Stygian Technologies: Field Agents - Signup

Setting Thread
Discussion Thread
Roleplay Thread

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The unstoppable march of progress has made things a lot better. Especially for mercenaries.

The year is 2055, and humanity's technological achievements are dizzying. Robots serve us as our maids, secretaries, chauffeurs, and protectors. Bionic prostheses and artificial organs bring quality of life back to the sick and injured. Due to genetic modification, children are born smarter, healthier, and with longer life expectancies. Newly-developed, inexpensive clean energy systems are slowly but surely reversing the effects of global climate change. Crime has continued to plummet - at least where the average citizen is concerned.

Because of the success of these patented technologies, corporations are beginning to outstrip national governments in terms of wealth and power, and as a result, they're beginning to act like them. Armed squads made up of both permanent employees and freelance mercenaries are sent out to steal, destroy, and defend corporate assets on the companies' dimes. Small wars are fought and covert actions are undertaken every day between these "Field Agents;" soldiers utilizing lasers, powered armor, robotic reinforcements, and more, all openly in the name of profit.

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You've been employed as one of these field agents by the corporation known as Stygian Technologies. A tech firm specializing in augmentation of the human body, their private nature and what some would call unnatural aims make them a mysterious player in the global tech market, but the fruits of their research and development cannot be denied. It's this remarkable success that makes them a constant target for the other major companies and other hidden interests besides.

Though officially reported as a "lab accident," the latest major action against them resulted in the violent deaths of almost fifty employees involved in research the company would rather keep under wraps. The origin of this biological attack is still unknown, but the recent rise of the religiously-motivated Church of the Offspring and their anti-transhumanist agenda just outside the city seems more than a simple coincidence.

Their compound is heavily guarded, however, and Stygian would rather avoid the potential PR disaster of a direct assault at the hands of their own official employees - but if the Church was indeed responsible, a retaliatory strike is in order. That's where you come in - though your loyalty is far from certain, your skills are unquestionable. Word has gotten around that your work for the other corporations has gotten results, and Stygian is always looking for true talent. Alternatively, you may be a new creation of Stygian Technologies itself; a cybernetic or gene-spliced monster that someone up the chain has decided is ready for a field test. Either way, assuming your psych profile comes out clean (enough), you'll be getting paid well for this.

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Overview

Stygian Technologies: Field Agents is intended to be set in a near-future Post-Cyberpunk world; think Cyberpunk, but not dystopian. Technology, while quite advanced, is not yet to the point of interstellar travel or reliable quantum manipulation. More importantly, the high tech that is available to your character does not necessarily reflect the everyday, and the common citizen is not outfitted with bionic arms or spliced to have the advantages of animal species. Not until these procedures hit the wider market in a few years, at least. The point is, the world, at least on the surface, should feel familiar for the most part, just logically extrapolated a few decades into the future from now.

It is very important to me that players who wish to join this RP will at least attempt interest in eachother's characters. As characters are created and approved, try to think of how yours would interact with them (or, in some cases, react to the fact of their very existence). I'm not interested in running a party of self-absorbed loners whose dark and mysterious pasts supersede the world of the game. Any dark and mysterious pasts should inform the characters' actions, not be their focus.

Finally, if you're losing interest, tell me. Just send me a PM if you don't think you're going to be posting anymore so I'm not left waiting on you.

Additional setting information can be found here. Feel free to ask setting questions in this signup thread.

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Stygian Technologies Field Agent Application Form

Stygian Technologies is an equal opportunity employer. However, job space is limited and while we would like to, we cannot accept every applicant. This form acts as a sort of template résumé to help us streamline the hiring process. Please fill in every field honestly and to the best of your ability.

• Name: We understand that many field agents exclusively go by a pseudonym or codename when doing corporate work. We do not require a legal name, just write whatever you would prefer to be called while on-duty.
• Class: Optional. Write one word you would use to describe yourself. The word should bring to mind your abilities and the particular role you feel you exemplify. Examples include: Abomination, Blademaster, Colossus, Demolitionist, Guardian, Infiltrator, Investigator, Marksman, Medic, Roboticist, Savage, Technician.
• Age: Stygian Technologies complies with the Fair Labor Standards Act and does not employ minors.
• Appearance: Describe yourself physically. The more detail the better, as this field helps us prevent ID fraud. For security purposes, please do not attach photographs, unless you personally had a hand in creating the content of the image.
• Abilities/Enhancements: Any super-human abilities granted to you, such as those endowed through bionic procedures or gene-splicing. Obviously, this field may not pertain to all applicants, in which case feel free to leave it blank.
• Skills: Describe any training or talents that you possess that you think may be relevant to the position, including but not limited to: athletics, deception, driving, engineering, hacking, medicine, persuasion, stealth, or weapon proficiency.
• Equipment: List here any potentially mission-applicable items you own, from the mundane to the high-tech. Some guidelines for appropriate equipment are here. Assuming you did not create the equipment yourself, note which company manufactured it, and provide the name of the item if possible. Any applicant powersuits are restricted to 8 feet tall maximum for the sake of environment adaptability. For the same reason, any vehicles or companions, automated or otherwise, will be highly scrutinized.
• Backstory: Your backstory and personality are helpful for us to determine where you might fit best in the company. Try to answer at least some of the following questions:
  • How did you learn the skills you know?
  • If you have any, how did you gain your high-tech gadgets or enhancements? Which company made your equipment or performed your procedures?
  • How did you end up applying for this position with Stygian Technologies? Are you simply an unaffiliated mercenary working freelance? Or if you were already employed by the company, were you a volunteer for experimentation, a field tester of prototype technologies, a security specialist?
  • Please describe any past experiences with, and list your references from, any of the other major companies.
• Personality:
  • What is the first impression you tend to give to other people?
  • What tactics are you most likely to employ to meet your goals?
  • What do you think of radical bionic or genetic enhancement?
  • If applicable, how have your own enhancements affected your life?
  • What do you think of Stygian Technologies and/or the other major companies?

