding product lines, this megacorporation deals in robotics as much as it does ripping flesh from humanity. Eschewing the sleek and natural look of some of its competitors, Amalgamation’s augs are known for hardy, industrial, and powerful looks. As much as some love the company, others silently live in fear of what Amalgamation has created. A lot of the company’s legislative lobbying front has to do with deregulation of what can be done with cybernetics. You’d be hard pressed to stare down someone with Amalgamation tech grafted onto them and dare cross them.

Gaea Naturae

Very little is actually known about Gaea Naturae save that they are one of the great and most heavily influencing megacorporations in America. Under the guise of a medical corporation, Gaea Naturae has been documented hiring the world’s top biologists and natural scientists before whisking them away from ivy league schools to almost disappear from then on. While all megacorporations are known for keeping their secrets closely guarded, but Gaea Naturae takes things to a whole new level with their own paramilitary sector seen protecting every Gaea Naturae facility armed to the teeth. In the midst of the shadowy rumors surrounding the company, Gaea Naturae has been known for opening healing clinics in very impoverished sectors of the world, particularly in urban areas.

Extropy, Inc.

The biggest rising star in American corporations is a title that could only be granted to Extropy. The company is funded almost entirely by one particularly rich benefactor known for his crazy ideas. Some of Extropy’s recent exploits involve bringing expensive cybernetics to the masses, mecha robotics, and space exploration. With as much help as Extropy is bringing to the people of America, a great deal of negative attention is often brought to the corporation. This often stems from other competitive megacorporations feeling undercut by Extropy’s dealings.

Underground Factions

Ripper Docs

For any person living in a more impoverished sector of America, they’ve heard the legends. As almost mythic figures, Ripper Docs are just as feared in the streets as they are respected. “Ripper Cyberdoctor” is a title given to a cyberneticist that is unlicensed and operating without being registered. In that respect, all Ripper Docs are considered outlaws in the eyes of the government, and stories of their malpractice run rampant in politics. In the underground culture of America, though, that opinion starts to change. Often, some Ripper Docs are heralded as heroes, supplying cybernetics and medical practice to impoverished peoples. Other rumors are whispered in the streets of Ripper Docs and mentally obsessed surgeons with little that they won’t do to their patients and victims alike. While they do work alone and solely for themselves, Ripper Docs are much more than just individual practitioners, though. There has become a culture to the identity, causing the Docs to find some sort of unspoken code amongst themselves. You can recognize the Ripper Docs due to their unique symbol, a strangely shaped mask said to be drawing on influences of ancient mystical apothecaries fighting the plague. Ripper Docs almost always practice under a pseudonym. It’s a telltale signifier of an unlicensed practitioner. Maybe you’ll be alright if you can’t afford a normal clinic. Find a Ripper Doc. Don’t forget about your copay…

The Tech-Witches

There are thousands of organizations branded as terrorists throughout America, but few bring as much fear with the very mention of their name as the Tech-Witches. Assumed to have started out as a street gang, this all female society strikes fear into the hearts of whoever dares slight them. With their ultimate motives unknown, the Tech-Witches are only inferred to be a secret society of worshippers of some strange idol. They make few public actions instead choosing to remain silently plotting until a massive attack is planned. The Tech-Witches are mostly seen raiding large technological research and development buildings of some of the corporate giants of the world. Their missions, while seeming suicidal, are almost always successful. The mission always seems to be to steal speculative technology still in its prototype state, as though they are amassing the most powerful arsenal in the world. The Tech-Witches are not above striking out against smaller targets however. There are documented instances of federal investigators that delve into the affairs of the Tech-Witches suddenly finding themselves under siege. Even entire buildings have been razed in mysterious explosions to prevent further investigation into the mysterious society. One rarely sees the Tech-Witches coming, but when they do, the women strike fast, recognized only by their coveted advanced technology and the strangely primitive masks worn depicting the faces of ancient demons from around the world.

