[WB] Derelict Futures for Neon Hearts | Cyberpunk 2077 AU++

[Blood Briar]

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E a r t h, 2 1 3 3

"Do you think they had any inkling,
when they stepped off those gleaming ramps,
what horrors those welcoming hands could visit upon them
just a few years hence?"
​

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The future seemed a fraught thing. Humanity's labors had cascaded into irrevocable changes to the world they called home while the never ending cycles of greed and violence continued to churn endless lives into suffering and death. 'Balance' and 'Peace' were old words, bitterly forgotten by the old and no longer learned by the young. Whole regions were becoming as passively lethal as the warzones that devastated others. Progress marched on with empty promises of a less bleak tomorrow, technology the only hope for what technology had inflicted in its evolution.

First Contact upended the state of things. Not only was life really out there, it was far more abundant than most expected, and a thriving galactic community existed out among the stars. Though they would not simply uplift humanity out of its own self-inflicted miseries straight to a turbocharged sci-fi paradise, the offer was given to help shepherd them through their time of crisis. Of course those in charge accepted.

Human greed, unfortunately, can devour any hope of redemption from the inside out.

The primary mistake made in contact was the alien belief in a leading world power, the consequences of which would not be fully realized until decades later. As alien immigrants and the influx of advanced, benevolent technology trickled, streamed, then flooded into Earth, the advancement of humanity into a member of galactic civilization looked like a certain thing - but the avenues by which such miracles came down were tightly controlled. Government gripped their own channels tightly while Megacorps fought over the rest, and even though the poorest benefited dramatically, they saw just a fraction of the potential of the stars.

Glutted on short-term motivations and scarcity mindsets, an escalating shadow war between the commercial powers eventually triggered a diplomatic doomsday for the planet: through a series of blackmail, misunderstandings, and sabotage, Earth's agreement with the galaxy was nullified as a policy of independence and exclusionism was announced. The outcry was breathtaking, but the protests did not last long, as the event precipitated the Third World War. Nations and Megacorps alike participated in an all-out grab for power over the planet now that the promise of peace - and the threat of outside influence - had come to an end. Whoever won could become the true ruler of the world for the first time in history and seize the reins of a future dictated by only a single body.

Unfortunately, everyone lost. Cataclysmic devastation unfolded between updated weapons of the past and retrofitted gifts of the future. Most of the planet was damaged or decimated, leaving entire cultures and histories dead or dying. Many ecosystems fell apart; networks of trade and influence disintegrated; towers of innovation and warfare crumbled. It was only partially accurate to say the planet was blasted back to a previous age, but systems and infrastructure were ruined in the outcome, and the vast majority of alien gifts were now atomized.

It would take half a century's passage to reclaim any semblance of where the world had been before. Even then, all knew the profound loss humanity had suffered, and how far they had fallen from the stars.

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In many ways, the setting resembles 'Cyberpunk 2077 with aliens'. But history lies altered, technologies are stranger, and the rot goes deeper. Slavery returned, then was outlawed again, yet prejudices against any non-human persist. Illegal activity in every dominion of territory is largely owned and run by lords associated into a criminal Syndicate spanning the planet. Governments are weak, fragile things, and law enforcement punishes the poor even harder while protecting the wealthy. Megacorps, far more prepared for the Third World War and its fallout, dominate what areas of the world are worth owning. The symbiotic relationship between the Syndicate and Megacorps ensures no possible structure of rival power will ever come into being to challenge them. While humanity recovers some of its neon glory from the salvaged ruins of a lost future, the natural world only slides deeper into a state that will be inimical to human existence sooner than later.

Hope is a lie only gonks believe in, and the struggle to eke out one more day and one more joy is the rhythm most live by. But some choose defiance, and even if they're a far cry from the heroes promised in vids past, they hold the best chance to tipping the status quo into something less bleak. The promise of the stars still lies above no matter how dark the polluted skies become.