  • Priorities: List the top three things that motivate you (e.g. adventure, compassion, competition, glory, honor, information, instinct, logic, love, money, power). When deciding on the order, think about which would take precedent if two of your motivations came into conflict
    • 1st:
    • 2nd:
    • 3rd:

Sample Form: Xarok ^Expand 

• Name: Xarok
• Class: Devastator
• Age: Early 40s
• Appearance: Xarok eschews the human form for a more intimidating one. His titanium head lacks a face, appearing highly austere with a dominant, transparent visor, behind which three glowing blue optics are arranged unnervingly. Thick tubes run the sides of his head where the jawline would be, and meet at the chin, where a metal plate protects the breathing apparatus.
  
  
Olive drab and gray paint coats much of his angular exterior, which seems almost skeletal. The upper torso and chest is a wide, solid ribcage protecting several core functions, supported by a tough, but incongruously thin abdomen resembling a spinal column. Tall, shield-like vertical shoulder plates protect his head and upper arms. His hands and feet are long and have three digits each; the hands are like thick talons, and the feet have a rear-toe that can fold down for stability. The silver symbol of a scorpion - the logo of Stygian Technologies - adorns his chest like a badge.
  
  
Despite possessing a high-quality modulator, Xarok's voice comes out metallic and cold. While tone is maintained to facilitate conversation, the reverberating effect is disquieting.
• Abilities/Enhancements: Biologically, there is little left of Xarok. His remaining gray matter sits within a nigh-indestructible braincase, permanently coupled to a seven-foot tall robotic body. Due to this, he is considerably hard to kill, and need not concern himself with most of the inconveniences of flesh and blood. His fiber-optic nerves give him reaction speeds rivaling that of some combat drones, and he has strength outperforming most powered armor. This enables him to wield ordnance normally intended for vehicles, though his bladed hands make for deadly weapons unto themselves.
  
  

Additionally, he is furnished with a sensor array that surpasses the most well-equipped spy, with telescoping optics, heat vision, ultrasonic hearing, and a detailed chemical readout of his immediate environment in place of traditional olfactory senses. He has several supplementary "eyes" across his body that let him see in 360 degrees.
• Skills:
  • Medical: Xarok has an in-depth knowledge of human anatomy, giving him the proficiency to repair damaged tissue and control bleeding, but not much else.
  • Engineering: Robotics is second nature to Xarok, as he is nearly a machine himself. He can repair and dismantle robotics and bionics with ease.
  • Tracking: With the considerable sensor array at his disposal, Xarok is adept at hunting targets across any terrain. Due to his mechanical nature, he rarely needs rest, and can relentlessly pursue his objectives over great distances.
  • Heavy Weapons: While "Skill" may play little part in one's effectiveness with such ordnance, Xarok seems to disdain the use of any gun one could reasonably deploy without powered armor or augmentation, making him well practiced in the use of heavy weapons. Furthermore, auto-stabilizers in his arms mitigate the tremendous recoil generated by many of these weapons.
  • Close Combat: Xarok takes to close-quarters combat with a perturbing zeal, using his chain-blade and powerful claws to gorily rend his foes apart. Though raw strength and clawed hands have diminished the importance of the martial arts in which the military trained him, his brutality is unmatched.
• Equipment:
  • MGC-6 "Minigun" Heavy Machine Gun: Originally designed for weapon mounts on AL-SEC helicopters and APCs, this six-barreled rotary machine gun has gained popularity with heavy support soldiers as powered armor has become more prevalent. So clad (or augmented, in this case), the weapon becomes man-portable despite its considerable weight and the weight of the ammo required to sustain it. Xarok has modified this minigun to have a highly adjustable fire rate, all the way from 3200 rounds per minute down to single-shot. Additionally, his HUD links with a target-painting laser alongside the barrels that allows him to aim with some precision despite its ungainly handholds.
    • "Inferno" Incendiary Rounds: These Landsknecht-developed bullets are loaded with a time-delayed compound that bursts into intense blue flame immediately after impact. The extreme temperatures are capable of igniting the fuel tanks of vehicles, though the sheer terror they inspire makes them quite effective against infantry morale as well. Xarok rarely carries a large quantity of these, since keeping the minigun fed with regular ammunition is expensive enough as it is.
  • ECCS "Eviscerator" Chainblade: Xarok utilizes this AL-SEC chainblade to tear through the armor of enemy combatants when his robotic claws are insufficient. The blade and handle have been elongated to match his intimidating frame, giving him additional reach and leverage.
  • Built-in Multitool: Xarok's fingers are capable of splitting apart, revealing a wired computer interface, a miniature welding/cutting torch, and a drill, among other tools helpful for repair. His fingers themselves have sharp, though retractable blades, and are strong enough to be used as wrenches, shovels, or axe-blades.
• Backstory: Born under a different name, Xarok was gifted with the strength and endurance that would make him an ideal soldier, and, underestimating his own intelligence, he refrained from higher learning and was recruited into the U.S. Army at 18 years of age. Though he quickly rose through the ranks, he felt a growing distance between himself and the rest of humanity. Despite pushing his body to its limits, he was never be satisfied with his strength, and perceived himself frail and weak even as he excelled in his martial training.
  