The Primal Scourge

Anti-advancement beliefs have always been present in society, but with issues of reckless progress seen so commonly in this age of rapid expansion, some people have taken on a stricter ideology. It was after the Matrix Incident that underground cells of hyper-luddite purists began to form, but the Primal Scourge didn’t really emerge until the AI Catastrophe. Starting as a wholly American group, the Primal Scourge have been speculated to now have cells operating in a number of countries. The group prides itself on life free of the corrupting influence of machines, preferring naturalist styles of living. As such, it isn’t common to see Primal Scourge in the megapoli around the country unless they are carrying out attacks. Branded as a terrorist organization by the government, any known Primal Scourge members are outlaws, for the actions of the organization is almost entirely criminal, revolving around raids, firebombings, and other small scale assaults on industrial companies, technological research facilities, and other large corporate buildings.

Hyperhuman Monks

Roaming through the streets of America’s western megaregions, there exists a more esoteric collective of people: The Hyperhuman Monks. These growing monastic communities populate urban areas practicing and spreading their beliefs. The Hyperhuman Monks are easily picked out of a crowd in their saffron robes as well as shaved hairstyles. Their goal is relatively unknown to outsiders, but they work to propagate a better community around them through their harmony with machines. As such, most all of the Hyperhuman Monks will be augmented heavily. Being extremely adept at unarmed combat via a specifically created martial art for augmented individuals playing upon the strengths of industrial quality cyberware called ‘The Way of the Machine’. Monks often train weak populations of low income individuals small portions of their art to prevent the higher class from preying upon them. They have also been known to set up makeshift clinics around the west to help people struggling from SPECS or cyberware malfunctions. While most people know not to slight the peaceful monks out of respect for what they do, others may just leave them be for fear of what they do to their enemies… For they have no enemies.

Paramilitary Factions

Scrapteam

When a company desires external support of force, Scrapteam can be a risky choice. This ragtag group of mismatched gearheads market themselves on devastation of any enemy. Using whatever powerful weapons they can get their hands on and hacking their bodies to be living weapons, the Scrapteam are a different breed of violent. The organization is on thin ice, however. Branches of Scrapteam have narrowly avoided massive lawsuits for underhanded and criminal assaults on various corporations. The media has likened them more to privateers than to bodyguards. The Scrapteam operates in cells (or companies) around America as well as having cells that work around the world. Each one of these branch companies can be hired as a general mercenary population. Some of them are permanently employed while other companies move from job to job with little security.

Tinmen

Amongst the rampant flux of paramilitary groups propping up around the world to defend corporations at a price, one name stands paramount above the rest synonymous to a wall of impenetrable steel. The Tinmen brand themselves as a band of unstoppable mercenaries covered head-to-toe in heavy steel exo-armor with the most bulky weaponry commercially available. Due to their extreme prowess and training, the Tinmen boast a high price for their notable services. One would often see Tinmen protecting the largest clients of paramilitary groups around America. Due to the massive flow of cash into the organization, it is very hard for the Tinmen to be caught up in scandals involving criminal tactics. Most of the goings-on of the Tinmen is kept closely guarded, with only initiated members learning their secrets.

Inhuman Factions

Nekrolytes

Lurking in quarantine zones around the megaregions of America, there exists a group neither living nor dead that strikes fear into the hearts of humanity: The Nekrolytes. These once normal individuals roam idly in their zombie-like state, seeking only for other humans to eviscerate and devour. It’s not really known what turns these typical augmented individuals into something inhuman entirely as it happens so quickly and outbreaks often spread faster than the superhuman Nekrolytes can even move. The Nekrolytes are most easily identified by their ragged clothes, sparking cyberware, and glowing eyes. As monstrous as the creatures may seem, however, it is believed that they are extremely intelligent. When not tearing themselves apart in quarantine zones, Nekrolytes have been observed using uncanny teamwork to assault the populace. Whatever causes the strange illness has been labeled a pandemic, as outbreaks can occur all over the country and without warning.