 

[Blood Briar]

Setting Post 1: Organizations

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CORPS
Militech
Arasaka
Techtronika

THE SYNDICATE
Dominion Lords
Balgur Ickliatt
Derek Khan

THE FALLEN

GANGS
Maelstrom
Mox
Animals
Tyger Claws

NCPD & MAX-TAC
TRAUMA TEAM

 

[Blood Briar]

Setting Post 2: The Aliens

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Liandri
Charak
Blixian
Goethe
Maglubiyan

 

[Blood Briar]

Setting Post 3 Placeholder

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[Blood Briar]

Setting Post 4 Placeholder

 

[Blood Briar]

Locations, Briar Edition

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Joege Block (Therrye's Apartment Building)
(Joi's Bar)
Neon Hearts (Kaede's Bar)
Twisted Throttle (Sable Seraphs Bar)
Fifth Flaw (Music/Event Venue)
Doc Ryder's (Ripperdoc Chain)
The Farthest Bullet (Arms Shop/Range)
Yami no Ken Ryuu (Matsuo's Dojo)

Geraldi Black Site [Demolished] (First Run Location)

 

[AlrunaRose]

Setting Gallery (Placeholder) ~~ for Roony

 Organizations:

Mega-Corporations
Primary Resource -- MegaCorps (Cyberpunk 2077 fandom wikia)

Overview

For all intents and purposes -- unless particularly specified/ utilized, assume the Megacorporations of Cyberpunk 2077 exist in their official Canon capacities -- some don't, and some do. If a MegaCorp has "survived" the 25-year timeskip between the events of Cyberpunk 2077; also assume what may be considered natural/conducive for such a time-skip.
Of particular note, Militech & Arasaka are assumed to have accomplished their short-term goals (e.g. Arasaka's "Secure Your Soul" program), with mindfulness aimed towards negating any goal accomplishments that would otherwise see their rivals significantly depreciated in power, or would otherwise remove one or more desired assets from the Cyberpunk landscape that may provide beneficial use in story-writing.

KEY DIFFERENCES:

Arasaka = Bigger Family

Arasaka has always been widespread and nearly impossible to dethrone; however for its own experienced conflicts in this AU, Arasaka has expanded its House (family tree) in order to break up its subsidiaries and ensure the Arasaka name maintains positive control over all its assets and initiatives -- e.g. Hanako Arasaka might still be the Empress of Arasaka, but across the globe in regional capacities; there are younger siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and even Relic engrams of grandparents -- each possessing the Arasaka family name and running/representing their own super-front of presence for the Arasaka Corporation in high-profile capacity, with Night City being only one of these corporate waterfronts among many.

Militech stabilizes world governments (preserves many Cyberpunk Elements)

One thing Militech set itself out to do originally was to prove the megacorporation's worth as the best arms manufacturer and military contractor in the world -- by and large, that goal has marginally achieved success globally, as while the NUSA has long had Militech nationalized, the ever-growing threat from corporate expropriation of land and resources from national governments (especially from Arasaka); many nations have signed corporate protectorate agreements between Militech & their local governments For their own reasons and classified Intel, Militech has been scrambling for a solution to an inevitable threat that has come to light thanks to Arasaka achieving a penultimate corporate goal -- among many other corporate mega-giants, Militech is still quietly accredited as a major outsourcer of mercenary services underneath the table, as the ever-growing complications and muddiness resultant from corporate expansion and deteriorating 'legal' diplomacies now quietly demand the hands of those unafraid to work outside the law now more than ever...

Biotechnica's Interest in Aliens

Among the other less prominent Corporations, of particular note is that Biotechnica is on the rise, due to a small handful of unique scientific breakthroughs in relations to extraterrestrial anatomy & physiology. Biotechnica has always managed to stay afloat due to its invention and patent of CHOOH2, as well as its investment in restoring ecosystems, manufacturing proteins and even the cloning process. One thing I imagine Biotechnica would also have a grasp of is a rather niche market running alongside cyberware, known as "Bioware" -- biological implants, artificial organs, biosculpting/Exotics mods, the like -- where essentially the many health problems of humanity once originally phased out by the prominence of cyberware could be resolved in a different manner, allowing humans to remain 'ganic and retain their humanity, instead of chipping in. Through their scientific revelations, Biotechnica has discovered the keys to certain mythic revolutions in biology and existence... namely, genetic revival of extinct creatures, accelerated evolution and even Xenos Compatibility. It is for this reason that this very small (but incredibly wealthy) corporation has announced its intention to resume space exploration and attempt to broker deals with other aliens in a bid to study them -- however, if Biotechnica can get it's hands on certain live specimens that currently exist on Earth, they will quickly favor that over all others