  
Stygian Technologies was rising during that time, and they had begun to shock the world with what many perceived to be "Playing God," replacing perfectly healthy limbs and organs of volunteers with superior bionic augments. It was not long before they started coming under attack by extremist groups and jealous corporations alike, and needed military-trained personnel to guard their interests. Meanwhile, the U.S. military itself had become dissatisfied with the slow progress of DARPA, and, wary of Fenghuang's grotesque but effective enhancements to the Chinese PLA, they reached out to Stygian for better soldiers.
  
  
And so it was that Stygian began looking for volunteers in the Army for their most ambitious project yet; a total bionic conversion - replacing every organ in a human body save for the brain with a faster, stronger, more durable counterpart. While his military peers were horrified or sickened by the prospect, Xarok stepped up immediately.
  
  
Stygian engineers were surprised by his eagerness, but more so by how quickly he took to the science behind the experimental procedure. Xarok spent sleepless weeks learning as much as he could in the fields of biomechanics and robotics, and found himself working alongside the engineering team. He offered countless insightful suggestions over the months, and eventually there was no part of the blueprint for this new body that he had not had a hand in creating. Xarok's newly-emergent expertise, as well as his passion for the ideals shared by Stygian Technologies as a whole were noted by the higher-ups, and his contract was bought from the government before the body was even manufactured.
  
  
It was not without great expense, however, as the project's cost would no longer be reimbursed by the military, and Xarok would be ostensibly indebted to Stygian for the rest of his life. He did not care. He had become loyal not only to the people he worked with so closely, but to Stygian Technologies' core values of unflinchingly challenging the limits of nature. He would gladly defend its assets and its people, and he hoped to establish the superiority of his creation over the mere biology of its enemies in doing so.
  
  
Finally, it was constructed; a perfect, cold machine to house his mind. The cerebral transplantation was performed without a hitch, and he awoke with a sense of freedom he had never before known. He changed his name, casting off the last restraints of his old self, and became Xarok; a veritable cybernetic demigod untethered by the frailty and weakness of the flesh.
  
  
Several years have passed since, and while bionics have become somewhat common among the soldiers of the major tech conglomerates, Xarok's "total conversion" remains almost unique, and he still strives to prove his worth. In that time, he has defended and retrieved Stygian resources, human and otherwise, that nearly equal his own staggering cost. He quickly approaches that threshold - the return on the company's investment. This mission, he hopes, is another step toward paying off his debts and beginning phase two of his ascendence.
• Personality: Due to the extensive cybersurgery he has undergone, Xarok is barely recognizable as human. In his mind, he has ascended beyond humanity - and espouses this with some frequency. He is intolerably pedagogical to some; chiding "human" soldiers for any weakness displayed, and extolling the virtues of his mechanical nature at any opportunity. For this reason, he often works alone.
  
  
Xarok has spent nearly a decade without flesh, pain, or the other hindrances the rest of humanity takes for granted. Because of this, his ability to empathize or relate to mankind is dwindling. No attempt has been made on his part to seek psychological treatment, either; he simply doesn’t see any issue. Stygian Technologies sees him as too valuable to agitate with intrusive psychological evaluation, so thus far they have tolerated his arguably questionable mental status.
  • Priorities:
    • 1st: Cybernetic transcendance
    • 2nd: Loyalty to Stygian Technologies
    • 3rd: Demonstrating superiority

(This character will be inactive unless there aren't enough players.)

