| Name: Caid McFearson |
Nature: Rebel |
Concept: Brain Hacker |
| Player: Stephen |
Essence: Dynamic |
Mentor: Dr. Ivan Ies |
| Chronicle: UVa Summer 2003 |
Demeanor: Crackerjack |
Cabal: Richmond VA’s |
Attributes
|
| Physical |
Social |
Mental |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Abilities
|
| Talents |
Skills |
Knowledges |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spheres
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advantages
|
| Backgrounds |
Arete |
Merits: Eidetic Memory and Lightning Calculator
Flaws: N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Willpower |
| |
|
Description
Caid’s appearance is a far cry from his old Technocracy dress code, which is exactly how he likes it. He wears pretty generic street clothes (i.e. sneakers, blue jeans, T-shirt, etc.), often sporting a pair of mirror shades, a digital watch, and a PDA with holster. Of course, his laptop and tweaked X-5′s are also always close at hand in case of trouble. Despite this preparedness, Caid’s demeanor is generally very nonchalant and loose, save for when he gets excited about a new project. His current project is a jet pack he recently acquired from a failed Void Engineer raid of his chantry.
Backstory
“How is it coming?” came the cold, methodical voice from behind. Caid knew from the thick Russian accent that it could only be Dr. Ies, the research director.
Caid reached up to remove the VR goggles from his eyes and wheeled his chair around. “It’s going well, Doctor. I’m hoping to have the program finished tonight.”
The edges of the Doctor’s lips curled up slightly, as much of a smile as Caid had ever seen out of him. “Excellent, my boy. I’m glad to hear it. I’ll expect it in the morning, then.” With that, the Doctor gave a confirmatory nod and departed.
“Why the bloody hell did I say that?” Caid asked aloud to himself after Dr. Ies had left. “Now I’ll be up all night finishing this.” He sighed heavily and set his mind back to the task, pushing the VR goggles back over his eyes.
Of course he already knew why he’d made the claim. For all his foibles, Dr. Ies was considered the best. If Caid could manage to impress a man like that, the sky would be the limit for his career. He’d have all the money, prestige, and creative freedom he could dream of. Finally, he would be able to do the kind of research he wanted to do. “First thing’s first, though,” he said aloud, although the entire building was now empty.
With a wave of his hand, a chunk of code flew from one section of the virtual world to the other. He tapped a few buttons that appeared to float in mid-air before him, causing the code to flash and compress. “Time to compilation, 3 minutes, 40 seconds,” came the pleasant female voice of the computer.
Caid leaned back in his chair as he watched the code break down into one’s and zero’s, dissolving and merging in orderly patterns. In a few moments it would be a single unit. Of course, if that file were flawed, which was quite likely, he’d have to go back and try to fix it. He lay his head back and yawned. He’d need some coffee for this one.
“Compilation complete. Zero errors. Zero warnings. Your program is ready for execution,” came the voice again, and Caid perked up in his chair. Zero errors? It was too good to be true. A smile crept across Caid’s face. Maybe he’d get some sleep tonight after all.
Caid glanced about the lab. Naturally, it was still deserted. But the program needed a test subject. “Isn’t that always how it is?” he said to himself. It was risky, against company policy, but Dr. Ies wouldn’t stand for a flawed program. After a moment’s consideration, Caid flicked a few buttons on his keyboard and donned the goggles once more.
Inside the program, Caid witnessed a barren landscape. “Program initiated,” came the computer’s voice. “First sequence commencing.” Instantly, amorphous shapes appeared and danced before Caid’s vision. They twisted from one recognizable form to another, changing color, texture, and form simultaneously. All at once, however, the shapes disappeared. “Sequence one complete. Visual cortex activation confirmed. Sequence two commencing.”
Caid smiled as the program cycled through his own brain’s different processing pathways. It was all working so flawlessly. “I couldn’t have done it better myself,” he thought boastfully. Just then, the landscape around him flashed and scrambled. “What the hell…?” he thought briefly.
“Error. Error. Sequences one through thirty-six commencing.” Caid’s heart jumped. He reached up to tear off the goggles, but it was too late. Stimuli bombarded his senses from all sides. Sights, sounds, emotions, sensations… Distantly, he heard the computer’s voice. “Warning. Neural activation reaching critical levels. Sixty-two percent. Sixty-three percent…”
Caid clutched involuntarily at his head as he collapsed onto the floor. He could no longer perceive the computer’s warning cries. All at once, however, he felt the virtual reality slip away, and a feeling of sublime understanding passed over him. The universe burst forth to his senses with unearthly clarity, and Caid felt more awake and alive than any other time in his life.
The feeling stretched on for what seemed like an eternity before Caid finally fell unconscious a few seconds later. “Program execution complete.”
Magick
Caid’s Paradigm – Brain Potential
For years, cognitive science has used the computer metaphor in an attempt to explain human thought. This view, while useful in certain situations, reduces the majesty of the brain to an almost machine level. Of course, the brain is no mere machine, as any neurophysiologist will tell you. It is an impossibly complex arrangement of individual neurons working in tandem to process incredible amounts of information. Electrical differentials speed along myelinated dendrites, neurotransmitters flood across synapses, and the miracle of the mind is born.