The Syndicate

Overview

The common denizens of Night City eek out a life among gangers, mercs and Solos in an attempt to just live; that means crime, murder, illegal dealings and more trouble than you can count. The Nomad packs may be more or less bound together in brotherhood and working together on the Open Road for survival; even they need justice sometimes, and people capable of fighting off the pigs and corpses from taking everything theyve worked so hard for get... Even the Corpos aren't spared the need for death-dealing within reason; sabotage, bribery, blackmail and even promotion by assassination are commonplace business practices...
-- For these reasons and many more abroad; the Syndicate is an organization that is more than just the ultimate cornerstone of Earth's criminal underworld... They are the Law wherever it does not exist, and when the Law is "up to negotiation" -- the Syndicate has the final word.

Who They Are, and Why They Hate Corpos

All of the immovable, inevitable and most powerful criminal organizations of the World fall underneath the Syndicate -- the Cartels, the Italian/Russian Mafias, Triads & Yakuza -- every lawless organization that has and never will be deposed by a government or corporate entity. They are the seed which perpetuates crime ad infinitum; they arm the lawless and anarchistic, and they empower fixers with the ability to do the impossible... Once a criminal empire is founded and reaches its black arms far across the globe, all can be given for ONE... seat at the table of the Syndicate Convene. There are many upper and middle levels of management, most notable of all being that of the Dominion Lords of Night City, who vie for territory and control of the street gangs. Unfortunately, the "seat" presiding over Night City has remained empty since the Fallen Uprising, due to the fact that the megacorporations consider Night City to be theirs; a land to call their own, and act in with impunity. This has been a major contention point between the Syndicate & all Corpos, which has led to a fragile peace kept globally and a seething love-hate relationship between both hemispheres of influence. For the average dweller of Night City, they know that something's gotta give and that eventually one will penultimately prevail over Night City... but to aid one or the other will just lead to a different doom.

A Brief History

As can be intuited, the Syndicate governs all lawless organized criminal activity across the globe, although "one struggles to define what is Law and what is lawless within this world, when every sentient appears to be so enamored towards acting like animals," as one Harbinger was known to say.
The Syndicate were founded when the shadow wars of the powerful and corrupt seemed to go on without end, and a finality needed to be brought to that which could inevitably destroy humanity -- such was deemed the purview of those who operated within the darkest darknesses of the Planet. None know the true origins of the Syndicate or how far back it can stretch its history; the only thing that can be intuited for sure under consensus was that it was lurking in the shadows long before the MegaCorps rose to power. It unwittingly and brazenly revealed its existence to the world in the wake of the Second Corporate War, when after the large-scale destruction of Earth's oceans; the Syndicate was inspired to carry out a string of assassinations of PetroChem mid-to-high level executives and CEOs, resulting in thousands of high-ranking Corpo executions across several countries, all overnight -- causing PetroChem to abandon its war efforts and retreat to lick its wounds for several decades... and many know and fear that the Syndicate will remain long after the Corpos have crumbled into bankrupt anarchy. This clandestine overarching threat to all who deign to hold power over Earth has something that all have been wary of ever since, with many MegaCorps to evermore tread carefully in their usage of criminal operators in their pursuit of corporate espionage and trade secrets -- few things were regarded in the last century with as much reverence as when Syndicate mobilization became noticeable; for that day was the day when it became known that there was in fact a higher power lying within the shadows, from which absolutely no one could run or hide..

Rules & Governance

Far as rules and organization went; there were few rules when it came to how the Syndicate conducted itself -- there were "Seven Deadly Sins", of which in light of all unethical or illegal activities could be conducted, but if you infringed against one of these Seven Sins of the Syndicate, well... the punishment was swift and inevitable Death. Much of the context was implied, with the letter of the Seven Sins being known by all and the spirit of them to be known to only a select few; namely the Harbingers, Adjudicators and those who held Seats at the Convene. The rules were as follows:
1. Only the Strong Survive.
2. No business conducted on Syndicate grounds.
3. Honor the Blood-Oath.
4. Honor When Among Thieves.
5. Honor the Duel.
6. You Keep What You Kill.
7. Honor these Sins.