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Characters:

• Anastya Mirivac, the Roboticist
• Mr. Chun, the Colossus
• Malware, the Hacker
• Vespa, the Demagogue
• Lady Bedivere, the Knight
• Forlorn, the Vanguard
• Serenity, the Ronin
• Fishwife, the Marksman

edited 28th Sep '15 10:23:18 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

To whomever it may concern,

I am interested in applying for a position in your company, and believe that we offer a valuable set of skills as well as being willing to work with others in wide variety of setting and company. Attached is the form containing information as per your template.

• Name: Anastya Mirivac

• Class: Roboticist/Engineer/Chemist

• Age:22

• Appearance: Most recent photograph, taken with a timer◊

• Abilities/Enhancements:
  • A secondary artificial heart, enhanced kidney and livers
  • Hearing implants

• Skills:
  • Ph D of Robotics (University of Moscow) w/ 7 Years of Applied/Practical Robotics: In depth knowledge of how to produce and maintain a small squad of drones and droids combatants and workers
  • Master of Industrial Engineering (University of Moscow) w/ 7 Years of Applied/Practical Engineering: Experience in maintaining industrial machines, as well as building one from scratch or modifying them to suit needs
  • Master of Chemical Engineering (University of Moscow): Knowledge in how to manufacture chemicals or their uses, whether in weapons or fueling purposes
  • First-Aid: Applied knowledge of how to patch broken bones, perform triages, treat wounds, Heimlich maneuvers, etc. until proper medical care can arrive in time
  • Applied Computing: Created the Hgst_16-63 AI in use with all created drones/droids. Based off one of Brightstar Systems own AI.
  • Applied Mechanics: Stems from knowledge and experience in robotics as well as engineering. Able to perform basic repairs on cybernetics and/or basic maintenance.
  • Driving License

• Equipment(s):
  • Personal Digital Assistant (Phone) - Hgst_16-63 Master AI installed, enabling basic applications such as personal management of drones (through hardware interfacing), hacking (through hardware interfacing), receiving mails and video calls, lockpicking/safe-cracking suite (updated), and listening to a selection of classical music.
  • Multi-tool- For maintenance and in-field repair/dismantle of drones/droids/machines/person
  • TASER (12,000 volt) - Handheld personal defense device
  • [4] Type-16 Combat Droids, [2] Type-15 Worker Droids- Comes pre-installed with Hgst_16-63 Slave AI. Lifting strength of 250kg, resistant to standard NATO 5.56mm rifle-caliber rounds, immune to standard 10mm pistol-caliber rounds. Battery life of 2 weeks. Independent, shielded units. Triple encrypted connections to Master AI on-prompt.

• Backstory:

Born in Moscow, Russia to an affluent family, Anastya displayed a calling in the fields of mathematics and the sciences at the tender age of 12. Observing this, her parents, a subsidiary of Brightstar Systems Europe division made arrangements for her to be enrolled in the prestigious Moscow University in order to obtain higher education, and unlike them—Make it in life. Afterwards, she interned in Brightstar for 1(s) year, working under their robotics divisions and learning much from them. Even after her graduation at 21, and until a tragic car-bombing that claimed their lives, the three remained very close to each other.

She obtained her other set of heart to supplement her own weaker heart when she was diagnosed with a heart disorder at 12, whereupon using their medical insurance, she obtained a new secondary heart from Stygian Technologies in Europe, paid for with insurance and a bit of subsidy. In addition to her own heart disorder, her own weak kidney and liver was supplemented with augmentation as well as a precaution, and the nano-machines was installed in her blood to help fix any complications relating to the installation of the augmentations.

Operating from her family home's garage, she salvaged the local junkyard and machine shops for parts and bits, constructing her first drone and computer at 15, labeled Type-1 as well as entering college the same year. In the subsequent 6 years, she improved the computer and drone, installing and constructing a set of AI based off those she has seen in Brightstar robotics during her brief internships (consented by her father, Grigorin Mirivac).

She ended up in this position after departing amiably from Brightstar Systems Europe, heading to the US to broaden her views, travel as well as try something new. She currently has a 7 year(s) work visa, and applied to gain a stable income as well as obtain experience.

Past experience includes: 6 year(s) internship with Brightstar Systems Europe of the Moscow Branch in the Applied Robotics Divisions, working under Supervisor Mikhail Bristvaya, available under [PHONE NUMBER], 1 year(s) employment with Brighstar Systems Europe Brightstar Systems Europe of the Moscow Branch in the Applied Robotics Divisions, working under Supervisor Mikhail Bristvaya as Heads of Robotics Lab 301 and supervising various projects and tasks.

