[Shadowrun] [6E] Stormy Waters: Dodging Damocles

[Arialles]

BREAKING NEWS Due to some pbp drop off I am opening this back up for recruitment of budding 6E players to join the 3-4 players that are active... we're at a good point in the story where joining now wouldn't be a big problem so if at all interested please give me a shout or post directly into the OoC thread here: https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthread.php?t=226024

GAME NAME [6E] Stormy Waters: Dodging Damocles

GAME SYSTEM Shadowrun Sixth Edition

GAME THEME Shining a light into the belly of (my version of) Sixth World London

GAME TONE This one will be a little more Mohawk than my usual Mirrorshades leanings

GAME PLOT Dodging Damocles will principally be set in SR London with the addition of ‘London Below’ which is very much inspired by Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. I’ve used this setting in previous SR games and I think it adds an interesting dimension to the SR universe. It’s possible that there will be a metaplanar excursion too but I’ll save info on that for later. The PCs will likely hail from Seattle so no knowledge of the alternate setting is required, and perhaps an advantage. There is a shadow write-up that will be made available ‘in-game’… warning, this place is not for the faint hearted! It might not be as bleak as first impressions would have it but it makes some of the worst of the Seattle barrens look like a delightful picnic spot!   [Evening, Friday 6th June, 2081; Fourth Level of Nightside Market, London Below] The fourth level of Nightside was its usual bustle, the cacophony of the hawkers crying their wares vying for the attentions of each passerby (each stranger than the last). Intoxicating scents designed to snare the unwary warred with the pungent aroma of reagants and fragrant incense mixed with bodies that could do with better hygiene control. Wytch light supplemented the hanging electric lanterns and will’o the wisp watcher spirits guarding their masters’ goods from light fingered passers-by. Satire stalked through the market, just one figure amongst many, but her motley (as odd as it might have appeared to a surfacer) was understood down here and it was that rather than the lethal looking mageblade, that meant she had clear passage where others needed to shove to make way through the stalls and their shoppers. Not that she needed space, had she chosen to she could have woven effortlessly through the tight throng or even danced across their heads, but now was not the time for such displays. The child was waiting for her, as Hecate had assured Satire she would be. A pitiful looking orc waif, nestled for warmth down by a vent blowing stale air from the trains running far above their heads. Although Satire would never admit it to her mistress she had been doubtful… their seers’ sight had been clouded of late and the portents difficult to decipher. The child looked up, the impish grin on his face and the spark of intelligence in his mismatched eyes gave lie to the forlorn appearance “Watcha miss! Bin waiting bloomin’ ages for ya” You have something to show me? she signed back to him “Kor… ya really don speak?” I am a Mime of the Harlequinade, I choose not to speak, I can use AROs if you prefer? her fingers flickered through the speech, to which he looked decidedly blank “Don matter” he shrugged “Dis way” Everything will be linked together in my Stormy Waters timeline which has played out here on RPGx in Free Seattle, Dark Nights and Tangled Threads

CHARACTER CREATION Standard priority generation, although I am happy to accept Sum-10 provided only one Priority A choice is taken. If you want to use Life Paths that’s fine but I find it harder to vet characters that way. Previous PCs may join us from other games so there may be some additional ‘balance’ karma for new PCs so that I don’t have to adjust opposition power levels to account for build differences… I always try and give individual PCs their time to shine! I've created (with a lot of help) an Excel character generator for SR6 which can be downloaded from here: <<CG6.xx>>. It’s a WIP and I regularly put out updates as new source info is added and bugs are discovered. Our Obsidian Portal campaign page is here: Stormy Waters. There is lots of useful information here, contacts, locations etc but I am slowly shifting more info over to RPGx which will be stored in the Tangled Threads page.

RP & Posting Expectations We all have busy lives so I don't expect a fixed number of IC posts but please consider whether you can maintain the moderately gentle pace of 1-2 IC posts per week? Any less and the game is likely to falter. Thankfully RPGCrossing tracks who has posted in each thread so there’s no need to do so manually (see rewards below) SR can be pretty bleak, and I tend to run it that way (with enough rays of hope to prevent it becoming too depressing). That should still be possible within the constraints of the PG13 rating for this platform, let's keep descriptive violence without too much gore. Themes will be aimed at an adult audience and I try to sometimes present players with uncomfortable moral dilemmas but that is hopefully what you are signing up for. We’ll use SR swear words, eg drek and frag(ger) rather than their Anglo Saxon equivalents.

DICE ROLLS Mostly for the benefit of any non RPGCrossing veterans the coding is (dice=what the roll is)xxd6smch5(/dice) using square brackets Please spell out how the pool is created (eg. Agility x + Firearms y + Smartlink etc), in a roll any Wild D will be considered to be the first dice rolled, any D deductions (for whatever reason) will come off the back of the roll.

HOUSE RULES These are all listed in the Tangled Threads post <here>, please review them as there are some that deal with character generation. Each approved player will be given a personal thread on the Tangled Threads page which can be used in place of Personal Messaging to discuss any of the Stormy Waters games (as PM inboxes tend to fill up fast and are harder to search).

STORMY WATERS REWARDS Because pbp is notoriously slower than tabletop play I run a reward system slightly different to that advocated by the CRB which pays out based on sessions played. Worked up character sheet in the PCs thread +1 karma Character Sketch +1 karma Character Physical and Social Description +1 karma Character Background +2 karma Runs pay out nuyen as ‘normal’ and are subject to the negotiating skills of the PCs 1 karma and 1 Mark is given per 2 IC posts (or contacts and locations write-ups) Every Mark is worth approx. 2K nuyen…these are intended for big ticket items ie decks, cyber, vehicles, foci… GM approval is required and it is likely that these will pay out between active runs. Karma can be spent in downtime within the run if it seems reasonable to do so. Gaining an extra point of firearms may be reasonable, suddenly learning Latin from scratch might be a bit of a stretch!