The Fallen

Overview & Origins

For the past century, many have known of the existence of three Armed Forces corporations, or "ArmaCorps". All know of Militech for its default yet versatile, rank-and-file, inexhaustible amount of troops. The Lazarus Group was always famous for standing their ground outside their staunch ally's (Militech's) shadow, providing diversified and specialized troops with sleek uniforms and military standards, not to mention having uniquely good PR compared to its competitors. While Arasaka has always been known to be expensive and conniving as a megacorporation -- none could deny their supremacy in providing specialized, unique and high-quality contract security forces for any sorts of operations. But few these days know of the forgotten 4th ArmaCorp -- the black sheep of the family, which built its origins training Sandinistas, freedom fighters and ragtag militias of all walks of life... all in an effort to step out of the shadow of corporate military privatization and give people an affordable chance to fight for what they believe in.
Hardly considered a corporation, due to how "rough around the edges" it's operating parameters were and how oddly radicalized it's commanding forces were known to be; "the Fallen" were aptly named after the alleged backgrounds of its commanding officers and financial benefactors -- all were rumored to have been superb or legendary mercs and war veterans who had either retired voluntarily from their positions for irreconcilable differences; deserted causes they did not believe in, or 'were thrown from the tops of corporate towers', metaphorically speaking. The Fallen were a private military company founded by an enigmatic Edgerunner whose name and origins were lost to History -- although it was no secret that the rumors foretold of strong former ties to the Arasaka Corporation.

History, Accolades & Allies

Supposedly, the Fallen had been founded in lieu of providing a military force to anyone who needed it, regardless of nation or ideology, and sometimes acting of it's own free will when in the absence of proper funding -- a cold hard fact that raised many eyebrows and naturally heightened tensions between various governments and corporate neighbors. The Fallen often received very negative PR from wherever it operated. Being willing to dedicate itself to various worldly causes with minimal or no financial gain naturally warranted the necessity to appropriate its funds in less than ideal means. While the Fallen did not harm civilians, expropriate land or seize assets from other peoples; rampant theft of vehicles, weapons, supplies and various assets from its adversaries or those not using them, in addition to their penchant for off-shore bases often led to the Fallen being publicly condemned by the media and labeled as pirates. Despite this, the Fallen saw active employment in many campaigns ranging from small to moderate on the global scale, and gained an impressive amount of street cred in the Edgerunning networks due to their uncanny ability to adapt to various situations, as well as their ability to perform operations with minimal casualties (even sometimes among adversaries; capture, indoctrination or release as POWs was preferred to all-out genocide). This even earned them some favor with Militech, who were reported to have employed the Fallen's services from time to time when outsourcing their contracts or motives, but media proof could never be ascertained. Most notably among their contributions to society was the Fallen's penchant for arming & training the militias of third-world countries and Nomad tribes with the goal of achieving autonomous self-defensive capabilities, to such a degree that certain third-world countries suddenly gained the ability to respectfully decline corporate subsidization, and resist expropriation efforts.

The Fallen Uprising

Unfortunately as far as business and reputation goes; it was said that the Fallen made a critical mistake in their bid for power and credibility against its competitors -- the Fallen 'got political', arrogantly turning its efforts towards abolitionist movements, even lobbying itself in missions against trafficking-in-persons, both Human and Xeno alike. In a stunning move which caused them to be ostracized by the world -- the bulk of Fallen troops occupied Night City, claiming holdings in Northside and Pacifica. Utilizing expert guerrilla warfare tactics to bend the street gangs to their will and pooling alliances with a handful of Nomad tribes; they condemned certain Dominion Lords of the Syndicate and openly declared war on the Arasaka Corporation, of all things. In an absolute uproar of conflict that Night City had not seen for 30 years since the Unification Wars -- a series of terrorist attacks, infrastructural underminings and daring tactical maneuvers threw all of Night City into total chaos; forcing all of its denizens to fight for their own survival and claim what they could kill, as multiple corporate waterfronts and subsidies were abruptly forced into their first defensive war in decades. A daring net-heist of the Arasaka Banking Co. resulted in the inheritance of an Arasaka Heir Apparent being thieved -- this caused Arasaka to go berserk, as the Night City Mayor declared a state of emergency and Max-Tac was driven to the brink of dissolution due to how far it was pushed in open warfare against the Fallen and its conscripted ganger and Nomad allies. Eventually the tide was turned once Arasaka was able to break the improvised naval blockades of the Fallen with overwhelming firepower and aircraft carriers, after which they proceeded to firebomb and hunt the Fallen to extinction, sending their forces retreating from Night City and hunting them across the wastelands and wiping their marks from Night City. To this day, the media and corporate-backed fronts all mark what is now known as the Fallen Uprising as "one of the greatest travesties to have ever befallen the people of Night City".

