"Belief is Power" - Common Bruixeria Saying
"Router, am I researching literal fucking witchcraft?" - Cynical Thomas, Firewall Scanner
Suspicion, rumor, belief. Transhumans pride themselves on being rational and skeptical, but human nature has a fundamental predisposition to mystery and vagary. Humans fear what they don't understand, but are intrigued by the idea that they can learn more. To some, this is nothing, just a fact of how people act - but others seek to use this as the basis for power, to manipulate others and gain resources or respect. This has historical basis in practices of mystery cults or other groups who isolate knowledge to their membership alone.
The origins of the "bruixeria" appear to be from urban legends shared over drinks by the Jovian Diplomatic Corps. Astrosociologists and Anthropologists do agree that the origin of the style appears to be from a counterculture group inside the Jovian Republic - however hard facts about that group and their practices are limited as they appear to operate off the Mesh or networks and mostly via word of mouth, which aids in superstition and reduces government intervention (as some of their activities may be considered terrorism or sedition by the Republic). The term "bruixeria" comes from the old Catalan word for witchcraft, which has strong local mythology which is associated with opposition or activities on traditional Catholic holidays. How the term became widespread is unknown, but the meme has gone through the mesh and is now the common appellation for these groups.
Groups of "bruixeria" are usually called covens or circles, and are localized. They exist in a specific hab, or neighborhood, and on specific darknets on the Mesh. Nobody openly claims to be a bruixeria, anybody who "advertises" is quickly ostracized or disowned. This leads to the one key unifying value which seems to be common to all circles - the idea of the "Legend" or "Story". In general each bruixeria circle performs actions or deeds which resembles many traditional depictions of "witchcraft". Some effects are placebo or otherwise psychological, some are sleight- of-hand or parlor tricks and some are unexplained. But, much like classic stage magicians, a bruix never reveals their secrets. How they do things is a complete "mystery" and must be taken as part of their "art". They do not admit they are witches, they do not acknowledge witchcraft is "real", they simply act and let the Legend do the rest of the work. Journos have attempted interviews and exposes, and have come up with limited effects - mostly talking to cultural experts, "alleged" witches and some clients - and those who dig too deep often suffer mysterious accidents. A common saying is that "bruixeria find you, you do not find them". Even if one meets one directly, they rarely say "I am a witch", but will talk around the subject, let the "client" suppose on their own, and let their actions speak for them.
Operations, rituals and services performed/offered by Bruixeria differ from coven to coven. In religious cultures, depending on their disposition a bruix is a folk healer or teacher - others see them as dangerous subversives working in a contract with evil. When they appear, some witches include the classic pointy hat, often complemented by distracting low necklines and high skirts - others dress in antiquated puritanical fashion, or in exaggerated "witch doctor" costumes, or traditional ethnic gear. In Ceres and Extropia, Bruixeria agents are noted for appearing to be dressed for business, comporting themselves as the "lawyers of hell". In general, however, two classes of activities are noted by investigators. Many in terms of cultural comparison call this "black" or "white", with the traditional "blackhat" or "whitehat" terms used to differentiate sometimes. "Greyhat" is occasionally used to classify a witch who performs either type of service.
"White" witches practice positive rituals or mysteries. They perform many things which fall under the aspect of traditional medicine. They create herbal remedies, pray or "magic" away injury and diagnose with no visible tools. In habs large enough to have weather systems, a witch is said to be able to drive off or bring rain - and even in small habs their rituals can locate or even fix mechanical problems. They perform snake charming or handling as a performance to show their powers. They perform traditional soothsaying and fortune-telling, sensing one's aura or troubles or detecting lies. They can perform "dowsing" to sense valuable resources such as in an asteroid, or in the soil of a planetary body. They may also perform ritual prostitution for a number of purposes. "Black" witches are the other side of things. They can curse or hex people and objects to suffer misfortune and failure. They are said to poison or bring disease, and can steal a person's secrets. They can communicate with and spy via animals - particularly cats or amphibians. Or they might "summon" or create servitors or familiars to do their bidding. They can bewitch a person to do their bidding, or kill with a touch. Other various local legends and rumors persist. Some do perform actions in exchange for goods and services, or nebulous "favors" which were the precursor to the Reputation economy. Others simply appear where "needed" to officer services, adding to the Legend.
In-depth analysis of Bruixeria activities generally reach the same conclusion - though many organizations, communities and governments dismiss them outright as "primitive superstition" or "chicanery and quackery". The general consensus is that bruixeria groups are "hackers" in the classical definition. Services they render and information they gain is done via legitimate means, but is couched between technical skills and social engineering. While some succeed just because the people they interact with believe in their powers, couching things in mystical terms also tends to make more skeptical and "enlightened" people dismiss their activities outright and not look closer. Healing is done via actual herbal medicines, therapeutic techniques and subtle inclusion of medical nanos. Illness or poison is accomplished the same way, using many traditional poisons. Damage or repair to devices or accidents can be arranged by subverting networks or applying cautious physical sabotage. Spying via animals is easy if an animal has been covertly equipped to be a biodrone. Simple training can allow one to detect classical tells or signs of somebody's problems, as can mesh research. Implants can cover a multitude of actions which those who lack them cannot identify, such as "bewitching" via Hither or Enhanced Pheromones, or being able to see a person naked while clothed via T-Rays when the subject lacks their own mods to detect them. To Firewall, it is possible some bruixes are Asyncs, and thus their psi powers are the source of unexplained phenomena, which defy even the traditional scientific understanding of transhumanity. Their use of spirituality, mysticism and non-standard religion allows them to operate in ways or places which they wouldn't otherwise, and excuse activities which might otherwise be suspect.