• Personality:

• The first impression Anastya gives is often likened by colleagues and family to that of a small dog. Friendly, easy-going, and absent minded as described and quoted. To meet the goal(s) given, Anastya preferably tries to employ the most efficient and straightforward method possible, operating under transparency and maskirovkas where applicable. As about radical bionics and genetics, she is under view of understanding their necessities, and will gladly take them if she ever needs them gravely.
• Enhancements wise, her artificial heart, augmented kidneys and livers are among the few things she owed her life to, due to her weaker heart, livers and kidneys. Stygian Technologies, as well as Brightstar Systems is in her view— "They do what they must, because they can".
• Motivations:
  • 1st - Family/Colleagues
  • 2nd - Compassion
  • 3rd - Knowledge

всегда верен

Ooh, I may well make a sheet... Just a bit busy these days. I will if I can, though.

“Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”

@ f1r3lemon: This character looks really good, the only real issue I have is how many drones she fields. I don't want her to overwhelm the party with her own minions. Would you consider reducing their number to maybe two total? Given her skills, she may well be able to "steal" additional robots on-mission.

I'm surprised you didn't make a Krepost Labs-centered character, given your location ("The Zone, Pripyat, Kiev Oblast, UKR"). That company is basically supposed to reek of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., only Russian, and a few more decades in the future.

edited 11th Aug '15 5:12:42 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

@Stygian Oh, she won't field more than two per a field operation, yeah. Most of the time, they are just hook'ed and charging in her apartment idling unless its something that needs a lot of hands. Otherwise, Stygian Tech can impose a restriction on her fielding multiple drones—I.E Two to one per field operation

Also, who knows what lies under all the shine and splendor of the Muscovite Brightstar...?

всегда верен

Anastya Mirivac,

I am happy to inform you that your application has been approved. An appointment has been made with one of our psychologists for your assessment* (nothing more than a formality in your case). Once that's out of the way, you can sign your employment contract and will be assigned your first mission.

Sincerely,
Alectus Fell, Field Supervisor/Handler

*To occur at the beginning of the game.

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A robotics savant, started college at 15 and got her Ph.D. at 21, creating her very own AI in the meantime - Exactly the kind of hire Stygian is always after to take the edge away from Brightstar. Plus, she has had direct experience under them - something Stygian no doubt took interest in. The fact that she gave up a guaranteed more lucrative career with them to come here shows a sense of altruism, though I must admit curiosity as to why she applied to be a field agent rather than staying safe in a robotics lab. With no prior combat experience, I will be interested to hear how she performs under pressure, under fire. If she lives long enough, maybe she will have some insights for my own designs.

edited 21st Aug '15 3:27:26 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Dear Mr. Fell,

I am glad that you took my offer to accept. I will meet up with the appointed psychologist at that time. I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

A. Mirivac

всегда верен

Hmm hmm writing up an Indoctrinated British Agent working now for Stygian for a little while with a lot of Bionics.

If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.

This looks really cool, though I'm not sure who to sign up as... Hm. Never mind, idea get. Will put up a sheet soonish. Though there not being an Africa-based company hinders my character a bit...

edited 11th Aug '15 9:30:18 PM by Tojin

“Not a promise, not an oath, or a malediction or a curse. Inevitable." - Taylor Hebert

Interested in making a gene-spliced abomination wearing the face of man or a Japanese street-magician/infiltrator.

Hey, Stygian, where does your opinion falls on on Psionic?

@ Tojin: Yeah, I realized all too late that I ignored three whole continents with the corporate HQs. I basically ran out of "specialties" for them to have. That being said, every company has branches on every continent. If you want, we can work on a smaller tech company that's headquartered in Africa.

@ Pblades: Psionics are not available to player characters. However, if you want to make a former Zolskyov-stationed Krepost Labs employee character there may be something approaching it. Send me a PM if you're interested.

edited 11th Aug '15 11:55:37 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

[Pending Revision]

• Name: Artyom
• Class: Peacekeeper
• Age: 33
• Appearance: Tall, dark, with muscles like coiled steel. His green eyes bear the experience of someone twice his age, glaring down a misshapen, crooked nose that looks to have been broken and ineptly set multiple times. Curiously enough, he smells faintly like anti-septic chemicals.
• Abilities/Enhancements:
  • Gene-spliced for Radiation Resistance