Where Are They Now?

To the larger populace of Night City, the Fallen are thought to have been completely wiped out -- their morale broken and the ArmaCorp dissolved with the assassination of their leader. For a time, those who claimed allegiance with the Fallen were hunted 'round the globe; off-shore oil rigs were demolished, ships reported and hunted by roaming aerodyne navies, hideouts and previously known occupied locations raided and seized, with even some third-world countries being annexed under corporate holdings in an effort to smoke out any remaining survivors -- reportedly in Arasaka's hunt to recover its stolen assets. In whispers across clandestine locations such as the West Wind Estate and the Afterlife Bar; some say there are surviving members of the Fallen still out there... hiding in plain sight, waiting for the right time to reclaim their old banners and strike out against the megacorporations once more in a bid to rid the world of their plague upon humanity and its progress towards the stars...

Why'd They Do It?

No one really knows what the true reason was for such a dramatic turn of motive and initiative happened within the Fallen. Some say they were inspired by their own delusions of grandeur in corporate greed and power; others allude to some dark and otherwise unknowable truth that the leader of the Fallen might have been offered Night City's seat upon the Syndicate Convene, if he could bring all of the gangers and Edgerunners to heel... Fabled stories tell of a tale of powerful love, and how it might have all been done to do battle with the forces that visited suffering upon one female soul, and who perpetuated similar sufferings elsewheres worldwide. The hidden truth was that, while relevant, this was far from the case.
Certain Afterlife Mercs who laid low for awhile after the Fallen Uprising; Streetkids who followed them through hell and back, and gangers who had lived longer than anyone but somehow were brought to know certain Fallen lieutenants personally whisper of forgotten truths -- that amidst their third-world campaigns and contracts abroad, the Fallen had come to know aliens in a different light; employing them as soldiers, relocating them from countries where their existences were sub-human and providing active combative testimony as to their worth as living sentients. However, they also say that the driving point of the Fallen's Sacrifice extended beyond anything merely related to Xenos, and in fact extended to all sentients. They say that across the world, as they travelled on contract and realized the existence of one injustice after another; the Fallen were slowly coming to terms with the fact that certain traumatic travesties and inhumanities to fellow sentients continued to be revisited upon others across the world, no matter how many times the lessons needed to be repeated -- that no matter where they turned, they always witnessed some rhyme or reason to deprive others of inalienable rights or the means to eke out even a marginal existence; that chief among them was corporate greed and the global privatization of the basic needs of everyone... and that the brutal suffering witnessed upon a few Xenos simply became the last straw, or the second to last for many who held authority in the ArmaCorp.
... Unfortunately, for the many over the few; such thoughts hardly ever cross the minds of Humans who are simply trying to get by... and the ideologies and dogma of those who once or might have aligned themselves with the Fallen are barely a footnote in this dystopian, sequestered world full of derelict futures.