Membership in bruixeria varies. Some are members of an obvious counterculture. Others seem to be keeping alive certain traditions and histories in a new context. Others use the secrecy and mysticism as a source of empowerment, or creating new opportunity. Others are just classical personalities who favor altruism or seek to harm others. Small criminal outfits may incorporate aspects of the bruixeria "Legend" to cover their activities or enhance their reputation. Some legitimate specialists might adopt the styling as a marketing move or a form of cultural roleplay. While "witch" has connotations of women in many traditions, there appears to be no enforcement that men or women may be bruixeria, though some covens may enforce a feminine appearance as part of their mystique. Recruitment runs a gamut too, though the general conclusion is that cannot officially "choose" to be a bruixeria, they must be selected and taught by somebody already initiated and who has graduated to show some level of mastery of their craft. In reality though, a new coven may be started by the uninitiated who claim the mythology, being part of the "Legend". Other than the general attitude on secrecy, there seems to be very little enforcement or quality control on the concept. Bruixeria have no formal networking, but the "initiated" generally can find and figure out one another, and seem to practice a form of "professional courtesy". In many communities who are made of refugees or cultural pockets with strong beliefs, bruixeria are as real as anything - though only the most isolated and devoutly religious perform "witch hunts". In more technological societies, those who have much cultural baggage, more intense integration of technology or who generally purport themselves to be rational or scientific, bruixeria are not acknowledged but may be accepted as a simple performance art or lifestyle choice. Skepticism reduces "business", but the fact that they often accomplish concrete actions despite their apparent smoke-and-mirrors may keep "demand" up.
Firewall has few concerns about Bruixeria as a whole, but may have concerns about specific cells. As noted above, possibility of Async activity is real. Given the culture of secrecy and mysticism, it might be possible for exsurgents or other TITAN agents to operate among them, working on sinister goals of their own and using the spirituality as a cover. Charlatans might also utilize TITAN or alien tech to further their mystical appearance. Others in Firewall have concerns about the regression inherent in this style of operating, with isolation of institutional knowledge and a mystical air to cloak what is actually occurring - and worry about widespread of this practice (which as of yet seems unlikely). Stability-minded agents also note some of these circles are little more than dressed up criminal syndicates or counter-cultural terrorist orgs. While their reach may be small, conventional crime always can present a localized risk the conspiracy does not need. And, while remote, there is always the non-zero possibility that one of these groups has or could acquire hitherto unknown knowledge or technology and integrate it into their practices. Their secretive nature means that isolating and studying such breakthroughs would be difficult, which worries certain projects and case files. This is generally considered to be an extreme outlier case, however.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Joint Augmentation
Getting "stronger" is fairly easy. Muscle Augmentation (p. 305 EP) applies a quick bonus to the strength of a morph for a decent cost, completely sculpting and restructuring muscle fibers for better strength and fitness. Being more flexible is tougher. While some morphs (such as the Bouncer) are inherently cultivated for great flexibility (Modeled via the Limber trait (p. 146 EP)) this option is very resource intensive, requiring specific cultivation of a morph from it's inception to generate the desired genetic traits. For those who wish to rapidly improve flexibility and fine joint control, there are other options.
Joint Augmentation: The morph's joints have been comprehensively modded to have more elastic cartilage and stronger joint fibers - allowing more inherent flexibility and control over minute adjustments at points of articulation. Apply a +5 modifier to COO. Also adds a +10 to any test where flexibility would help - this bonus does not stack with the Limber trait. [High]
Despite it's simplicity, Joint Augmentation is actually fairly rare. While it is known or suspected to be used by several high-profile escape artists, it generally does not get wide use. It's primary market is actually to help those with joint damage or degradation, due to aging or a hard lifestyle. While Healing Vats can repair most damage and alleviate symptoms, damage can still persist - for those who still require frequent use of their joints in a singular biomorph, or are against resleeving or healing vats, it is a common therapeutic proceedure done over longer courses of gene therapy. On the less savory side, many mercs and assassins utilize Joint Augmentation on top of natural morph aptitudes to grant additional flexibility and emphasis the "hand" part of hand-eye-coordination.
Joint Augmentation: The morph's joints have been comprehensively modded to have more elastic cartilage and stronger joint fibers - allowing more inherent flexibility and control over minute adjustments at points of articulation. Apply a +5 modifier to COO. Also adds a +10 to any test where flexibility would help - this bonus does not stack with the Limber trait. [High]
Despite it's simplicity, Joint Augmentation is actually fairly rare. While it is known or suspected to be used by several high-profile escape artists, it generally does not get wide use. It's primary market is actually to help those with joint damage or degradation, due to aging or a hard lifestyle. While Healing Vats can repair most damage and alleviate symptoms, damage can still persist - for those who still require frequent use of their joints in a singular biomorph, or are against resleeving or healing vats, it is a common therapeutic proceedure done over longer courses of gene therapy. On the less savory side, many mercs and assassins utilize Joint Augmentation on top of natural morph aptitudes to grant additional flexibility and emphasis the "hand" part of hand-eye-coordination.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Transhuman Folk Medicine
In general, Transhuman culture is much more limited when it comes to superstition. While religious movements persist (and even some new ones have developed), and urban legends and mesh rumors circulate - generally most information can be checked in a flash via the Mesh. However, cultural baggage can be fairly strong - especially among communities suddenly isolated from their "home" via the Fall. Additionally, numbers of refugees come from countries who lacked strong educational systems and tech bases - and may be "zeroes", Flats with nominally no mesh access. This can persist superstition and "traditional" knowledge which would otherwise die out in the presence of reputable and repeatable scientific information. Some also refuse to utilize advanced technology, for moral or ethical reasons - many of them feel the need to turn to alternate methodologies to get their healing. Let is also never be said some people aren't just plain gullible, and the right snake oil salesman can hand them a "traditional recipe" which will cure whatever they feel is ailing them - for a price.