PLAYERS Player Character Name Character Concept GleefulNihilism Sean O'Magauran ''FMC'' M Elf Bard/Face Hiruma Kohaku Selma Morrison ''Fashionista'' F Human Wiccan galenbd April Peng "Jamie" F Human Hacker The Rat Queen Olahl Hansen ''Coyote'' F Human Samurai etJake Alysander Tailleur ''Arbalest'' M Orc Fighter Damionovich TBC TBC

[GleefulNihilism]

Mighth have an idea or two tucked away for something like this. Let me know if you want more.

Personal Data Description: Sean has the look and swagger of someone who just stepped out of a Swashbuckler novel, and intentionally cultivates the image of a romantic hero. Handsome, charming, and always has a smirk on his face like he's on the inside of a joke. Has a surprisingly calculating head on his shoulders and often tries to make plans. You might have actually seen him before as he has an excellent singing voice and will often put all of his image and skills to use on causes he believes in. *Somehow* has managed to maintain at least some idealism despite the horrors of the world around him. My Tale Óró, sé do bheatha 'bhaile, Óró, sé do bheatha 'bhaile, Óró, sé do bheatha 'bhaile Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh. "Ye heard of Tir na Nog, yeah? The nation formerly known as Ireland that is now selling itself as an idyllic homeland for Elves. Oh, they paint a lovely picture - do nae get me wrong. I love my island, the land, the history. And it is true, about a third of us are Elves. There's a part they don't exactly advertize though." Tá Gráinne Mhaol ag teacht thar sáile, Óglaigh armtha léi mar gharda, Gaeil iad féin is ní Frainc ná Spáinnigh, Is cuirfidh siad ruaig ar Ghallaibh. "Ever hear of the Tuatha Dé Danaan, or the Danaan mór? The long and the short of it is, my home is now ran by a bunch of Tyrannical C#$%s. We have a Caste system now in Tir na Nog, did ye know that? On the top is the elves of the 8 rich families of the Danaan Mór, then the elves of the next 15 or so rich families, then any other elves, then *actual dog-shite*, then non-elves. And they were surprised when this had the IRA roaring back." A bhuí le Rí na bhFeart go bhfeiceam, Mura mbeam beo ina dhiaidh ach seachtain, Gráinne Mhaol agus míle gaiscíoch, Ag fógairt fáin ar Ghallaibh. "Oh aye, I know I'm an Elf. But I saw - I saw neighbors ripped from their centuries-old family homes because they weren't elves and some rich aristo thought they could use the land better. I've *seen* Camps being built for Orcs. I do nae care what the Tuatha Dé Danaan say - not on *my* island, not in *my* name. So I did what any self-respecting Irishman would do. I signed up to Fight. I helped lead some of the largest protests in Tir na Nog's history, I sang for the crowds and marched them forward, showed the Danaan mór that not even other Elves were going to stand for what they were doing. And, we lost. Barely managed to get off the island before getting arrested. I'll be back, one day. But for now - I guess it's with the Shadows for me." Óró, sé do bheatha 'bhaile, Óró, sé do bheatha 'bhaile, Óró, sé do bheatha 'bhaile Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh. RP Sample - Why I'm Not Allowed In Tir Na Nog Anymore "Thank ye for coming out tonight. My name is Sean O'Magauran, and tonight is a special night in more ways then you can think. Tonight we're not just standing against the Tuatha Dé Danaan for helping a murderer walk free to 'Preserve Elven Culture', something they almost literially made up on the spot - but there's something else too. Tonight was also the anniversery of the last Free Democratic Election in our Country. My name is Sean O'Magauran, I was born in 2011 back when Elves were called Spike Babies and I say Nae More! This Country, is for All of Us. So this song is going to sound a wee bit familiar. Back then, the greatest threat to our Liberty was the English. I thought, times have changed - and the song can change to meet that too. You'll figure out the words, join in when you do." The song that comes out starts slow but builds quickly, if in power first. It's not long before he's throwing punches with his voice. Almost literally. I was born on a Dublin street where the royal drums did beat, And those loving Tuatha feet they tramped all over us, And each and every night when me Da came home tight He'd invite the neighbors outside with this chorus: Come out ye wee Danaans, come out and fight me like a man, Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders, Tell them how the IRA made you run like hell away From the green and lovely lanes of Killashandra. Come let us hear you tell how you slandered great Parnell, When you thought him well and truly persecuted, Where are the sneers and jeers that you bravely let us hear When our heroes and our Freedom executed? Come out ye wee Danaans, come out and fight me like a man, Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders, Tell them how the IRA made you run like hell away From the green and lovely lanes of Killashandra. Come tell us how you slew them poor Ork Boys two by two, When you took their guns and they had naught but bows and arrows How you bravely faced each one with your 16-pounder gun, And you frightened them poor children to their marrow. Come out ye wee Danaans, come out and fight me like a man, Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders, Tell them how the IRA made you run like hell away From the green and lovely lanes of Killashandra. Well the day is coming fast and the time is here at last, When each yeoman will be cut aside before us, And if there be a need, sure our kids would sing, "Godspeed," With a verse or two of this fine chorus: Come out ye wee Danaans, come out and fight me like a man, Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders, Tell them how the IRA made you run like hell away From the green and lovely lanes of Killashandra. Funny, how they ignored him at first - but by the time the song was done the Protest seemed to hve doubled in size and was about one wayward spark away from a full-blown Riot...