A Note on Factions & Backstories:
I encourage you to interact with the factions above in your backstory as you wish, but keep in mind how likely certain scenarios are. Obviously if a massive corporation hates you, you aren't going to last long. If you'd like, you are allowed to have been a part of one of these factions (excluding Tech Witches and Nekrolytes for plot reasons). If you would prefer, you can also write something of your own if you'd like to be a part of a local gang or something similar.

Character Information

In this RP, you will take on the role of someone related to or working for the campaign team of Dexter Campbell. Together the team will seek to further Dexter Campbell’s influence as he climbs the political ladder. Perhaps Campbell’s rise will benefit your character in some way. Perhaps your character is lost in the world and finds purpose in this line of business. Perhaps you want to infiltrate the political game and exert your own partisan influence on the country. The choice is yours. Of course, characters aren’t restricted to political lackeys. Campbell’s team is rather cobbled together and could include all sorts of roles, though keep in mind that your character will be working for someone running for mayor of a not-so-great district. Supersoldiers, corporate CEOs, and generally extremely powerful people wouldn’t find themselves in this situation. I’ve included a list of possible roles you may play on the campaign team below. Feel free to make up your own or use one of these.

Campaign Team Roles

Legal Advisor // Lawyer
Campaign Treasurer
Campbell’s Doctor
Bodyguard // Mercenary
Lobbyist
Friend of candidate
Benefactor (If you want to use this, develop some sort of business, how it works, and what you’ll need to do to run it. This role doesn’t just give you free reign to infinite cash.)

And of course, if you can think of something you'd rather do, you're welcome to do that. I'd urge you to explore what characters are already in existence in the OOC's Character tab first, though.

While I want each of you to take an active role in the campaign, I also want each of your characters to have personal goals. Players are encouraged to introduce their own relevant subplots. I can guide the way and facilitate the world around you, and you’ll still have the main goals of the group driving you as well, but you should also be developing your own character throughout the RP. While you are ultimately in control of your character's actions, fate is a cruel mistress. Death will be possible in this RP, and while I have no plans of forcing it on anyone, if you choose to get into a crazy and unbeatable scenario, that's on you. If you do die in the course of the RP, you are free to make another character. Campbell's staff of expendables is ever changing after all.

I encourage you all to cooperate and make connections between characters. While you don’t have to be best friends with every other character (in fact, I encourage you to form rivalries and other dynamic connections), try to come up with some relations with other characters. These can be cursory meetings or deep emotional bonds. The choice is yours. I don’t yet have a set number of people I want to accept into the final cast, but I will end up limited accepted characters eventually.

Character Sheet

[Picture]
[N A M E]
[AGE] | [GENDER] | [HEIGHT] | [BLOOD TYPE]

General Information

NAME:

ALIASES // TITLES:

SEX:

AGE:

APPEARANCE:

OCCUPATION: (What did you do before the campaign? Or what do you still do? This can be held prior to the campaign or ongoing.)

CAMPAIGN TEAM POSITION: (Your position under Campbell. What do you do? See first post for various ideas.)

Psychological Profile

Trait | Trait | Trait | Trait | Trait | Trait

PERSONAL GOAL: (Why are you still around? What are you trying to achieve?)

CAMPAIGN GOAL: (Why did you link up with Campbell? What are you trying to do for his platform?)

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY: (Who are you really? What morally defines you? What drives you?)

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: (What are your views on the world? While a partisan identity would be nice to include, feel free to define yourself outside of the five parties. This is important as Campbell will eventually have to choose a party to represent.)

SECRETS: (What are you hiding? What would it cost you if someone found out what’s behind the veil?)

FEARS: (What keeps you up at night? What makes you freeze up in the moment? What do you avoid at all costs?)

REPUTATION: (How does the world view you? What are you known for? How do your people act around you?)