Traditional Medicine (sometimes called "Folk Medicine" to distinguish it from legitimate "traditional" medicine, i/e "conventional" medicine which does not integrate nanotech) has many forms, spectra and concentrations. These depend highly on origin cultures and other cultural composition, and general conditions. On Mars, so-called "traditional chinese medicine" has boomed (often with backing of local Triads or other gangs) as an effort to cure the ill-effects caused by PC-made morphs with planned obsolescence features, or as an alternative for those who lack the money or desire to buy from corp-sponsored medical facilities. Herbal remedies are common, utilizing small hydroponic growth, as are medicines made from rendering animal components - accomplished through cloning and utilizing healing vats to repair the damage - such as to a finned shark. The efficacy of many of these remedies is nebulous, though some have placebo effects or conceal actual medical components with much "mysticism". Acupuncture, Moxibustion and traditional massage are even more broadly accepted, and one can almost find a traditional acupuncture clinic in most Martian residential neighborhoods of any particular asian culture. Most of these outlets are accredited by the Tharsis Traditional Asian Medicine Association, an independent Martian board which certifies that the techniques are safe and in-line with proper traditional procedures. Ayurveda (the indian traditional medicine system) is practiced strongly in some Lunar cultures by those who do not always feel confident in nanomedicine - involving medicines mixed from traditional herbs and even mineral elements, which often makes it the domain of the rich. This medical style also includes certain wellness practices (such as yoga) or techniques (such as head massage).
Other "traditional" medicinal practices associated with specific cultures or ethnic backgrounds persist, though they are smaller and spread where those groups have pooled. Refugees from the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia and South America continue to follow traditional herbal medicines, sometimes combined with elements of spiritualism or fetishism and actual basic medical knowledge. The efficacy and value of such techniques is largely limited by the availability of traditional herbs or other medical components. High access to many of these plants often also allows access to much more reputable and reliable medications - though some subcultures and clades still trust traditional healers to diagnose and administer advanced medications - especially if they lack technical skills in this area on a broad scale. Transhumans sometimes stretch this "traditional" quality of medicine as well. Some rich persons have been swayed to attempt medical treatments with components of unusual or exotic derivation. Some practitioners of Chinese medicine advocate specifically that smart animal or uplift derived components are more potent, or seek new ingredients among exoplanets. The rich and famous have been said to attempt to meet longevity treatments with the classic ideal of bathing in the blood of young morphs, and drinking the artificial blood of pods can strengthen you if you have "weak blood" naturally. Classic "snake oils" of a variety of mixtures are regularly pushed in souks and bazaars across the inner system - though few charlatans try to push such elements in the New Economy (where instead rep scams take a few more steps of complexity).
In addition to herbalism or traditional medicines, there are many alternate forms of healing which have origins old enough to be seen as classic or "traditions". Homeopathy (the practice of like cures like) still has its spreads, though many people have concerns about using diluted nanites to fight nanotoxins (though if those are medichines or nanophages - this may actually work). Practices such as ear candling or "crystal healing" persist, though few may insist that crystal healing directly cures ailments and many use it as more a spiritual or metaphysical healing. Energy healing and therapy persists, such as reiki massage. While there is no scientific evidence for "universal energy" or "life force", people still swear by the "healing touch" - though again, this may be a more psychological aspect. "Faith" or prayer healing also persists, though the religions who follow such methods have dwindled somewhat after the Fall. Christian brinkers often form long "prayer chains" over the mesh from hab to hab and pray for divine intercession. "Miracles" of healing are still officially recognized by the Catholic Church, though they do not often confirm many reports. As such, Faith healing is often practiced in the Jovian Republic by those who do not trust medical practices even if approved by the government. Some muslims, such as on Mars, perform faith healing by reading the Quran over water or oil, then drinking, bathing or anointing oneself in it.
New traditions of medicine also crop up. Infolife advocate therapeutic effects of "defragmenting" or "correlating" the contents of their minds in a methodical system and making sure their data image is very clean and clear. VR treatments show strong psychological or placebo effects for people to help with issues, especially which may be psychosomatic. The odd and often dangerous path of La Priye is not practiced much outside of Legba and the Nine Lives syndicate, but it promotes the medicinal aspects of pruning, merging and psychosurgical grafting under the hands of a trained "priest". New Age cures emerge all the time, from new massage or "spiritual alignment" techniques, consumption of purely synthetic "medicines" with no discernable effects, sympathetic medicines even brief exposure to cosmic radiation.
Mechanical elements:
Knowing about given practices of a traditional or folk medicine can be handled with an Interest: Traditional/Folk Medicine or a Profession: Traditional Healer skill. Identifying someone who handles traditional medicine or proper cultural protocols involving medicine is Protocol, and acquiring these services would be Networking as normal, with the Favor level being applicable to the level of the required treatment or diagnosis. Actually performing these medical procedures would be Medicine: Traditional Medicine (with specializations applicable to specific regions or procedures). It's up to the GM if any form of Traditional Medicine would actually cause a morph to heal from physical ailments or injuries - though with the right components basic first aid or long-term care should be possible. It may also be possible to use this field to work on healing SV in addition to DV or Wounds, through a placebo-like effect or genuine therapeutic components.