Sheet DATA Name & Principle Alias: Sean O'Magauran ''FMC'' Ethnicity & Metatype: Irish Elf Born 2012 Sex M Height 190 Build Otter Nationality Tir na Nog Description Face/Sword Adapt Race D Attributes A Magic C Skills B Resources E BIO Sean likes to think he wasn't just any Elf, but he was actually one of the first of this age. Born in late 2011, Sean might look mid-20's but he's actually pushing 70 and he's seen a lot. He remembers when his home was called Ireland and it wasn't perfect but it wasn't - this. He remembers when Ireland became Tir na Nog. A supposed homeland and safe place for the Elves of the world to come. It sounded good, at first - and Ireland was as good a place as any. Something about the country, it produced a lot more Elves then average. At least a third of the population at this point. He remembers it, but it snuck up on him when things started getting darker. He remembers when they declared that there would be no more elections. He remembers the rise of the Tuatha Dé Danaan and the Danaan Mór - the rich 20 or so families that took over Ireland using the little quirk of them producing more Elves then average as a justification. He remembers when they officially declared that Non-Elves were Second Class citizens. Sean O'Magauran was a minor celebrity in Tir na Nog, one of the first Elves of this age and he had used that to kickstart a music career. He tried to keep things as non-political as he could but then he *saw* something he shouldn't have. One of the construction projects, the building of what looked like it was going to be a Concentration Camp for Orcs. No. That was enough. Really, the Tuatha Dé Danaan should not have been surprised that their policies had quickly led to the rebirth of the IRA. Maybe they weren't surprised, maybe they just didn't care. They certainly started to care when Sean O'Magauran, a fairly popular musician and one of the early Spike Baby Elves came out as one of their biggest critics and an open supporter of the New IRA. And he was good too, even intentionally invoking imagery of legendary Irish Folkhero Fionn mac Cumhaill in what could have been a proper Rebellion. Unfortunately, the Tuatha Dé Danaan managed to crush the fight for Freedom before it could properly begin and Sean only barely managed to avoid being caught, in effect he's been Exiled from Tir na Nog and into the Shadows. But if you think this is the last the Tuatha Dé Danaan will hear from Sean O'Magauran...   ATTRIBUTES Body: 3 ( 3 ) Agility: 5 ( 5 ) Reaction: 5 ( 6 ) Strength: 4 ( 4 ) Willpower: 3 ( 3 ) Logic: 2 ( 2 ) Intuition: 4 ( 4 ) Charisma: 7 ( 7 ) Edge: 3 Magic: 3 Essence: 6.00 Initiative: 10+2D6 Matrix VR Initiative: 4+2D6 +1D6 HotSIM Astral Initiative: 6+2D6 Phys CM: 10 Stun CM: 10 Surprise: 10 Composure: 10 Judge Intentions: 7 Memory: 5 Lift/Carry: 160kgs Defence Rating 10 Bonus D Damage Res 0 Unarmed Attack 2S, 10/—/—/—/— QUALITIES / RACIAL BONUSES Ambidextrous 4 Charismatic Defence 12 Distinctive Style -6 Hooder -5 Low-light Vision [Meta] 0 Paladin’s Code -10 Quick Healer 8 SKILLS Active Skills Astral 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Athletics 3 ( 8 ) S: Gymnastics E: 0 Biotech 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Close Combat 5 ( 10 ) S: Blades E: 0 Con 6 ( 13 ) S: Performance E: 0 Conjuring 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Cracking 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Electronics 0 ( 1 ) S: 0 E: 0 Enchanting 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Engineering 0 ( 1 ) S: 0 E: 0 Exotic Weapons 0 ( / ) S: 0 Firearms 2 ( 7 ) S: 0 E: 0 Influence 5 ( 12 ) S: Negotiation E: 0 Outdoors 0 ( 3 ) S: 0 E: 0 Perception 3 ( 7 ) S: 0 E: 0 Piloting 0 ( 5 ) S: 0 E: 0 Sorcery 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Stealth 0 ( 4 ) S: 0 E: 0 Tasking 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Knowledge / Language Skills English Music Speretheil Politics Celtic Folklore Elven Culture ADEPT POWERS Combat Sense Cool Resolve Enthralling Performance Improved Reflexes GEAR Metalink Disposable Commlink [R1, D/F 1/0, P0], Fake SIN [1], Standard Credstick, AR Gloves, Contacts [1] w. Imagelink Ares Light Fire 70 [2P, SA, 10/7/6/—/—, 16(c)] w. Laser Sight, Special Silencer, Concealable Holster, 2 Spare Clips, 50 Caseless Normal Rnds Lined Coat [3] w. Electrochromic Modification, Chemical Protection [3] Sword [3P,—,13/—/—/—/—,—] Silver 20,000¥ Fake SIN Fake license [Exotic Weapon] Rising Star * LIFESTYLE Urban Crashpad [Neighbourhood: Low, Necessities: Low, Comforts: Low, Security: Middle, Entertainment: Middle, Space: Low, Armoury [1], Cleaning Service, Defensive Setup] CONTACTS xxx [xxx / xxx] Connection: 0 Loyalty: 0 [Media / Talent Scout] Connection: 4 Loyalty: 4 [Media / Rocker] Connection: 6 Loyalty: 2 [Political / Anarchist Radical] Connection: 2 Loyalty: 4 [Political / New IRA] Connection: 2 Loyalty: 6 [Runner / Sword Specialist] Connection: 2 Loyalty: 3 [Political / Tir Na Nog Official] Connection: 4 Loyalty: 3 KARMA Racial Costs 0 Qualities 24 Negative Qualities -21 Attributes 0 Skills 38 Foci Binding 0 Resources 9 Stolen Gear 0 Martial Arts / Driving Styles 0 Additional Spell 0 Additional CF 0 Initiation 0 Submersion 0 Contacts 0 Buy off negative Qualities 0

[Ladytron]

Originally Posted by Arialles

[*]1 karma and 1 Mark is given per 2 IC posts (or contacts and locations write-ups)

Doesn't this just leave you open to a mass of fluff posts? If I said one "topic" in 4 posts instead of 1, I get 4x the karma, so why not?