• Skills:
  • Mechanical Engineering: Certified to operate and conduct field repair on most machines and vehicles manufactured for the open market by major companies around the world.
  • Riot-Breaking: Extensive combat experience in stressful situations with multiple hostile entities. Heightened awareness and perception. Former Politsiya.
  • Infiltration: Infiltration expertise through applied architectural knowledge for the purposes of portal and barriers deconstruction.
  • Russian Boxing: Informal education, learnt one drunken brawl at a time.
  • Cook: A passable cook, specializing in bear, rat, long and unusual meats.
• Equipment:
  • Type 065 “Blyat” Hi-Powered Pistol: A miracle of Krepost-Neo Soviet engineering, capable of firing almost every small arms round in existence and mounting a similarly high amount of attachments.
    • Necrosis Rounds: A prototype Krepost-designed ammunition. Expensive, and dangerous to handle outside a specialize suit. Seems to be exceptionally effective against organics. Wounds inflicted quickly rot, intimidating nearby or observing enemies. Due to certain circumstances, Artyom has a total of 112 rounds on his person.
    • Helios Rounds: Explosive “flashbang” rounds, delivered at high velocity.
    • Elijah Rounds: While cutting edge at the time it was manufactured, advancements in electromagnetic shielding have rendered these mostly ineffective against current generation bionics and robots. Still deliver a mean hammerblow of a kinetic punch, however.
  • Type 001 “Otkázyvatʹ” Pneumatic Steel-Alloy Glove: Prototype kinetic energy enhancement and application device worn over the fist.
  • Type 451 “ Zheleznyj Zanaves” Very Hazard Material Nullification, Purification, and Containment Suit: An outdated model with stripped servo and fried HUD. Heavy maintenence and services required to return to full functionality. Visor and ventilation pockets kept open to prevent heatstroke during normal functionality, through defunct rebreather keep airtight operation at less than three minutes each times. Shielded from electromagnetic attacks due to minimal functionality to start with. Resistant to small arms fire. Surprisingly agile.
• Backstory:

Born in Zolskyov, Russia to an impoverished single mother and quickly given to the then-State run Orphanage. Notable for leadership ability and proper deference to lawful authority, Artyom quickly joined the Politsiya Academy, where he graduated with honors. Due to bureaucratic mismanagement, he was assigned to the Corps of Engineer rather than be fast-tracked to Officer School, atrophying his command potentials. Despite repeated attempts, his case was never reviewed and he remained in the Engineering Corps service until the fall of Neo-Soviet. Head-hunted by Krepost Corporation, he signed up with the company as a Quality Assurance specialist and was eventually sent to assess and, subsequently, contain the Zolskyov situation. It did not goes well.

Due to certain extenuating circumstances, Artyom entered the services of Stygian Company with the recommendation of a mid-level researcher who neglected to disclose their name.

References: 8 Years Education in the Police Academy, 2 Years Training in the Riot Police Programme, 6 Years Services with the Engineering Corps, 3 Years as QA with the Krepos Labs.

Personality: Quiet and taciturn, Artyom wears a carefully applied neutral, polite mask in his dealings. While a cheerful, even boisterous, good-natured drunkard in his rare moment of inebriation, most would only see him as a distant, aloof professional. Curiously, in combat operation he would be cool-headed until point of contact, whereupon he would fight with a cornered desperation even against negligible threat. Artyom possess a forceful and direct assertiveness, preferring to apply overwhelming force at the first opportunity. He possesses enough of a pragmatic mindset to tolerate bionic or genetic enhancement, though he is quietly distrustful of them. His own genetic enhancements, being applied in-viro, has had a major if unacknowledged influence in his life. It is what he was used to, something natural for him, and he paid them no mind, utilizing them like he would his limbs. He doesn’t possess any overwhelming opinion on the major companies, though it seems that he did not part on good terms with Krepos Labs, and that he seems to view Stygian Corps as more than just an employer.

• Priorities:
  • 1st: Success of Mission
  • 2nd: Redemption/Peace of Mind
  • 3rd: To Protect and Serve

edited 12th Aug '15 8:59:26 PM by pblades

Yeah, just call it Russia. I have a few issues with this sheet. I'll send you some suggestions via PM.

edited 12th Aug '15 6:48:19 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Eh, no problem with me man about the Neo-Soviet thing. Though yeah, Stygian just said to go with Russia

всегда верен

I'll make an application, expect it to be done by tomorrow.