LIKES: (Feel free to list a few.)

DISLIKES: (Same as above)

QUIRKS: (What makes you unique for better or worse?)

Background Information

”Character Quote”

Operative Information

AUGMENTATIONS: (What sort of Cyberware are you equipped with?)

EQUIPMENT: (What are you carrying on the job?)

SKILLS: (Feel free to list a few and elaborate a bit.)

FLAWS: (Aim for three or so. Equal or greater to your number of skills.)

NOTES:

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Now I know this is a lot of information to take in, but feel free to read through the extraneous lore at your leisure. The world is vast and you have the opportunity to explore whatever select portions of it suit you. My aim for this roleplay is a collaborative worldbuilding experience while we maintain the central goal of confronting society in this cyberpunk world. With that said, I’ll be adding more information as time goes on and we near the start of the RP. I hope to attract a certain type of RPer to Futility, so if you love to write expansively about the world and develop freely your character obsessively, this is the place for you.

Everything will be expanded upon in the next few days as I prepare an OOC. Feel free to make suggestions or ask questions about character concepts, the story, or the world. Now then, any interest?

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

@Opposition

Taryn was sort of left out of most of the posts which isn’t the end of the world it just doesn’t give me a whole lot to build off of. I’ll try and work something up if I have to though.

@Prizrak

I'm unsure what you mean. The last Rail Stop post was meant to update any NPCs with their actions. At this point it's between you and Bork Lazer to choose where you'd like to go from here. The Cass post was meant to open up the second half of the Rail Stop if you'd like to pursue further conflict in the back. The Knight who remains uninjured is trying to secure the machines via the back exit.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

I'm going to start up and updated interest check for newfound players in the coming days now that I've finished the first half of my term and I have the time. Hopefully, we'll be able to bring in new players with finished sheets right around the time these two prologue scenarios end. All seems to be moving along well, though can I get updates from those who haven't yet jumped in about this round of posts?

@AdobeFlash, @Prizrak,

Are you guys doing alright for this rotation?

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

Cass's post is up, and thus the second portion of [𝔻𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕪 & 𝔻𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪] is open for exploration. As you might be able to infer, we'll be moving one more time in this scenario...

If you can guess what that entails...

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

_{@The Bork Lazer
@Prizrak}

𝕆𝕝𝕕 ℝ𝕒𝕚𝕝 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕡, ℙ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

ℕ𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝟠𝕥𝕙, 𝟚𝟘𝟞𝟜 𝟙𝟡:1𝟘

In a world quiet, but not silent...

At the surface level, the alley was occupied only by Cass's echoing steps. Well... Echoing at least to her. The subtle stalking step she took remained rather inaudible to those not equipped with such strangely enhanced senses. Between the two concrete walls that rose to either of her sides, Cass was entirely relaxed as she strolled almost aimlessly around the Old Rail Stop towards the station's opposite side. That quickly changed, however, as Cass's Visual Enhancer corroborated with her ANVL augment to offer her a visual representation of the slight tremors and sounds that occurred just beyond the alley.

If Cass was nervous, she didn't do much to show it. No change in her pace of breathing; no increased heart rate. She was as solid as always. What might be noticed was the clandestine way her posture realigned and her grip on the monoblade's sheath twisted to offer her easy access to the weapon's hilt. The closer Cass got to emerging from the alley, the clearer her change in demeanor became. Breathing, walking, fiddling with her blade, each action seemed to occur in slow time. Truly, Cass was beginning to believe that her extreme perception was as much a curse as it was a gift. To try and completely silence herself became nearly impossible. Perhaps she was being too cautious, though. After all, just because she could feel the resonance of her footsteps on the walls that boxed her in didn't mean anyone else could.