[Hiruma Kohaku]

Fashionista DATA Name & Principle Alias Selma Morrison ''Fashionista'' Ethnicity & MetatypeGerman-descent Human Role Wiccan Full Mage/Utility and Team Support Born 2055 Sex Female Height 5’10” Build Slender Nationality UCAS Description Fashionable socialite who enjoys having a good time. Race C Attributes A Magic D Skills B Resources E Description Description Selma Morrison started off as the daughter of two wage Mages for Ares in their Biotech department. They focused on creating combat drugs for Mages that could help with drain or boost their abilities. The research was going well. So well that an unknown competitor blew up the research lab with her parents in it. Selma was only 14 at the time and spiraled at the news of her parents death. Ares took guardianship of her especially since she was tested to have extremely potent magic in her blood. She did not have the high intelligence of her parents, so she became a lab rat being subjected to the fruits of her parents unfinished research. The young girl suffered so much pain down to her very essence. Years went on and an interesting side effect started to result from the experiments. By trying to enhance her magic, they inadvertently strengthened her ability to disrupt and cancel it. An unfortunate side effect was damaging her mind to the point where she was in constant pain anytime she tried to summon a spirit able to hold its own form. This meant that a spirit had to possess somebody in order to exist on the material plane. One morning as she lay in bed almost comatose from the drugs they had injected into her, she had enough willpower to summon a spirit to possess the nurse about to give her the daily sedative. It bought her the time to regain her wits and affect an escape. All magical wards and spells were absorbed then redirected into massive force to shatter physical barriers while her spirits possessed her pursuers to make them fight against their comrades. She escaped into another world just as cruel and unforgiving. Selma had to lay low to avoid Ares patrols. Her magic allowed her to live off of the mana around her and evade capture. That’s when she met Planesender, a male in his mid-twenties of Native American descent wearing a stylish but casual suit featuring a mix of Wiccan and Amerind symbols integrated into the stitching and accessories. He used his magic to hide her from Ares and bring her to Fall City. There she met those who would become her sisters, Wiccans that were primarily healers but often dabbled in “alternate” forms of medication and escapism. The drugs they used calmed her down and eased the pain in her head. The street witches emphasized the study and use of the mana that flowed through all humanity. Selma grew up to be one of the best street witches her coven had ever known. She took on the name Fashionista as she excelled in using magic to alter the physical fabric of one’s being and what they wore. Many Corp brats looking to have a big night out on the town would hire her to do their makeup and clothes with her own special touch. The money was good, so she put up with their pompous attitudes. Life was good until it was too good. A lot of the coven’s income was from the sale and distribution of party drugs and sedatives. They were so good that their operations cut into the bottom line of the First Nations, who removed their business rivals in the fastest way they could when threatened. One day, the coven was enjoying a night of drinking and partying when the forces of the First Nations descended upon them in full force with the fury of a hurricane. Their magical and spiritual security at least made them not completely taken by surprise. The sisters retaliated like wolves trapped in a corner. Selma was able to keep the magical forces at bay for the moment, but the sheer firepower of machine guns and assault rifles were taking down her sisters one by one. Tasha, an adept, was able to get in close enough with her monowhip to slice off the hand of the lead mage wearing a black opal ring that from the astral blazed with power. Tasha spun in a roundhouse kick to send the hand flying toward Selma. That’s when she heard the foom foom foomof several grenade launchers sending high explosive grenades into the room. Planesender, who had been fighting alongside them raised a palm in Selma’s direction opening up a portal behind her. He pushed her through just as the explosions went off along with the painful screams of her sisters being obliterated. Part of the blasts torched her as she was flung through into the Metaplane of Dis. Once again, she was alone with her family dead in a strange place full of horrors. This time though, she was mentally prepared to survive on her own. She took the ring off the mage’s dismembered hand and placed it on her own. The power of the ring was incredible and instrumental in giving her the magical ability to survive in the hostile city for a month in Dis time which was only ten months in Material Plane time. She survived, killed, and made allies in the city. The horrors she experienced were many and left her hardened to the plights of others. One day, Planesender found her in the city of Dis and was able to transport her back to the Material Plane. Ten months had passed which was long enough for the First Nations to believe that the Fall City coven had truly been wiped out with no survivors. She became one with the Shadows going on jobs for various Johnsons to make her way in the world. Living in Dis for so long made her cherish every moment, so that’s how she lived, in the moment.   