 

[Blood Briar]

Therrye

Character Art

Body Reference

Body/Appearance

5'9", ~220 lbs, high level of muscle from frequent training/'relaxation' with her fists and a hard life of fighting, though Liandri voluptuousness obscures plenty of it
Electric blue hair (dark shade), typically a little bunched and fluffed at the top, with the rest spilling over toward her right side; somewhat past shoulder length
Pale violet skin, violet eyes
Tattooed eyeliner; she doesn't like bothering with makeup, but enjoyed how her eyes look with that adornment
One set of horns standing up from above her temples with an inward curl, chipped and damaged, with the other pair ground down to pads just above her skin which she keeps hidden beneath her hair; horn nerve endings are clipped
Implant behind her right ear for shards, implant in her left arm for injections and jacking in, implant in eyes for optical feed (subtle option); some of her dermal plating, especially in her shoulders, is pretty rough, leaving her with routinely sore muscles there
Whipping, cutting and flagellation scars across her back, flagellation scars on her upper thighs (enslavement); bullet and blade scars on her arms and torso (peri- and post-enslavement); implant removal scar above her heart (bomb implant used to keep her in line); quarter-sized slave brand on left venus/back dimple with blade scars making an X on top of it (easily hid beneath cage fighting outfits)

Tattoos

[Black ink unless otherwise noted]

• Geometric-stylized barbed chain link starting above her left elbow and extending toward her shoulder and 2/3rds down her forearm (thick-ish line work)
• Watercolor-styled (shades of muted blue) ~1.5" diameter eclipse (empty center, vivid/fuzzy ring) on left wrist, centered vertically further up her forearm than directly on her wrist and centered horizontally below the trapezium bone (bottom of thumb-aligned hand bones)
• Impressionistic-styled rendition of hell (imagine a blend of Botticelli's Mappa dell'Inferno & Carl Beutler's Die Qualen der Holle) over entire right shoulder ('bleeds' into edges of spine tattoo) and half-way down right upper arm
• Three half-inch thick, evenly-spaced (~1.5" between) black rings (wrapping around her arm) centered slightly above the middle of her right forearm
• Perpendicular, blocky tally marks (7) on the knuckles of her right hand (number of marks related to backstory)
• Geometric-stylized hourglass centered on her spine beginning between shoulder blades down running down to ~1.5" above her pelvis (thick line work)
• Geometric-stylized inverted triangle (~1.5" 'diameter') directly below bottom of sternum
• Neo-Medieval-style upside-down snake wrapping around her torso ~1.5" below her belly button, with head and tail leaving a ~3" gap between them centered parallel to belly button
• Watercolor-styled (neon colors) flight of various birds (flock of many types) leaving/rising out of a small/abstract cityscape on the outer side of her left thigh, centered slightly forward of the middle of her thigh's side

Biology & Augments

Major Augmentations: Parallel synthetic muscles, Reinforced bones & tendons, Full-body dermal plating; no room for further augments without drastic increase in risk of cyberpsychosis

Liandri Adaptations: Alpha Predator
Liandri Biology: Expanded Nervous System & Neural link (dormant)

Typical Wardrobe

Pants/jeans, belt, a t-shirt/lower neck/cut-off sleeves top with sports bra underneath, with a vest or jacket. Can skip on the jacket when it's too warm or going out dancing or the like, and sometimes wears shorts for similar reasons. Comfortable sneakers are the go-to footwear, but also comfortable barefoot. Never learned how to walk well in heels. Feels uncomfortable in dresses and skirts.

Personality

Personality: Friendly but seasoned street kid affect laid on top of a storm of hateful rage and a feral nature. Makes acquaintances easily but has very few friends; not the life of the party yet a terrible flirt when not working. Different mindsets worn when working vs not - relaxation time is for when you don't have to be vigilant of your death every second. She tries to be the rock within her storm's eye (despite learning a lot of discipline beneath the lash), even when she's angry, but is thrown into the winds of it easily with the right triggers. Spite/Fury against her life as an enslaved fighter is both her reason to live on and the motivation for protecting others from suffering. 'Kill the Corpos, Save the Streets,' even though she knows it's an endless war of class that one cannot win. Deeply values trust and class solidarity and kindness, along with respect toward the deserving. Willing to own her fuck-ups and has learned de-escalation skills to avoid fights when possible. Uses fighting gym & hook-ups to avoid thinking too hard about her rage and her past. Avoids romantic entanglements/dating, even though she's known to be sweet to the gals she fucks with. The distance she keeps with others comes from vigilance (trauma) and concern (hurting others): she never wants to see her hatred lash out at the undeserving.