It is only natural to think that the wonders of the information age must indeed surpass our own inborn processing capabilities. After all, computers can perform in seconds operations that would take a human days or weeks. However, the quality of the data being processed must be taken into account. A computer represents data in binary form, and so mathematics and computations are naturally a simple matter. A human being, on the other hand, stores data as varying levels of electrical charge. This has its own advantages. For example, computers have a difficult time making perceptual judgments; this is the reason we don’t have computer-controlled cars on the roads. Humans are naturally wired for such tasks. So, the power of the human brain cannot be discounted simply because it can’t add as quickly as a calculator.
The Technocracy, of course, knows this, even though many of them would argue against it. Even their HIT Marks retain a great deal of human nervous tissue to function adequately. Why? Because a computer cannot do some of the things a brain can do. This is the simple fact of the matter.
Of course, the brain has one particularly amazing capacity that only the most advanced Technocratic computers possess. The human brain is capable of self-adaptation, actively changing its programming and internal framework to accommodate an ever-changing world of stimuli. Thus, it possesses a quality of growth that no ordinary machine could ever duplicate.
The conclusion of this argument is simple. The brain can be likened to a computer in that it processes raw data into useful information. The brain also has the capacity for self-growth and adaptation. Therefore, it must be concluded that the brain’s ultimate processing capacity is effectively limitless, making it superior to a computer in every way.
The only caveat to this conclusion is that many human brains fail to actualize their true potential. The stagnancy of the Technocracy stifles cognitive development, encouraging the Masses to adopt rote, machine-like behavior. Ingenuity and creative thought are considered aberrant, and treated as an anomaly rather than an aspiration. Those unique few who express true Genius are assimilated into their ranks only to promote the same mindless stasis. This is the Technocracy’s goal, to turn brains into machines and force human thought into predictable patterns, so that the world becomes dead and inspirationless. This is their Ascension, and it must not be allowed to happen.
Of course, their design is flawed in its underestimation of human ingenuity. Most minds are easily dominated, but some break free. In that glorious moment of Awakening, a chosen few become aware of the travesty of Ascension that the Technocracy seeks. We are the Traditions, and we choose not to go silently into that nightmare. We break free, actualizing our true potential and becoming more than mere Techncratic drones.
Opinions of Other Traditions
Akashic Brotherhood – Hey, I like kung fu movies just as much as the next guy, but you just can’t fight the Technocracy like that in this day and age. You’ve got to give it to these guys for their enlightened mentality, but they’re about as subtle as a stampede.
Celestial Chorus – Yeah, my mom took me to church when I was little. Even then I thought it was a bunch of bullshit. Oh well, whatever floats your boat.
Cult of Ecstasy – I tell you, these guys know how to party! I wouldn’t count on them to save the day or anything, but if you’re looking for a good time they’re the crowd you want to hang with.
Dreamspeakers – Ghosts and spirits? Creepy. I don’t know anything about that, nor do I care to. Of course, I’m sure they’re just as squeamish about virtual reality. It’s probably best that we keep each other at arm’s length.
Euthanatos – Life’s a bitch and then you die, huh? What a downer. I think these guys are missing the point of it all.
Order of Hermes – I cast Magic Missle! Wait, we’re not playing D&D? Oh, I guess these guys need to get themselves out of the dark ages, then.
Sons of Ether – Holy shit, talk about cool gizmos! Mommy, I know what I want for Christmas.
Verbena – Ew, messy. I don’t claim to understand their way of doing things, but it sure makes VR look like a much better alternative.
Hollow Ones – You mean those gothic-looking punks I see hanging around the clubs? They’re alright, I guess, but they could stand to have a little direction.
Caid’s Rotes
Defragment (Mind 1) – The mage’s own cognitions are rearranged into a more useful and
logical ordering. Each success subtracts one from the difficulty of any mental task for the duration of the effect, up to a maximum of -3.
Eureka! (Entropy 1, Mind 1) – The mage is bombarded with reams of data pertaining to his current
situation and quickly reaches a conclusion on the best possible solution.
Photoelectric State Inducer (Mind 2) – The mage utilizes a specialized device that emits light in a particular series of flashes, causing the target to assume a desired mental state (e.g. anger, sleep, complacency, arousal, etc.). Thanks to recent motion pictures, this effect is generally coincidental.
Most models of the device are portable, compact, and concealable, often appearing as pens or mirrors. As a Mind 3 effect, the PSI can also be used to induce states of hypnotic suggestibility.
Caid’s Equipment
Gear: Photoelecric State Inducer, two Tweaked X-5 Protectors, VR Specs, PDA, remote interfaces
Specialized Equipment: Computer, jet pack
Tweaked X-5 Protector (damage 5; range 40; rate 3; clip 15; conceal J)
This is an obviously upgraded version of the Technocracy’s premier handgun, the X-5 Protector. Like its predecessor, the new model is invisible to metal detectors, can fire most kinds of special ammunition, and is capable of semi-automatic, three-round burst, and automatic fire. This model, however, features improved clip capacity and a built-in recoil reduction system which decreases difficulty penalties associated with rapid fire by one. In addition, the barrel of the gun is fitted with a remote camera feed, which can be used with other devices to aim in the dark, around corners, etc.
This entry was posted
on Friday, June 20th, 2003 at 10:19 am and is filed under Tabletop RPGs.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