Running...running...running. Through a massive city with empty buildings that seemed like bleached bones upon the landscape. She could hear it behind her growling and hungry. Her sisters had all been defeated. The creature had broken her left arm. Alleyway after alleyway flashed by as she looked for an escape. She could feel it’s breath on the back of her neck as it closed in. Another alley had an open door with light pouring out of it. She ran and ran until she leapt into the light. Selma suddenly sat up in her bed still half asleep and covered in a cold sweat. It was the same dream as all the other times before. Nightmare mixed with memories of that horrible place, Dis. Not many besides her would truly understand what she went through in that Metaplane. Most couldn’t even contemplate what it was. The past was in the past though. She rolled out of bed in her studio apartment and took a shower. Once dried off, she sat naked in the middle of a pentagram that had been set into the floor. A lighter and a glass pipe with some Zen in it lay on the floor next to her that she then partook of. As Zen started to take effect, she called out to her coven and sisters. Red smoke appeared and formed into a hooded cloak that draped itself over her with the sounds of a happy little girl running around. Her sisters all appeared around her on different points. ”You have called us sister, and we have answered you. Sisters of the Coven stay together.” The spirits of her sisters then faded into the astral once the pact had been made. Time to get dressed for a rave at an abandoned warehouse in the next two hours. She slipped on her Skinshield, Invisishield, AAS, and Ballistic Mask. She took a look in the standing mirror she had and looked more like she was about to get into a street brawl instead of a rave. She traced the index and middle finger from both hands along the edge of her outfit and chanted some arcane words. The outfit then morphed into a red leather catsuit with built in corset. The mask turned into a phoenix mask with brilliant colored feathers. Next up, she held up her hands in front of her face like she was playing peek a boo and opened them to reveal a complimentary style of multicolored makeup and nail polish. She then pulled them back together and lowered her hands to reveal porcelain smooth skin with more of a sheen with fuller lips. Some would say that using magic to augment one’s appearance was a waste, but she would retort that others gladly trade their humanity to be augmented with ‘ware for the same effect. She pulled out her monowhip focus to inspect that it was in proper working order and resheathed it back in the holster between her bossum. She grabbed her “go bag” with all the equipment she kept on her and made her way downstairs. She past a couple of the other tenants on the way down who had a mixed look of disgust, envy, and lust. They all knew what happened to the last guy who made a grab at her. Let’s just say he got the nickname “Lefty” shortly after that. Her Suzuki Mirage was parked in the garage parking lot along with the other occupants. The smell of urine and fecal matter seemed to have seeped into the very asphalt itself as there was a “camp” of less fortunate people nearby that didn’t believe in the saying “don’t sh** where you sleep”. She slipped the backpack into the side compartment of her motorcycle and drove off to the warehouse. There was already music and light going on inside when she got there. She parked her bike in a side alley where one of her sisters could watch over it while she went around to the front. The witch walked up to the guards waiting at the door. It was the usual bouncers that she had met many times before who let her pass without even giving her a second thought. The air was thick with sweat and smoke from various substances being used. The music was pounding with enough bass to bounce against your insides. A female elf carrying a tray approached her offering alcoholic beverages and various party drugs for a price. Fashionista purchased some Zen and one hit of Deepweed. The substances were lit up and breathed into her lungs. A relaxing calm all too familiar came over her as she closed her eyes and let the music wash over her. Her body moved to the beat and moved amongst the crowd of dancers in the center of the warehouse. How much time passed she never knew but eventually the rave wound down, and it was time to go back to the boring and mundane life outside. Time for another day of waiting for her Commlink to ring for another job and trip into the shadows. She went outside and around the back to the alley where her bike was when something felt off. Her hair started to get frizzy and raise in the air. Experience and enhanced reflexes told her to dodge out of the way as a bolt of lightning blasted the spot where she once was. Her monowhip was quick drawn out just in time to block a hatchet that was coming at her face. She had just enough clarity of mind to look up at the top of the warehouse to see the sniper pull the trigger. The bullet embedded itself into the pavement as it whizzed by her left thigh. One mental thought summoned her sisters to her and crashed into a wave of air spirits that were descending down at her. “This would be over so much quicker if you would just give me back my ring, witch.” A smug mage from her past emerges from a side ally. He clearly had the trappings of an elite member of the First Nations. He held up his right arm that was missing a hand to punctuate his point. Fashionista snarled at him. ”I’ll give it back when you give me back my sisters that you scum murdered, Stumpy!” The mage’s smug face turned to rage at the nickname, and he responded by hurling another bolt of lightning at her. She spoke an incantation and drew a pentagram into the air that absorbed the lightning and covered her into raw mana. A quick flick of the wrist had her whip wrap around the hatchet wielding adept’s throat as she ducked another bullet from the sniper. One of her sisters saw the threat and charged the sniper forcing herself into his body. The was a slight convulsion before becoming calm. The sniper then pulled out a high caliber machine pistol and put it to his temple. With a pull of the trigger, his brains were scattered into the air. Fashionista then flew into the air causing the adept to flail about helplessly in the air by the neck. The mage below was confused as to how she had blocked his spell. He changed tactics and hurled a mana bolt at her. Once again, the spell was absorbed and converted into raw mana. From her vantage point, she could see drones and more soldiers inbound. She had to end this now and escape. She took all the mana that threatened to explode her from the inside out as well as a tremendous amount of her own energy and hurled one massive Stunbolt at the mage. Blood trickled out of her nose from the internal trauma from summoning such an enormous amount of mana, but was rewarded with the mage being knocked out cold. A quick lower and upswing of her whip broke the adept’s neck with a sickening snap. She released the now dead adept and flew over to her Mirage. Within seconds, she was sipping away from the scene. She had her sisters buy her time by possessing the advancing soldiers and zapping down the drones. “Looks like I need to find a new place to lay low for awhile...”