Bouncer as her day job. Prefers fighting up close and personal, but also loves throwing things - it's just *fun*. Gets cynical on downers, but paradoxically finds them helpful for positive introspection; enjoys cheap beer because it doesn't get her that drunk/cynical. Likes kawaii metal (it's cute), electronic/EDM (loves club dancing even if she's doing more watching than moving), ~wave (hits the cynical vibes just right) and punk (raaaaaaage), but will listen to most music with some interest; beats transcend genre. Her karaoke style is 'angry'.

 

[AlrunaRose]

Aolieon Post

 

[Blood Briar]

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Joi (Bar Owner & Fixer) #E36A3F
Kara (Ripperdoc) #F0C69E
Echo Nine (Netrunner) #0FF4FB
Obsidian "Sid" (Tinker) #FA93DA
Bethsket (Ex-Fighter/Merc) #B7E962
Liliya (High-End Joytoy) #F95BF2
Matsuo (MMA Master & Trainer) lower brown

MINOR CHARACTERS

Jerry (Burger Shop Owner & Chef) top brown

 

[AlrunaRose]

Roony's NPCs
NPCs

"VESPER" (default light red)

Profile

Race: "Human"
Chrome: 80% (former Maelstrom gang leader)
Occupation: Fixer
Role: Big-Money Drug Entrepreneur, Northside Fixer, Maelstrom ally & Cyberpsychosis enabler -- Wanted in Night City for drug trafficking, Organized crime, accessory to several murder charges and terroristic events
Theme: HEALTH x PERTURBATOR -- "Excess"
Background: Everyone knows Fixers are the lifeblood of Night City, and that they can make the impossible happen... some are less reputable and inherently malicious than not. Vesper used to be the leader of the Maelstrom gang, until he passed the reins off to a largely unhinged Boosterganger in order to invest more heavily into his business dispensing Glitter, Black Lace and other near-fatal drugs. Vesper gets a bad rap in the Merc & Streetkid perspectives for no other reason than he is known to employ Cyberpsychos, and that many who do business with Vesper will inevitably go Cyberpsycho due to how unhinged and practically suicidal all of his business endeavors are -- "either his gigs or his rewards will send you off the deep end", as they say about him... and that fact, along with the fact that Maelstrom comes running when he calls, is the single reason that both Northside has devolved into an anarchist cesspool, and why no one dares touch him with a 50-foot pole...

Atlas
Salamander
Maybelle

FALLEN NPCS

KAEDE WITHRIDGE (#FF00FF)

Profile

Race: Human
Chrome: 60% (former cyber-soldier, professional Edgerunner levels)
Occupation: Bartender, Fixer
Role: Bartender/Owner of Neon Heart's Bar in the Northside projects; Aolieon's Fixer & Syndicate Liaison, clandestine Syndicate asset, former Fallen Lieutenant
Quirks: Homosexual, voracious libido, smooth talker, synthesia
Themes: Glitch Mob -- "Animus Vox"
Background: Kaede hung up his rifle & magnum to trade in to be a Fixer over two years ago; utilizing the bulk horde of his initial savings to purchase Neon Hearts, he visited a Faceman and assumed a cover identity as a Bartender for multiple reasons -- the major reason being to mask the presence and survival of both Aolieon and himself. Occasionally in order to keep the Syndicate in good graces and keep them off their backs, he picks up his rifle and does away with eyesores here and there... but more often than not, his other part time fixation is covering their tracks by zeroing people who somehow come into the aspect of knowing too much. "Loose lips sink ships" as they say, but Kaede has sunk bigger ships with far less bullets in his heyday...
FALLEN LEGEND: As a result of the Fifth Corporate War, many technologies were reinvented and perfected as a result; one of which was the perfection of AI auto-piloted Aerodynes, helicopters and missile-bearing aircraft. Arasaka would tell you it was because of 'advancements in air defense', but air defense can down AVs just as easy; the real reason was one mythic operator that fought on the side of Militech -- callsign "Iceman", aptly named for rumors of how cool-headed they were in the face of calamity. "Iceman" as he was known was quite the competent aerial pilot on his own -- however, the Iceman built up his legend via quick-scoping aerial pilots out of their aircraft with a single shot, disabling vehicles with an equal amount of the same, and zeroing operatives from miles away... To this day in older Merc circles, they say that no one could wield a Nekomata quite like the Iceman could.
One fateful day when trying to lay low after the Fifth Corporate War, a fateful Ronin was given the detes on one of Militech's most valued sharpshooter, who was consequently alerted that a shinobi was looking for him. What was anticipated as an epic sniper duel ended with a whisper, as a shadow moved across a dozen miles of Badlands, all to offer him a job. The Iceman joined up with the Fallen ArmaCorp and served a colorful record of engagements across several campaigns; all the while training sharpshooters in many different third-world countries... but none ever came close to the Iceman himself, who was whispered to wield high-caliber firepower with such wisdom that it might have even posed a threat to the likes of Adam Smasher.