Plot Hooks:
Traditional Medicine (sometimes called "Folk Medicine" to distinguish it from legitimate "traditional" medicine, i/e "conventional" medicine which does not integrate nanotech) has many forms, spectra and concentrations. These depend highly on origin cultures and other cultural composition, and general conditions. On Mars, so-called "traditional chinese medicine" has boomed (often with backing of local Triads or other gangs) as an effort to cure the ill-effects caused by PC-made morphs with planned obsolescence features, or as an alternative for those who lack the money or desire to buy from corp-sponsored medical facilities. Herbal remedies are common, utilizing small hydroponic growth, as are medicines made from rendering animal components - accomplished through cloning and utilizing healing vats to repair the damage - such as to a finned shark. The efficacy of many of these remedies is nebulous, though some have placebo effects or conceal actual medical components with much "mysticism". Acupuncture, Moxibustion and traditional massage are even more broadly accepted, and one can almost find a traditional acupuncture clinic in most Martian residential neighborhoods of any particular asian culture. Most of these outlets are accredited by the Tharsis Traditional Asian Medicine Association, an independent Martian board which certifies that the techniques are safe and in-line with proper traditional procedures. Ayurveda (the indian traditional medicine system) is practiced strongly in some Lunar cultures by those who do not always feel confident in nanomedicine - involving medicines mixed from traditional herbs and even mineral elements, which often makes it the domain of the rich. This medical style also includes certain wellness practices (such as yoga) or techniques (such as head massage).
Other "traditional" medicinal practices associated with specific cultures or ethnic backgrounds persist, though they are smaller and spread where those groups have pooled. Refugees from the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia and South America continue to follow traditional herbal medicines, sometimes combined with elements of spiritualism or fetishism and actual basic medical knowledge. The efficacy and value of such techniques is largely limited by the availability of traditional herbs or other medical components. High access to many of these plants often also allows access to much more reputable and reliable medications - though some subcultures and clades still trust traditional healers to diagnose and administer advanced medications - especially if they lack technical skills in this area on a broad scale. Transhumans sometimes stretch this "traditional" quality of medicine as well. Some rich persons have been swayed to attempt medical treatments with components of unusual or exotic derivation. Some practitioners of Chinese medicine advocate specifically that smart animal or uplift derived components are more potent, or seek new ingredients among exoplanets. The rich and famous have been said to attempt to meet longevity treatments with the classic ideal of bathing in the blood of young morphs, and drinking the artificial blood of pods can strengthen you if you have "weak blood" naturally. Classic "snake oils" of a variety of mixtures are regularly pushed in souks and bazaars across the inner system - though few charlatans try to push such elements in the New Economy (where instead rep scams take a few more steps of complexity).
In addition to herbalism or traditional medicines, there are many alternate forms of healing which have origins old enough to be seen as classic or "traditions". Homeopathy (the practice of like cures like) still has its spreads, though many people have concerns about using diluted nanites to fight nanotoxins (though if those are medichines or nanophages - this may actually work). Practices such as ear candling or "crystal healing" persist, though few may insist that crystal healing directly cures ailments and many use it as more a spiritual or metaphysical healing. Energy healing and therapy persists, such as reiki massage. While there is no scientific evidence for "universal energy" or "life force", people still swear by the "healing touch" - though again, this may be a more psychological aspect. "Faith" or prayer healing also persists, though the religions who follow such methods have dwindled somewhat after the Fall. Christian brinkers often form long "prayer chains" over the mesh from hab to hab and pray for divine intercession. "Miracles" of healing are still officially recognized by the Catholic Church, though they do not often confirm many reports. As such, Faith healing is often practiced in the Jovian Republic by those who do not trust medical practices even if approved by the government. Some muslims, such as on Mars, perform faith healing by reading the Quran over water or oil, then drinking, bathing or anointing oneself in it.
New traditions of medicine also crop up. Infolife advocate therapeutic effects of "defragmenting" or "correlating" the contents of their minds in a methodical system and making sure their data image is very clean and clear. VR treatments show strong psychological or placebo effects for people to help with issues, especially which may be psychosomatic. The odd and often dangerous path of La Priye is not practiced much outside of Legba and the Nine Lives syndicate, but it promotes the medicinal aspects of pruning, merging and psychosurgical grafting under the hands of a trained "priest". New Age cures emerge all the time, from new massage or "spiritual alignment" techniques, consumption of purely synthetic "medicines" with no discernable effects, sympathetic medicines even brief exposure to cosmic radiation.
Mechanical elements:
Knowing about given practices of a traditional or folk medicine can be handled with an Interest: Traditional/Folk Medicine or a Profession: Traditional Healer skill. Identifying someone who handles traditional medicine or proper cultural protocols involving medicine is Protocol, and acquiring these services would be Networking as normal, with the Favor level being applicable to the level of the required treatment or diagnosis. Actually performing these medical procedures would be Medicine: Traditional Medicine (with specializations applicable to specific regions or procedures). It's up to the GM if any form of Traditional Medicine would actually cause a morph to heal from physical ailments or injuries - though with the right components basic first aid or long-term care should be possible. It may also be possible to use this field to work on healing SV in addition to DV or Wounds, through a placebo-like effect or genuine therapeutic components.
Plot Hooks:
- A local criminal outfit on Mars is mixing business with revenge. They sleeve their enemies into primate pods or uplift morphs then cut them up for parts and then heal them. This becomes a risk when they utilize TITAN technology or subjects infected by the Exsurgent virus to try and enhance their medical power or recovery time. (Taken from El Destino Verde)
- A crystal healer has come to the local hab and their practices actually seem to have some merit - though this may be because of utilizing hidden nanomachines embedded in the crystals
- A criminal gang is capitalizing on a craze to consume Pod blood by assaulting and kidnapping Pods in the streets, in a form of crime which is very economically discriminatory.