[Arialles]

Originally Posted by Ladytron

Doesn't this just leave you open to a mass of fluff posts? If I said one "topic" in 4 posts instead of 1, I get 4x the karma, so why not?

Never really had a problem with it before in the ten plus years I've been running pbp... I try to tailor the run to the players (who inevitably will have varying post rates and karma awards) so you'd only be cheating yourself

If a post keeps the thread live a few sentences can be as powerful as an epic monologue!

[GleefulNihilism]

Originally Posted by Ladytron

Doesn't this just leave you open to a mass of fluff posts? If I said one "topic" in 4 posts instead of 1, I get 4x the karma, so why not?

I noticed this too. I just figured doing this too obviously could get you kicked. :P

[Arialles]

Never even come close to kicking anyone yet

[galenbd]

Jamie - Human Hacker Description : Jamie is a slim woman of obvious Chinese descent with brown eyes and short black hair kept very short to keep it from being used against her in a fight. She has two thin scars on her jaw back near her right ear and another one up near her hairline on the same side. She carries her deck in a hip-pack at her waist and is almost always running an ARO. She relies on her left hand primarily for ARO interaction leaving her right hand free for a weapon. She has decorative implant points back near each ear that she frequently loads with teal or purple LEDs. She keeps a series of cyber fetishes. She acquired a pair of catgirl ears which she pins to her jacket like a trophy. She has an exploded metal bullet casing crimped into fabric on her forearm. She dresses for the environment. She prefers an Urban Explorer jumpsuit, but if she needs to slum it, she'll don a longcoat. Unless she needs to dress up, athletic shoes are included.   April Peng was born in Toronto, UCAS. Her father worked for SAAB, International. After April joined school, her mother returned to work as a technical recruiter. April showed early aptitude for math and science. Since her parents both worked in technological industries, they worked to expose their daughter to other interests to help her become more rounded. April became a fairly capable swimmer and runner. When April was 15, her father's mistress was revealed. Each parent's employers interfered to protect the companies investment. The ensuing divorce destroyed all of April 's interest in following in her parents footsteps into the corporate world. With the divorce winding down, April joined the UCAS military at 17 to escape. Tagged early on as a tech head, April accepted the UCAS military's recommendation to have headware installed. While in the military, April 's mother contracted cancer. After extended treatments, she gave up fighting. Eventually, she declined more invasive measures and passed away. April 's father's attitude further estranged Beth from her father. A couple of years later, the military began to suffer forcible extraction similar to corporate entities. The military's solution was additional indoctrination and expanding installation of combat cyberware. April was always tepid on the military atmosphere. She was mostly involved for the opportunity to explore military tech. The added indoctrination offended her. She was smart enough to respond appropriately when her loyalties were questioned. She also took advantage of this period to get combat mods installed including SOTA biological reflex enhancements. After serving the military for 6 years, she requested discharge. The miltary resisted and April was forced to resort to legal action to force a discharge. April walked away from the military without her savings and a reputation for being hard to manage. Wary of large organizations due to her recent history and recalling her parents divorce, April started working low wage contracts for various technical freelance companies based out of St Paul, Minnesota. It was during this time that she was approached by Lance Harper. Harper worked shadows in the western UCAS and recruited April to help him build decks for a couple of deckers he was working the shadows with. April got into the Robin Hood aspect of decking and running the shadows. She picked up some tricks, but preferred to rely more on her growing library of illegal code. After about a year, Jamie elected to move to Seattle to work in the long shadows there. Harper gave her a referral to a local Fixer, Arcturo. She started working with Arcturo as a more active hacker. She picked up a rep as cool under combat and willing to take reasonable risks even under fire. Not many hackers are willing to come out of their lairs and face getting shot at.   Priorities: Attribute A Resources B Skills C Metatype D Magic E Body: 4 Agility: 5 Reaction: 4 (5) Strength: 2 Willpower: 4 Logic: 6 Intuition: 5 Charisma: 2 Edge: 4 Essence: 4.1 Initiative: 10 + 2d6 Active skills Cracking 6 Electronics (Computer) 2 (4) Perception 3 Sneaking (Urban) 4 (6) Firearms (Pistols) 3 (5) Influence 1 Biotech 1 Knowledge skills Security Procedures Data Havens Jackpoint locations Offline Hosts Matrix Security Local Matrix Knowledge Identity Data Programming SOTA Underworld Politics Qualities Hardening - bonus edge on Matrix Defense tests Brilliant Heuristics - Half Data Processing to Matrix Action Quick Config - Swap two Matrix attributes or programs Incompetence - Pilot National SIN Allergy (Silver, Mild) Contacts Feather [Fixer] Connection 6, Loyalty 1 Silk [Infobroker] Connection 6, Loyalty 1 Cannon [Dealer] Connection 6, Loyalty 1 Arcturo [Fixer] Connection 3, Loyalty 2 Hacker House [Host] Connection 3, Loyalty 1 Dr. What [Street doc] Connection 1, Loyalty 2 Current Karma 1   Item Cost Clothes   Low lifestyle 2000 Urban Explorer 800 Electrachrome 75 Feedback 150 Lined Coat 900 Predator 750 Yamaha Pulsar - smartlink 700 Concealable Holster 150 40 rounds ammo 80 20 taser darts 100 Pepper punch grenade 150 Sony Emperor 700 Tag Eraser 450 Bug scanner 200 Data tap 300 Area Jammer 600 Subvocal Mic 50 Fake SIN 10000 Fake License (Predator) 1000 Fake License (Cyberdeck) 1000 Fake License (Synaptic Accelerator) 1000 Mapsoft 100 Sequencer - 3 750 Keycard copier 600 Stim patch 100 Tranq patch 120 Synaptic booster 95000 Cerebral Booster - 1 31500 Datajack 1000 Cybereyes 6000 Smartlink 4000 Thermo 1500 Lowlight 1500 Flare Comp 1000 Image link   Camera   Transys Avalon 8000 Renraku Kitsune 107000 Sim module 100 Hot sim 250 Baby Monitor 60 Browse 60 Configurator 60 Edit 60 Encryption 60 Signal Scrubber 60 Toolbox 60 VM 60 Armor 250 Biofeedback Filter 250 Decryption 250 Defuse 250 Fork 250 Overclock 250 Stealth 250 Trace 250 Total 274380   Expenditure Cost Pistol specialization 5 Urban Stealth specialization 5 Computer specialization 5 Underworld politics 3 Identity data knowledge 3 Programing SOTA 3 Chinese 3 Total 24

[GleefulNihilism]

Just updated Sean a bit, including an expanded background. Comments and Critique welcome.

[The Rat Queen]