BONUS LORE FOOTAGE: Classified Militech BDs, 5th Corpo War Black Ops -- POV: Callsign "Iceman"

"BIG MAMA" (default "green")

Profile

Secret Identity: Colonel Evelyn "the Boss" Merris
Preferred Name: Sharon
Chrome: ~54% (former Militech Commander, pragmatic "skill-over-chrome" advocate)
Occupation: Nomad Leader
Role: Leader of the "Sable Seraphs", a biker gang of Warrior-Protectors sworn to several Nomad groups.
Quirks: recreational bartender, matriarchal leader, stoic and pragmatic dogma towards combat, war and its philosophies -- "Mother of Cybersoldier Special Forces", Master of modern-adaptive CQC and various spec-ops skills, and a Legend in her own right (but not a Night City Legend)
Theme: Donna Burke -- "Sins of the Father"
Background: Shortly after the Fallen Uprising, Big Mama and everything associated with her faded into the mists of legend -- with mant believing her dead or self-exiled far away from Night City. While not "Public Enemy #1", far as Militech is concerned, she still ranks highly among their Persons of Interest. The revelation of her survival would send many megacorporations abuzz, not merely because of what she once was... but what she was capable of forging others into.
That being said, the Nomad clans consider the Sable Seraphs under her clandestine command not as among their own families, but rather as a protectorate gang -- treating it more like a contracting agency through which inter-clan disputes can be mediated, and even Corpo-Nomad crises can be resolved. Despite this and the fact that their numbers are few, many cannot help but think thrice before crossing the Sable Seraphs; as it is rumored that where it might take many to pull off a job -- only one of them is called upon.
FALLEN LEGEND: The 5th Corporate War did not end decisively, with many debating the emergence of several clandestine campaigns worldwide in its aftermath, or as they had been dubbed, "cold wars". It was in this time that many knew Arasaka wasn't always the only one known for possessing custom-tailored multitudes of special agents capable of conquering any situation -- once, Militech also entertained this idea, before switching to a "one size fits all" doctrine of training specialized grunts in its pursuit of power... at the head of such initiatives to compete with Arasaka's meticulous modernity was a prominent Militech leader known as Colonel Merris.
Under her tutelage, many special agents mastered various arts of espionage and survival, up and to including HALO insertions, amphibious operations, engaging in highly outnumbered operations using the art of stealth, and "CQC" -- a custom-designed martial art which combined several martial techniques and applied them to all sorts of combative situations, such as the disarmament/dismantling of firearms, advancement under fire, and more. When Militech decided to defund the initiative for highly-trained spec-ops soldiers -- Colonel Merris formally and quietly resigned. While they successfully deactivated her implants and sent many hit-and-retrieval squads after her, Colonel Merris evaded capture for many years afterwards, before reappearing from the shadows under the employ of the Fallen ArmaCorp. Now seemingly in league with her years-long (former) Arasaka Special Operations rival, the media largely slandered her name along with the Fallen's, stating that they had "committed several atrocities across many worldwide fronts, undermining Corporate interests and discouraging world peace". This caused her to undergo many different cover identities, making her highly untraceable after the close of the Fallen Uprising.

It is said that Colonel Merris was responsible for the fostering of many different spec-ops task forces across many different ArmaCorps, with many citing her as the "foster mother" of three entire generations of Special Forces -- ranking her among visionaries such as Morgan Blackhand for writing the playbook for many black-bag operatives.

BIG MAMA
CIPHER
KHAZAN THE REDEEMED
[REDACTED]
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