Cass stepped up to the corner of the uniform box of a building that was the Rail Stop's exterior. The source of the reverberation from beyond her was blatant at this point. Cass knew the noise all to well. After all, it had haunted her on a daily basis, bringing with it a series of headaches if she were to do as little as go outside on some days: Footsteps. They were complemented by the screeching of small steel wheels rolling across the rough and trash-strewn ground. Peeking around the corner offered Cass an actual image of the scenario. A series of gangers worked to load a truck with voting kiosks. Next to the unmarked white truck, one luxury car was parked at the ready. One by one, Cass watched the men haul the massive machines into the vehicle, entirely unaware of her presence. She recognized the emblems charged on their cybernetics well. Most of the men were Knights, but a handful of them seemed to be either uninitiated or not affiliated with the gangers in general. Nonetheless, the worked together, moving without much haste.

A string of a thousand thoughts ran through Cass's head, but she couldn't seem to formulate a plan that ended well for her. She tossed her monoblade into her offhand while her free hand reached to grasp one of her machine pistols. Cass settled on approaching how she did best. Without any more extraneous time wasted thinking up a plans, the quiet Cass timed herself based on the movements of her adversaries, picking an opportune time to shoot out from the corner and towards the truck. With bounding steps, Cass maintained her stalking rhythm to keep herself unnoticed. She didn't stop when she ducked behind the truck's engine, though. Circling the vehicle, Cass paused just for a moment to wait for the paths of the working men to change ever so slightly. Then, she tapped the butt of her pistol on the vehicle's passenger side door before slipping back behind the engine block and out of view.

Of course one of the men came to investigate. It wasn't one of the Knights, but instead a man dressed in a dirty and wrinkled dress shirt. Cass didn't take long to launch herself around the corner and press the barrel of her weapon to man's torso as quickly as possible. She offered a universal gesture for silence just in time for the man to stifle his words. Cass helped push the man into a spin so that they weren't facing one another before scanning his belt-line. Her plan had been to secure the keys to one of the vehicles to cause enough havoc that she could prevent their extraction. Her gambit, however sound in thought, was a failure. By the time Cass realized her hostage wasn't the driver, one of the Knights had stepped around to the truck's side and witnessed the whole ordeal.

"Shit," was all Cass could offer before the Knight called her out. By the time he was reaching for his weapon, Cass had already started shifting her pistol to her hostage's gut. She squeezed the trigger as the Knight brought up his weapon, spraying a mess of blood and bullets through the worker's abdomen. His white shirt was, at the very least, ruined forever. The Knight ducked for cover and Cass did the same, abandoning the screaming man in a puddle of his own blood.

"Get the last one's in, get Asher up here, and let's get the fuck out of here!" That was the first call that Cass had heard before the Knights began yelling out to call for her own death. In shifting around the corner to lay down more fire and take some of the impending heat off of herself, Cass stumbled backwards as a bullet ripped through the air to tear through her ear. The stinging sensation was only compounded by the fact that her radio piece was certainly destroyed in the injury. Cass cursed once again, twisting her hand around the truck and spraying without heed.

Another call for "The machines!" signaled to Cass that it was time to move. She holstered her weapon. "Finish the damn job!" came next from a character that Cass could discern only by voice. Relying almost exclusively on ANVL sensations to perceive her opponents at this point, Cass prepared to sprint from her weak position of cover. That was her plan, at least until she felt the approaching footsteps on the driver's side of the truck. Soon, the opening of the door followed it. Cass took the corner as quickly as she could, kicking the door into the man who attempted to climb in the truck. As the steel door impacted the driver, Cass drew the Mandlebrot Monoblade from its sheath, curving around the dented door to stab her weapon forward. It easily slid into her enemy, but not without drawing the attention of any remaining Knights. The driver fell back, not entirely out of the game yet. For the moment, it seemed that the men had taken to worrying more about their task to deal with spraying suppressing fire. Cass took the opportunity to throw herself behind the luxury car poised just next to the truck, taking a moment to assess both herself and the situation.

"Could use some help..." Her voice was whispered, understanding the futility of her call.