Coyote DATA Name & Principle Alias: Olahl Hansen ''Coyote'' Ethnicity & Metatype: Duwamish Human Born: 2055 Sex: Female Height: 1.7m Build: Athletic Nationality: Salish-Shidhe Description: Tough looking AmerIndian woman Race: D Attributes: A Magic: E Skills: B Resources: C ATTRIBUTES Body: 5 ( 5 ) Agility: 6 ( 6 ) Reaction: 5 ( 10 ) Strength: 3 ( 3 ) Willpower: 3 ( 3 ) Logic: 4 ( 4 ) Intuition: 5 ( 5 ) Charisma: 4 ( 4 ) Edge: 2 Magic/Resonance: 0 Essence: 2.60 Initiative: 15+2D6 Matrix VR Initiative: 6+2D6 +1D6 HotSIM Astral Initiative: 9+2D6 Phys CM: 12 Stun CM: 10 Surprise: 15 Composure: 7 Judge Intentions: 8 Memory: 7 Lift/Carry: 90kgs Defense Rating: 8 Bonus D Damage Res 2 Unarmed Attack: 3S, 15/—/—/—/— QUALITIES / RACIAL BONUSES Ambidextrous 4 Bad Rep -8 Built Tough 4 High Pain Tolerance 7 Insomnia -4 Okichitaw 7 Will to Live 8 SKILLS Active Skills Astral 0 ( / ) Athletics 1 ( 7 ) Biotech 0 ( / ) Close Combat 6 ( 12 ) Con 1 ( 5 ) Conjuring 0 ( / ) Cracking 0 ( / ) Electronics 1 ( 5 ) Enchanting 0 ( / ) Engineering 0 ( 3 ) Exotic Weapons 0 ( / ) Firearms 6 ( 12 ) S: Automatics Influence 2 ( 6 ) Outdoors 1 ( 6 ) Perception 4 ( 9 ) Piloting 2 ( 12 ) Sorcery 0 ( / ) Stealth 3 ( 9 ) Tasking 0 ( / ) Knowledge / Language Skills Cityspeak Salish Seattle Knowledge Firearms / Handguns Military CYBER / BIOWARE Bone density augmentation [2] Cybereyes [Rt 2] Damage compensator Flare compensation Low-light vision Reaction Enhancers Thermographic vision Wired Reflexes 1 GEAR Gear Combat knife [3P,—,11/2*/—/—/—,—] Tomahawk [2P,—,13/9/—/—/—,—] (Melee Quick Draw Sheath) Ares Predator VI [3P,SA/BF,10/10/8/—/—,15(c)] (Integral Smartgun, Personalised Grip, Concealable holster, Silencer/suppressor, Spare clip (2), Special Spare Clip, Integral Smartgun, 300 Regular Ammo) Yamaha Raiden [4P,SA/BF/FA,4/11/10/7/2,60(c)] (Smartgun System, Underbarrel Shotgun, Grenade Launcher, Gas-vent system, Gas Vent Improved, Melee Hardening, Spare clip (2), 300 Regular Ammo) Grenade [*, SS, 4/11/7/1/—, 4(c) ] Shotgun [4P, SS/SA, 7/9/8/—/—, 2(b)] Stun Grenade x3 [5S/4S/3S, 15m] Fragmentation Grenade x3 [8P/6P/4P, 20m] High explosive Grenade x3 [8P/6P/2P, 15m] Incendiary [6P/4P/2P] LIFESTYLE Low CONTACTS Frank Whitebear [Squatter] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 5 Josie O'Connor [Bartender] Connection: 4 Loyalty: 4 "Meat" Locher [Gang Leader] Connection: 6 Loyalty: 2 KARMA Qualities 23 Negative Qualities -12 Skills 20 Martial Arts 7 Description Description An AmerIndian woman of middling height, jet black hair, and cybereyes that make her natural eye color a mystery for the ages. She doesn't seem to sport much in the way of cyberware, except for the telltale smartlinks and a fluidity and speed faster than normal for the unaugmented. There's something about the look on her face, the set of her jaw, or maybe the subtleties of her stance that exude the kind of toughness possess by those who have faced and survived a lot of situations that many would not survive. The scars interspersed throughout her body back up the image that this is not someone to take lightly.

[etJake]

Personal Data Character:Alysander Tailleur (pronounced Ah lee san d(r)e Tay ye(r)) (Sandy to English speaking friends; Lysandre to most) Description: Lysander is a large athletic ork who obviously gets lots of sun and scrapes. Brown eyed with close cut light brown hair. Most would guess his height at less than it actually is. He is almost always in a bent kneed, shoulders forward stance. He speaks with in a guttural tone with many contractions and French pronunciations mixed in especially for words common to both languages when excited. (Example: Did‘jeh for Did you, Oohs-key for Husky, and Urgency for Emergency) He is new to the shadows and works off-the-books primarily as his SIN doesn’t allow him to work outside the University of Seattle. He is a rough fellow but still hasn’t faced many decisions about what his limits are for the job.