edited 14th Aug '15 12:16:49 PM by wikkit

• Name: Chun Xiubai
• Class: Colossus
• Age: 35
• Appearance: Bai is a short Chinese man whose age seems to be gaining on him quickly. His head is mostly bald, with a thick scraggle of hair over his chin that he seems to be reluctant to shave. His body is rather thin from malnutrition and mostly hairless. His brown eyes are relatively sunken into his head, and he looks sallow in general. He pilots a suit of powered armor that is unlike most. Instead of an obviously mechanical suit, it appears more like riot armor: tough fabrics and kevlar comprising the outer shell. The suit, generally tan or brown in color, lacks many metal objects minus the helmet. The head is a dome-shaped object, silver and devoid of any features besides a pair of simple black cameras (an engineer on the project initially suggested they add "multiple glowing cameras" to the suit, he was immediately unassigned). The suit is bulky and tall, standing at an even seven feet. Here's f1r3lemon's considerably better rendition of my poor mspaint drawing.◊
• Skills:
  • Armor Pilot: He has had about a decade of experience operating the Type 100 Special Operations Armor in both diagnostic testing and combat training, and is probably the singular most qualified person in the world to pilot it. He's attained a level of "sync", as he calls it, that allows him to operate with finesse not normally seen.
  • Bilingual: He's taken to English as a hobby while in downtime with his former employer, and is capable of speaking it decently along with his native Cantonese.
  • Weapons Operation: Due to the general lack of integrated weapons in the Type 100, he is trained in the use of a number of firearms and heavy ordinance normally carried by the PLA while using the suit. Outside of the suit, some of his experience transfers over, but not much.
  • Native Knowledge: He has a great deal of knowledge of his native city, Hong Kong, including the urban culture, navigation and some knowledge of the criminal underworld. Bai has been in isolation due to his former employment, however, so he may be a bit behind the times in the modern Pearl of The Orient.
• Equipment:
  • Phoenix Type 100 Special Operations Armor: The end result of Fenghuang's brief venture into producing powered armors for the PLA, the Type 100 is unlike most other armors in existence. Unlike those that use hydraulics and motors to power movement, the Type 100 uses a tight mesh of synthetic muscle that not only allow for a great increase of strength, finer motor controls and coordination, but also extreme resistance to all but heavy or armor-piercing ordinance. The musculature is controlled by a direct connection to the pilot's synapses to mirror the physical movements the pilot makes. The suit is capable of amplifying the user's strength to lift up to 2 metric tons, and increase their grip strength to about 1,000 PSI. The suit also has a special quality in that the muscles of the suit are capable of self regeneration, where after a long period (usually over an hour) of inactivity the suit is capable of repairing all but the most grievous damage.
  • Pile Bunker: The only weapon intended to be physically mounted on the suit, a pile bunker is a device which fires a large metal spike as a piston with great force, in this case mounted on the wrist of the Type 100. Designed as both a breaching mechanism and for use against armored targets, it is pneumatically fired and takes time to "recharge" between activations.
  • QLZ89 Grenade Launcher: Bai intends to be outfitted on a assignment-by-assignment basis, with this stolen item being the sole exception. The QLZ89 is a fully automatic drum-fed grenade launcher capable of carrying a variety of different loads, and is built for use in the PLA. Normally meant to be mounted on a vehicle, the Type 100 is capable of carrying and firing this weapon with one hand.
• Backstory: Around 2043, the People's Republic of China sought to create a new variety of powered armor to compete with the increasing global market. The Phoenix Corporation was tasked with creating a suit that would provide added agility without sacrificing durability, serve as both riot control and breaching, and keeping maintenance costs down. Their answer was the creation of the Synth-Muscle, but a unique problem was discovered during development. Manipulation of synth-muscle required a greater degree of neural connection between pilot and suit, to the point where an extensive calibration to the individual pilot was needed. Chun Xiubai, Hong Kong native and private security guard, was among the initial test subjects invited to the project, originally intended as expendable if the mental link caused irreversible damage. The initial experiment went off without a hitch, and he was subsequently employed as a test subject for the suit, then known as the Type 98. During his 10 year employment period in Fenghuang, he and his family were housed in a military base while research and training took place. Unfortunately, recently the PLA decided to can the project entirely. While they had succeeded in their initial goals, the synthetic muscle required to create and entire suit was extremely expensive compared to the traditional mechanical suit, and the process of linking a pilot was both too expensive and too long to make the armor feasible. After funding had been yanked, Mr. Chun was made aware of his employer's plans to liquidate himself and his family for knowing far too many trade secrets to be merely unemployed. He made a daring escape from the base, stealing both the Type 100 and two integral pieces of equipment in the process. He eventually was able to egress to western Canada alongside his wife, daughter and brother, though penniless and homeless. Fearing that his former employers would take action sooner than later, he now seeks the security of employment with Stygian Technologies.
• Personality: Mr. Chun is generally a kind-hearted man. Circumstances throughout his life caused him to lead a rather poor lifestyle, which is one that he enjoys well enough. Mr. Chun is the name he often insists he is called, as he feels it makes him sound professional. He imagines that the people who he would work with while in Stygian would view him as unprofessional and simple. He prefers to take point in combat operations, using himself as a shield to breach enemy holdings. When it comes to enhancements of most varieties, Mr. Chun has had enough experience with Fenghuang's failed experiments to completely dissuade him from using them. He honestly does not know much about Stygian, only arriving to the western hemisphere in the last couple of months, but he doubts that they could possibly be worse than Fenghuang.
  • Priorities:
    • 1st - Family
    • 2nd - Safety
    • 3rd - Payment

edited 30th Aug '15 11:04:31 PM by wikkit

Mr. Chun,

Your application has been approved. Please report to our agency in California for your psychological assessment, after which you will be able to sign your employment contract and we will make arrangements for the asylum of your family.

Sincerely,
Alectus Fell, Field Supervisor/Handler

---

The one time they make a high quality product, they decide it is too expensive and shut down the project with the intent to discard anyone expendable involved; standard practice with the Pheonix Corporation. This places Mr. Chun in a desperate situation, and though I would hope they are above it, I fear Stygian will take advantage of that. The company is almost certainly more interested in his stolen technology than the man himself (A sentiment I cannot deny that I share). If he is smart, he will realize that too.