- The DNA code for rare plants with spiritual or medicinal properties goes on the market, queuing a massing bidding war to acquire them and grow a fortune.
Stillsuit
For most purposes, the Vacsuit (p. 333 EP) is the standard form of sealed suit - which fits most needs. In case of an emergency hab breach, Light models or the "Smart Vac Clothing" are ideal for a quick emergency. For those who routinely operate in vacuum (i.e. vacworkers) the standard model is preferred, with some specialized variants available for specific tasks. But, some people do not live in "vacuum", such as those on certain moon bodies, or even in the desert regions of mars. In this case, a full vacsuit might be "overkill", a technology which is not quite needed though it works just fine. In this case, a more limited alternative has been devised.
Stillsuit: This light variant on the vacsuit is designed for desert operations, and is designed to retain moisture and stabilize temperature. It was named from an old sci-fi story, which has lent names to several geographic features of Titan - where the suit is most popular. These black, form-fitting suits utilize smart fibers to insulate and keep moisture inside where it can be recycled - while not vacuum-rated they protect from low pressures and a temperature range from -75 C to 100 C. Under normal circumstances, the unit's built-in storage and recycling can grant 3 days of air and water (and does not recycle food), and it can easily be plugged into a Life-Support Pack (p. 156 Gatecrashing) to last longer. The bubble helmet comes with headlights and a Radio Booster. An enhanced version is available which increases the protection to -120 C. Counts as Fireproofed and Thermal Dampened. 9/7 AV. [Low], [Moderate] for Enhanced.
This suit, as noted above, is most popular on Titan as a short term unit which allows one to walk about on the surface without advanced mods for even extended periods. It is used by pioneers and frontier workers who do not spend their full time in the open like the Hulders. From Titan, it has spread to various exoplanets via the Pandora Gate, where the economy of it makes it ideal for arid conditions of various temperatures - and it has seem some limited adoption in other Gatecrasher circles. Rumors of a "reboot gang" armed with Stillsuits living as bandits or hydrocarbon river pirates out in the wastes of Titan are still unsubstantiated, despite being the subject of several popular vid series.
Stillsuit: This light variant on the vacsuit is designed for desert operations, and is designed to retain moisture and stabilize temperature. It was named from an old sci-fi story, which has lent names to several geographic features of Titan - where the suit is most popular. These black, form-fitting suits utilize smart fibers to insulate and keep moisture inside where it can be recycled - while not vacuum-rated they protect from low pressures and a temperature range from -75 C to 100 C. Under normal circumstances, the unit's built-in storage and recycling can grant 3 days of air and water (and does not recycle food), and it can easily be plugged into a Life-Support Pack (p. 156 Gatecrashing) to last longer. The bubble helmet comes with headlights and a Radio Booster. An enhanced version is available which increases the protection to -120 C. Counts as Fireproofed and Thermal Dampened. 9/7 AV. [Low], [Moderate] for Enhanced.
This suit, as noted above, is most popular on Titan as a short term unit which allows one to walk about on the surface without advanced mods for even extended periods. It is used by pioneers and frontier workers who do not spend their full time in the open like the Hulders. From Titan, it has spread to various exoplanets via the Pandora Gate, where the economy of it makes it ideal for arid conditions of various temperatures - and it has seem some limited adoption in other Gatecrasher circles. Rumors of a "reboot gang" armed with Stillsuits living as bandits or hydrocarbon river pirates out in the wastes of Titan are still unsubstantiated, despite being the subject of several popular vid series.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
EXODUS GREEN
The Fall, while a tragedy, has many stories of heroism, defiance of the odds and perseverance against adversity.
This is not one of those stories.
To tell the story of "EXODUS GREEN", first we must tell of Colony Ships. Similar to the Scum Barge (p. 349 EP) these massive constructs were built to house and move large numbers of people, but were intended to support them for the months or even short years it would take for a mass migration to other planets. Colony Ships in fact served as blueprints for the "lifeboat" barge designs. These massive ships were build in orbital "drydocks" and never intended to land on a surface - or if they did to ever return to space. Several of them were sent to Mars, Venus and many outer system worlds like the Saturnian or Jovian pools. However, as transport technology advanced and the egocasting field opened up, colony ships fell out of vogue, and prior to the Fall several of their designs lay canceled or unfinished as the nations building them had more pressing concerns. However, during the Fall several of these models were dusted off, or hastily completed to serve as transport for refugees off Earth, in the hopes that the long delay of the trip would provide sufficient time for new housing to be built. EXODUS GREEN is one of these ships.
It's original name is unknown. It is known that it was grouped with at least two other sister ships, "EXODUS BLUE" and "EXODUS RED" which did launch from the orbital dock facility in LEO, all ships using quick code names to avoid confusion which may have been caused by complex serial numbers or prior names. Why EXODUS GREEN did not launch is unknown. Local computer systems were fried by some TITAN attack (or preventative measures against), or by later scavengers as a precaution. The Fall conflict may have bled into orbit before EXODUS GREEN could take off, or a stray weapon may have hit something vital. TITAN bio- or nanowarfare may have infected and taken out the populace in such a small space. Or the ship, already outdated may have suffered a critical hardware failure which was beyond the skill of her crew to fix. What is known that all persons aboard EXODUS GREEN, estimated between 10,000-20,000, died.