Sheet DATA Name & Principle Alias Alysander Tailleur ''Arbalest'' Ethnicity & Metatype Caucasian Mixed Orc Born 2058 Sex Male Height 6'5 Build Athletic Nationality UCAS (CSA) Description Stealthy Heavy Race D Attributes A Magic E Skills C Resources B BIO Lysander is from a part of the CSA that time seemingly forgot. Poor and sparsely inhabited with equal parts swampy bayous and rice paddies along the rivers and dry scrub and sorghum fields otherwise. Lysander’s family mostly hunted to supplement the paltry income from farm labor. Lysander’s stealth and accuracy let him work as a guide and he came to the attention of a football scout on a hunting trip. Lysander went to school at University of Seattle (formerly University of Washington still called U-Dub by old timers) as a student athlete for football and track and field. He was known for his big hits, amazing pursuits and blown coverages. Few recognize him without helmet and pads on. Lysander failed to make many friends with his mumbling incomprehensible speech; and seems to put more value on his teams than his teammates do. Lysander studied parazoology and worked as a student worker in animal control and “event security” (glorified ushers). He took up climbing and hunting in the mountains and rainforests of the Northwest with his freshman roommate John Weissberger. While there Lysander received Bioware treatments that are outside of the normal testing for collegiate events but that have rendered professional track out of bounds. Lysander started working in the shadows helping control exotic pets that were not strictly legal. He has since worked off the books in pest control, catching food for exotic animals, and procuring rare animal parts for talismongers and herbalists. He has recently been accepted for grad school at University College London and is trying to gather money to be able to go. (Due to his just barely acceptable grades Lysander does not yet have work lined up as a TA or RA.) Pretty much anything to avoid going back to the CSA.   ATTRIBUTES Body: 7 ( 7 ) Agility: 7 ( 7 ) Reaction: 4 ( 6 ) Strength: 7 ( 7 ) Willpower: 4 ( 4 ) Logic: 2 ( 2 ) Intuition: 5 ( 5 ) Charisma: 2 ( 2 ) Edge: 2 Magic: 0 Essence: 4.24 Initiative: 11+3D6 Matrix VR Initiative: 5+2D6 +1D6 HotSIM Astral Initiative: 7+2D6 Phys CM: 13 Stun CM: 10 Surprise: 11 Composure: 6 Judge Intentions: 9 Memory: 6 Lift/Carry: 490kgs Defence Rating 10 Bonus D Damage Res 4 Unarmed Attack 5S, 16/—/—/—/— QUALITIES / RACIAL BONUSES Addiction -6 Autosoft Unlock House Rule 0 Built Tough [Orc] 0 Exceptional: Agility 12 Low-light Vision [Meta] 0 Pirate Code -10 SINer -8 Uncouth -6 SKILLS Active Skills Astral 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Athletics 6 ( 13 ) S: 0 E: 0 Biotech 1 ( 3 ) S: 0 E: 0 Close Combat 5 ( 12 ) S: 0 E: 0 Con 0 ( 1 ) S: 0 E: 0 Conjuring 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Cracking 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Electronics 1 ( 3 ) S: 0 E: 0 Enchanting 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Engineering 1 ( 3 ) S: 0 E: 0 Exotic Weapons 0 ( / ) S: 0 Firearms 0 ( 6 ) S: 0 E: 0 Influence 1 ( 3 ) S: 0 E: 0 Outdoors 2 ( 7 ) S: 0 E: 0 Perception 3 ( 8 ) S: 0 E: 0 Piloting 0 ( 5 ) S: 0 E: 0 Sorcery 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Stealth 4 ( 11 ) S: 0 E: 0 Tasking 0 ( / ) S: 0 E: 0 Knowledge / Language Skills English French (Cajun) UCAS -Sports Teams Biology-Parazoology Seat:AnimalControlProcedures CYBER / BIOWARE Bone density augmentation [4] Synaptic booster GEAR Heavy Collapsible Crossbow [4P,SS,2/8/6/4/—,4(m)] w/ Imaging Scope w/Image Link & Vision Enhancement 1 Regular clip(4), 1 Extended (14), 1 Injector (4) w/Narcojet, Regular sling Combat axe [6P,—,16/—/—/—/—,—] Fireaxe Cougar Collapsible Staff/Spear [5S,—,16/4/—/—/—,—] 5P with detachable blade Minor Action to Extend/Collapse Throwing knives [2P,—,10/9/3/—/—,—] Wireless bonus +1D to Smartlink attacks to those hit Stun Grenade(2) [5S/4S/3S, 15m] In Radius Blinded 1 Deafened 1 Dazed Runner Chic Lined Coat [3] w/Electrochromatic Modification, Chemical Protection [3], Balistic Hood [+1] when down; usually over MEMS harness Lowlight Flashlight, Gecko Tape Gloves, Plasteel Restraints (2), Plastic Straps (10), Autopicker, Wrecking Bar, Chisel, Lockpick Set Biomonitor, Doc Wagon Basic Contract, Antidote Patch, Stim Patch [6], Tranq Patch [12], Trauma Patch Camera [6] with Image Link, Thermographic Vision, Vision Enhancement, Vision Magnification, RFID Tags: Standard (10), Data (10), Stealth (10) Glasses [4] w/Flare Compensation, Image Link, Vision; Enhancement Ear Buds [3] w/Sound Link, Audio Enhancer, Select Sound Filter [1] Mid Range Commlink and Runner Survival Kit pt1, Fake SIN [1] Jules Gillies w Fake Licence Hunting (Bow) and Animal Control (Narcojet) Standard Credstick, Silver Credstick 0 Climbing Gear, Survival Gear Notable normal outfits: US Warmups, shorts, shirt, shoes; US Uniform (Purple polo with yellow logo and collar) Animal Control Cap, Security Cap LIFESTYLE Student Housing: Small rooms with shared pod (kitchen/living area) and cheap furniture. Access to most computer labs on campus. Storage facility: Coffin sized locker in basement level of Union. Near Housing and sports facilities. Not for sleeping but uncomfortably possible. CONTACTS Feather [Troll Fixer / xxx] Connection: 6 Loyalty: 1 Silk [Infobroker / Seattle] Connection: 6 Loyalty: 1 Cannon [Tech Dealer / Weapons, Tech] Connection: 6 Loyalty: 1 Brent Matine [Academic/Coordinator / Univ. Seattle, UCL] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 1 Jaime Smith [Media/Recruiter / Sports, Entertainment] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 1 Andrew Mulsoff [Medical/Athletic Trainer / Bioware, Rehab] Connection: 2 Loyalty: 2 Phillip Warch [Law Enforcement/US Security / Univ. Seattle Equipment] Connection: 2 Loyalty: 2 John Weissberger [Wilderness/Climber / Climbing Teams] Connection: 1 Loyalty: 3 Mark Dviechek [Street/Fence / Exotic Animals] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 1 KARMA Racial Costs 0 Qualities 12 Negative Qualities -30 Attributes 30 Skills 26 Foci Binding 0 Resources 0 Stolen Gear 0 Martial Arts / Driving Styles 0 Additional Spell 0 Additional CF 0 Initiation 0 Submersion 0 Contacts 12 Buy off negative Qualities 0

[galenbd]

We have a face, mage, hacker and street sam. I don’t know that we’re missing anything per se. That said, I don’t see why you couldn’t join.

What do you like to play?

[GleefulNihilism]

In my head I'm calling Sean more a Bard then a Face. :P

Gave Sean something a little more like a normal RP Sample, btw. A little.

[Arialles]

Looking good so far:

PLAYERS Player Character Name Character Concept GleefulNihilism Sean O'Magauran ''FMC'' M Elf Bard/Face Hiruma Kohaku Selma Morrison ''Fashionista'' F Human Wiccan galenbd April Peng "Jamie" F Human Hacker The Rat Queen Olahl Hansen ''Coyote'' F Human Samurai etJake Alysander Tailleur ''Arbalest'' M Orc Fighter Damionovich TBC TBC

Will update this table with character sheet links once the game goes live

[etJake]

Cool start Damionovich. Also, I am really impressed with everyone's writeups.

Is it possible to link an image from OneDrive? Tried and it did not seem to work. If someone knows how please send me a PM. ; )'