---

Edit: Well done, I like the picture.

Just an appeal to any prospective players: If possible, I'd like the party to have at least one significantly cybernetic or gene-modded character. I'm trying to explore themes of transhumanism with this game and it will be difficult to do if the whole party is mistrustful or ambivalent about augmentations. But if you've got something else already in mind, don't worry about it.

edited 21st Aug '15 3:28:03 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Ah, we're doing this IC? Fun! This is a WIP. I'm not sure if that's allowed here, so please forgive me if this is a breach in etiquette.

Dear Stygian Industries,

So my parents sold me to you guys when I was a kid. It's cool! I dig, I dig. I would be dead anyhow. I'm pretty much a superhero, and I kinda owe it to you guys. So I reckon I want to sign on with you. Let's hope that training you gave me paid off.

-Victor Lombardi

Name: Victor Lombardi

Class: Shock Trooper

Age: 23

Appearance:

Abilities:

• Victor is a test tube baby. When he was in utero, he was discovered to have various defects that made it unlikely he would survive birth. But Stygian technologies was there to save the day! They spliced young Victor's DNA with that of a modified star fish. This gave him amazing regenerative abilities. First of all, he heals from injuries at a very quick rate. You can watch and be amazed as small cuts and bruises vanish before your eyes in mere seconds! Be amazed as deeper gashes and small fractures disappear in about a minute! Probably get bored when he starts cutting off fingers and ears and other small members, as it takes him about an hour to heal those, and he has to hold them up to the stump. On that note, he can even grow back severed limbs. It takes a very long time (A finger or toe would take about a week, while an arm or a leg would probably take a month), but he can do it. Since muscle growth comes from the healing of muscle tissue damaged by exercise, this augmentation has also rendered him very physically fit. Not superhumanly so, but he could compete in the olympics if he wanted to.

• Victor's parents basically signed their son away to Stygian in exchange for his life. So as he got older, he recieved additional augmentations. Coursing through his veins are billions of nanomachines. These can generate and store electricity. This would probably seem useless (The human body has no way to recieve electricty to store, after all), if not for his next augmentation.

• Victor's nervous system was altered as well. Laced with special superconductive alloys, electricity travels through it faster and more efficiently than normal. The effects of this upgrade are twofold: First of all, his reaction times are far beyond that of other humans. He can reliably dodge gunfire from multiple assailants, and run along power lines as easily as a normie could walk down the street.

His modified nerves allow him to absorb and expel electricity. He can drain electricity from most any electrical object he touches. It's as easy and tasty as drinking a glass of pink lemonade. He can likewise deliver electric shocks to things he touches. The strength usually goes from 'joy buzzer' to 'tazer'. He can move it up to 'electric chair', but he has to charge it for a few seconds, and if he can't actually deliver that charge, it shocks him and shorts out his nanomachines, which would make it so he has to get new ones.

• Victor kinda wished his final augmentation was his first. A small cluster of nerves sits at the side of his neck. They appear as two small, black circles, about 1/3rd an inch/1 centimeter in circumference each. When pressed lightly, they turn off his pain perception. If he gets stabbed, he'll feel it, but it won't hurt. He can turn it back on by pressing it a second time. If Victor is struck in the cluster of nerves, it results in tremendous pain that will likely knock him out.

Skills:

Equipment:

Backstory:

Personality:

Priorities: 1.

@ HeroicSociopath: I know you're not finished, but I am going to ask that you scale down this character's reflexes. Reliably dodging bullets from multiple assailants and running on power lines is a little too superhero-y. Maybe he can go into a "bullet-time" state temporarily, or something.

Also, the tone of this game isn't going to be particularly lighthearted. The two approved sheets and the sample are more what I'm going for. Not to say your character can't have a sense of humor, he just can't be Deadpool.

edited 16th Aug '15 6:10:10 AM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Haha, it's funny you say that. That's exactly why I dislike Deadpool. Victor has a sense of humor, but it's mostly a coping mechanism. How he responds to stress. He knows when to be serious, of course. A bit like Spider Man. He's not some psuedo-insane random person. He's a guy with a healthy sense of humor who uses it to deal with stress.

As for reflexes, I don't mind scaling them back. I may just make it a bullet-time type thing. Or maybe he dodges gunshots by watching the guns themselves, so he can only do at most two or three at once, and only if he's not doing much else. Would that work? His MO will mostly be attacking with a vibroblade.

edited 16th Aug '15 8:38:08 PM by HeroicSociopath

Sounds good.

Flesh is a design flaw.

@wikkit I have a present for you◊

всегда верен

I absolutely LOVE it. I have no idea what to say besides "thank you very much".

Hehe, its fine

всегда верен

I'm waiting on about four people to submit or finish their character. Are any of you still planning on playing? I can throw the sample character into the squad as a GMPC if we don't have enough.

Flesh is a design flaw.