This would have been a simple footnote in the history of the Fall, except for an interesting turn of events. First, EXODUS GREEN was discovered and began to be explored by a Scavenger team based out of Fresh Kills, who began identifying themselves as the "Re-Green" team. Starting small they expanded after their discovery, and in addition to recovering Earth artifacts to sell also attempted to document the people they found. They recovered Cortical Stacks from the very small number who had them, and looked for other forms of identification. If they could, they would find relatives and inform them, possibly even attempt to dispose of the remains as they would, with unidentifieds being cast respectfully back to Earth in a process known as "sky cremation". This was a minor note in local news circles, which quickly vanished when a pirate gang drove "Re-Green" out. This group identified themselves as the Gadhka-Samada "Tribe", and began to process the ship much quicker for profit, and turned it into a pirate base. They flushed unknown numbers of the dead directly into vacuum with little regard, but only after stripping them of their valuables. From there the "tribe" began to be a bit of a nuisance for flightpaths through the area.
Their nuisance stopped a few years later when some Reclaimers quietly paid mercenaries to flush the pirates out. Faced with real military response, the pirates were outmatched, and many of them suffered the same ignominious fate they had confined the dead to. The reclaimers then got in contact with some remaining members of Re-Green, and very methodically cleared the majority of the dead from the open spaces of the ship, as well as stabilizing some portions damaged in the assault. But, Re-Green now had little interest in the ship itself, having merged with the outfit PastFinders. This is where Firewall steps in.
Using a front organization set up by a pro-reclamation server, Firewall has covertly taken over EXODUS GREN under the guise of small corp dedicated to long-term recovery of Earth but more importantly the clearing and organizing of her orbits. Known as "Kessler Cure", officially this group is using the large ship designed for long-term habitation as a test case for salvaging, and a research base to plot and document other such wrecks and relics in Orbit. Underneath that, Kessler Cure has a long established legend as an organization which assists Reclaimers in reaching the surface of Earth or helping them find orbital bases to scavenge - particularly mapping the Cordon around the Earth. But the real truth is that Kessler and EXODUS GREEN are operated by Firewall. The organization serves as cover for several operatives who monitor Reclaimer operations under a kind of "catch and release" policy - tracking them and their possible cargos so Firewall can intercept anything too dangerous, and even arranging operations to recover assets Firewall is after. EXODUS GREEN itself does something more, however.
Both the ship itself, and many virtual recreations of it have been arranged to be a covert course to teach Firewall Sentinels the basics of clearing derelict habitats. While refurbished to handle a decent population in the hundreds, rarely do more than a few dozen transhumans reside here at any time. This "boot camp" is used to impart basic skills Sentinels operating in the Earth area may need to know, and many of its cleared, interior chambers have been modified to mimic certain environments and scenarios with practical elements. Where practical effects cannot substitute, AR overlays or simulspace replicas can provide. Possible obstacles here cover all manner of traps, TITAN artifacts, servants and weapons, to basic combat tactics vs transhuman opponents; from pirates to professional military. Many Sentinels in the area trying to be operational must pass one or more tests on EXODUS GREEN at some form or another, or are sent there for remedial training after one too many fouled up ops. Other parts of EXODUS GREEN are part of the infrastructure of Kessler Cure (Closely associated with operation CENOTAPH), or even part of their cover. It's not all work over at the ship either, groups of trainees have been known to take simulator weapons and engage in "friendly" matches inside the ships areas, both in free-for-all and classic "team deathmatch" formats. Officially, this is frowned upon by trainers and proxies as it reduces the psychological impact and seriousness they try and cultivate on EXODUS GREEN, but as they say, "all work and no play".
This is not one of those stories.
To tell the story of "EXODUS GREEN", first we must tell of Colony Ships. Similar to the Scum Barge (p. 349 EP) these massive constructs were built to house and move large numbers of people, but were intended to support them for the months or even short years it would take for a mass migration to other planets. Colony Ships in fact served as blueprints for the "lifeboat" barge designs. These massive ships were build in orbital "drydocks" and never intended to land on a surface - or if they did to ever return to space. Several of them were sent to Mars, Venus and many outer system worlds like the Saturnian or Jovian pools. However, as transport technology advanced and the egocasting field opened up, colony ships fell out of vogue, and prior to the Fall several of their designs lay canceled or unfinished as the nations building them had more pressing concerns. However, during the Fall several of these models were dusted off, or hastily completed to serve as transport for refugees off Earth, in the hopes that the long delay of the trip would provide sufficient time for new housing to be built. EXODUS GREEN is one of these ships.
It's original name is unknown. It is known that it was grouped with at least two other sister ships, "EXODUS BLUE" and "EXODUS RED" which did launch from the orbital dock facility in LEO, all ships using quick code names to avoid confusion which may have been caused by complex serial numbers or prior names. Why EXODUS GREEN did not launch is unknown. Local computer systems were fried by some TITAN attack (or preventative measures against), or by later scavengers as a precaution. The Fall conflict may have bled into orbit before EXODUS GREEN could take off, or a stray weapon may have hit something vital. TITAN bio- or nanowarfare may have infected and taken out the populace in such a small space. Or the ship, already outdated may have suffered a critical hardware failure which was beyond the skill of her crew to fix. What is known that all persons aboard EXODUS GREEN, estimated between 10,000-20,000, died.
This would have been a simple footnote in the history of the Fall, except for an interesting turn of events. First, EXODUS GREEN was discovered and began to be explored by a Scavenger team based out of Fresh Kills, who began identifying themselves as the "Re-Green" team. Starting small they expanded after their discovery, and in addition to recovering Earth artifacts to sell also attempted to document the people they found. They recovered Cortical Stacks from the very small number who had them, and looked for other forms of identification. If they could, they would find relatives and inform them, possibly even attempt to dispose of the remains as they would, with unidentifieds being cast respectfully back to Earth in a process known as "sky cremation". This was a minor note in local news circles, which quickly vanished when a pirate gang drove "Re-Green" out. This group identified themselves as the Gadhka-Samada "Tribe", and began to process the ship much quicker for profit, and turned it into a pirate base. They flushed unknown numbers of the dead directly into vacuum with little regard, but only after stripping them of their valuables. From there the "tribe" began to be a bit of a nuisance for flightpaths through the area.
Their nuisance stopped a few years later when some Reclaimers quietly paid mercenaries to flush the pirates out. Faced with real military response, the pirates were outmatched, and many of them suffered the same ignominious fate they had confined the dead to. The reclaimers then got in contact with some remaining members of Re-Green, and very methodically cleared the majority of the dead from the open spaces of the ship, as well as stabilizing some portions damaged in the assault. But, Re-Green now had little interest in the ship itself, having merged with the outfit PastFinders. This is where Firewall steps in.
Using a front organization set up by a pro-reclamation server, Firewall has covertly taken over EXODUS GREN under the guise of small corp dedicated to long-term recovery of Earth but more importantly the clearing and organizing of her orbits. Known as "Kessler Cure", officially this group is using the large ship designed for long-term habitation as a test case for salvaging, and a research base to plot and document other such wrecks and relics in Orbit. Underneath that, Kessler Cure has a long established legend as an organization which assists Reclaimers in reaching the surface of Earth or helping them find orbital bases to scavenge - particularly mapping the Cordon around the Earth. But the real truth is that Kessler and EXODUS GREEN are operated by Firewall. The organization serves as cover for several operatives who monitor Reclaimer operations under a kind of "catch and release" policy - tracking them and their possible cargos so Firewall can intercept anything too dangerous, and even arranging operations to recover assets Firewall is after. EXODUS GREEN itself does something more, however.
Both the ship itself, and many virtual recreations of it have been arranged to be a covert course to teach Firewall Sentinels the basics of clearing derelict habitats. While refurbished to handle a decent population in the hundreds, rarely do more than a few dozen transhumans reside here at any time. This "boot camp" is used to impart basic skills Sentinels operating in the Earth area may need to know, and many of its cleared, interior chambers have been modified to mimic certain environments and scenarios with practical elements. Where practical effects cannot substitute, AR overlays or simulspace replicas can provide. Possible obstacles here cover all manner of traps, TITAN artifacts, servants and weapons, to basic combat tactics vs transhuman opponents; from pirates to professional military. Many Sentinels in the area trying to be operational must pass one or more tests on EXODUS GREEN at some form or another, or are sent there for remedial training after one too many fouled up ops. Other parts of EXODUS GREEN are part of the infrastructure of Kessler Cure (Closely associated with operation CENOTAPH), or even part of their cover. It's not all work over at the ship either, groups of trainees have been known to take simulator weapons and engage in "friendly" matches inside the ships areas, both in free-for-all and classic "team deathmatch" formats. Officially, this is frowned upon by trainers and proxies as it reduces the psychological impact and seriousness they try and cultivate on EXODUS GREEN, but as they say, "all work and no play".
Shepherd's Gland
Enhanced Pheromones (p. 305 EP) are a fairly standard social implant, which refines native biochemistry for natural pheromone releases to have more potency - improving social skills through affection and trust, but does not affect those with a different biochemistry system. Scent Affinity (p. 148 EP) is an implantation for Smart Animals which modifies them to be receptive to a particular scent of an individual. This is good for singular animals or a worker who works with many animals, but does not necessarily have field utility. For those who need a more utilitarian tool for animal handling, there are other options which mimic the utility of Enhanced Pheromones.
Shepherd's Gland: Utility bioware modeled after Enhanced Pheromones. This system allows a user to produce a number of common scent and pheromone cues for a variety of smart animals. These can be used to help push an animal to specific behaviors or emotional states. This grants the user a +10 to all Animal Handling rolls, assuming the animal can smell them and is in the gland's library. By default, the gland contains the ability to influence most extant mundane animals and their smart variety. An upgrade to handle specific exotic or neogenetic animals may be procured at a [Trivial] cost. A variation of this upgrade is made to handle uplifts - those who smell, anyway, and functions identical to Enhanced Pheromones, though many uplifts are not happy with the idea of being "handled" [Low]
Because of it's utility and lack of lead-time, many freelance animal trainers and handlers utilize it to have more flexibility than installing Scent Affinity and Cybercortexes in every animal. While not common, some habitats even have enough "wild" life in their regions to warrant animal control officers, who may also prefer this implant. And of course, there are less than scrupulous uses, such as for intrusion specialists who may need to work around guard animals who are predisposed to be hostile.
Shepherd's Gland: Utility bioware modeled after Enhanced Pheromones. This system allows a user to produce a number of common scent and pheromone cues for a variety of smart animals. These can be used to help push an animal to specific behaviors or emotional states. This grants the user a +10 to all Animal Handling rolls, assuming the animal can smell them and is in the gland's library. By default, the gland contains the ability to influence most extant mundane animals and their smart variety. An upgrade to handle specific exotic or neogenetic animals may be procured at a [Trivial] cost. A variation of this upgrade is made to handle uplifts - those who smell, anyway, and functions identical to Enhanced Pheromones, though many uplifts are not happy with the idea of being "handled" [Low]
Because of it's utility and lack of lead-time, many freelance animal trainers and handlers utilize it to have more flexibility than installing Scent Affinity and Cybercortexes in every animal. While not common, some habitats even have enough "wild" life in their regions to warrant animal control officers, who may also prefer this implant. And of course, there are less than scrupulous uses, such as for intrusion specialists who may need to work around guard animals who are predisposed to be hostile.
Friday, January 20, 2017
Brand Name Weapons #5 - Misc
JNA M18 ACO:
The M18 Officer's Field Weapon is a relatively new JNA weapon designed to replace standard sidearms for officers and other front-liners. This system is a railgun weapon designed to give high weapon penetration and accuracy even in pistol form, ideal for stopping armored targets and dangerous "transhumans". Sadly, the sophistication has had a negative impact on JNA's usual design philosophy, making the weapon more complex and not as easy to maintain, though it is still as rugged as such a design could be. It's also fairly bulky for a pistol, and lacks rapid firing modes, but has a slightly larger magazine capacity for it. [Moderate]
AP -7 2d10+8 DV SA Ammo 12
Omnicorp SL-TZ4 Safety Laser Pistol:
Omnicorp does not usually produce weapon systems, the Safety Laser is an outgrowth of their energy industry, and is a common sight on space station security forces. Infamous for it's safety yellow casing, the Safety Laser is a pistol-sized weapon which combines a Laser Pulser and Stunner into a small-sized package. This gives it a slightly less effective range, and both pull from the same battery to impact energy efficiency, but it's smaller size is very useful in certain conditions. The smaller size also means the laser function lacks a stun pulse mode. Reduce maximum range by 10%. [Moderate]
AP 0 2d10 DV SA Ammo 100
AP 0 1d10/2+Shock DV SA Ammo 100
Pai Gow 母狮 "Lioness" Machine Pistol:
One of a small number of weapons produced directly by the Pai Gow security company, which is moderately hidden as the private security force for several Triads based out of Qing Long. The Lioness model is a common, compact pistol designed for high rates of fire. A balanced weapon, this pistol is very frequently seen "pirated" in the hands of Triad thugs or street punks across the solar system, and is noted for it's simplicity to assemble out of a fabber. Pai Gow continually professes innocence to these weapons being illegally distributed - falling back on the common excuse of Autonomist pirates. The weapon also has a large recoil compensator on the front. Reduce the penalty for the Attacker being in Melee by 10. [Low]
AP -2 2d10+2 DV BF/FA Ammo 18
Pai Gow 蛇 "Serpent" Tactical SMG:
The Serpent model is another common weapon produced by Pai Gow for private security functions. An intermediary between an assault rifle and an SMG, this weapon is called "tactical" because of its high modularity and flexible ammo. Featuring higher caliber rounds, the Serpent also has a massive magazine capacity normally, but is also commonly sold with a smart magazine system to allow for precise selection of the ammo. This tends to make the Serpent a little bulky compared to other models. [Moderate]
AP -2 2d10+5 DV SA/BF/FA Ammo 40
The M18 Officer's Field Weapon is a relatively new JNA weapon designed to replace standard sidearms for officers and other front-liners. This system is a railgun weapon designed to give high weapon penetration and accuracy even in pistol form, ideal for stopping armored targets and dangerous "transhumans". Sadly, the sophistication has had a negative impact on JNA's usual design philosophy, making the weapon more complex and not as easy to maintain, though it is still as rugged as such a design could be. It's also fairly bulky for a pistol, and lacks rapid firing modes, but has a slightly larger magazine capacity for it. [Moderate]
AP -7 2d10+8 DV SA Ammo 12
Omnicorp SL-TZ4 Safety Laser Pistol:
Omnicorp does not usually produce weapon systems, the Safety Laser is an outgrowth of their energy industry, and is a common sight on space station security forces. Infamous for it's safety yellow casing, the Safety Laser is a pistol-sized weapon which combines a Laser Pulser and Stunner into a small-sized package. This gives it a slightly less effective range, and both pull from the same battery to impact energy efficiency, but it's smaller size is very useful in certain conditions. The smaller size also means the laser function lacks a stun pulse mode. Reduce maximum range by 10%. [Moderate]
AP 0 2d10 DV SA Ammo 100
AP 0 1d10/2+Shock DV SA Ammo 100
Pai Gow 母狮 "Lioness" Machine Pistol:
One of a small number of weapons produced directly by the Pai Gow security company, which is moderately hidden as the private security force for several Triads based out of Qing Long. The Lioness model is a common, compact pistol designed for high rates of fire. A balanced weapon, this pistol is very frequently seen "pirated" in the hands of Triad thugs or street punks across the solar system, and is noted for it's simplicity to assemble out of a fabber. Pai Gow continually professes innocence to these weapons being illegally distributed - falling back on the common excuse of Autonomist pirates. The weapon also has a large recoil compensator on the front. Reduce the penalty for the Attacker being in Melee by 10. [Low]
AP -2 2d10+2 DV BF/FA Ammo 18
Pai Gow 蛇 "Serpent" Tactical SMG:
The Serpent model is another common weapon produced by Pai Gow for private security functions. An intermediary between an assault rifle and an SMG, this weapon is called "tactical" because of its high modularity and flexible ammo. Featuring higher caliber rounds, the Serpent also has a massive magazine capacity normally, but is also commonly sold with a smart magazine system to allow for precise selection of the ammo. This tends to make the Serpent a little bulky compared to other models. [Moderate]
AP -2 2d10+5 DV SA/BF/FA Ammo 40
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