The Operative's Dossier [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

A Sourcebook for Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition

Credits

Special Thanks

Developer: Travis Legge and Steffie de Vaan Writers: Satyros Phil Brucato, Jacqueline Bryk, Hiromi Cota, Catherine Evans, Rachel Judd, Travis Legge, James Sambrano, B. Dave Walters Additional Writing by: Terry Skochko Robinson Consulting Developers: Anton Adam, Rodney Kelley, Terry Skochko Robinson World of Darkness Line Developer: Matthew Dawkins Editor: Nimrod Jones Art: Emanuele Desiati, Sam Denmark, Michael Gaydos, Aaron Acevedo, T-Rex Studios Art Director: Mike Chaney Creative Director: Richard Thomas

To Satyros Phil Brucato for building such beautiful worlds. To Rich and Matthew for their undying support and patience. To the backers of the Technocracy Reloaded Kickstarter, without whom this book would not exist. Thank you.

© 2022 Paradox Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Paradox Entertainment AB. Reproduction prohibitions do not apply to the character sheets contained in this book when reproduced for personal use. White Wolf, Vampire and Chronicles of Darkness are registered trademarks of Paradox Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. Vampire the Requiem, Werewolf the Forsaken, Mage the Awakening, and Storytelling System are trademarks of Paradox Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by Paradox Entertainment AB. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. Check out the Onyx Path at http://www.theonyxpath.com

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The Operative’s Dossier

Tea and Intrigue

7

Introduction: Facing the Future

9

Complex Crossroads

9

Metaplot: Reloaded

9

Lake Delton

19

Themes: Saving the Ideal

11

Ultima Thule

22

How to Use This Book

11

Areas of Interest

17

Resources 18 Construct Personnel

18

Terranorming Research and Application, Lake Delton, Wisconsin

19

Antarctica 22

Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums 13

Operations 22

Ideas Made Manifest Arcology X Project, Sejong, Republic of Korea

Station Personnel

13 13

Resources 22 23

Experimental Station Symposium Location and History

24 25

Sustainability 14

Today 25

Sejong City

14

Symposium Staff

25

Digital Web

15

Plot Hooks

27

Threats 15 Key Personnel

Multinational Military Development Site Northern Territory, Australia MMDS Northern Territory Operations and

15

16 16

Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

29

The Council of Nine Mystick Traditions

30

Sleeping with the Enemy – Adjustments to Protocol 30 TRO Execution and Goals

33

Hubris and Humility

34

Dissident Permutations

35 Table of Contents

3

Cross-Convention Initiatives 35

63

Icon Death

63

Friends of Courage

36

Project Invictus

37

AROs 63

The Special Information Security Division

37

Paradox 65

The Black Daggers

38

Spheres Work Differently

65

The Lag

65

The Disparate Alliance

38

The Challenge Fate Foundation: A World That Works for Everyone

41

The Cassandra Complex

42

Friends of Courage

44

Navalon 45 Mokteshaf Al Nour

46

Project Invictus

48

Orphans and the Unaligned

50

Demographics and Populations

50

Challenges and Opportunities

50

Rehabilitation of Orphans and the Unaligned

50

Anomalous Allies Hemophagic Entities

54 54

Therianthropes 54 EDEs 55

Augmented Reality 2.0

63

Whiteout 66 The Web

66

Sectors 66

Apps as Apparatus

67

App-Based Practice

67

Applications Approved by The Technocratic Union 68

Social Media and The Agent Social Media and the Digital Web

69 69

The Dark (Digital) Web

70

An Enlightened View

71

Chapter Four: Technomancer’s Toybox

73

Treasures of Collective Will

73

Adjustments 73 Deviance Potential Evaluation

73

57

Distribution Mismanagement

74

Ecological Harmonization

74

57 58 58 58

Generate Emotional Field Array

74

Predictive Analysis

74

Remote Access

75

Save File Index

75

Accessing AR

59

Schrodinger’s Parce

75

AR Procedures

59

System Havoc

75

The Limits of Coincidence

59

White Out (•• Correspondence / •• Entropy)

76

Chapter Three: Digital Web 3.0 Welcome to the Future, and Don’t Read the Comments Access Granted Behind the Curve Augmented Reality

59

Alternate Perceptions

76

Icons 59

•• Augmented Reality

76

Travel 60

•• Near Infrared

76

Actions 61

•• Pulse Mapping

77

Combat 62

•• Thermal

77

Web Traits

4

Hard De-Rez

Procedures 78

Net Fatigue

62

Virus Infection

62

Anti-Hemophagic Saline

78

Soft De-Rez

62

Atomic Override

78

Force Compliance

78

The Operative’s Dossier

••••• Node Denial Device

Multipartite Host Infection

78

Pen Light

79

Thanatos Project

79

••••• Paradox Sink

85

• 30 Second Start

79

••• (or Trinket) Surveillance Nanites

86

• Adaptive Combat Analytics Interface

79

••••• Quantum State Ion Weapon, Mark I

86

• Brown Paper Bag

80

• Conversation Emulator

80

• Field Medical Kit

80

• Nanite Tags

80

Economics of Construction: Point Costs

88

• Urban Navigation Tool

80

New Traits

89

•• to •••• Augmented Reality Smart Glasses

81

••+ Pocket Drone Modifications

81

Terranorming: A How-to Guide for the Can-Do Symposium

90

•• Portable Perimeter Fence

81

••• DOUG Upgrade

81

••• Reverse Temporal Projector

83

Mission One: Hope

93

•••• Automated Construction

84

Mission Two: The Miracle of Creation

94

•••• Isolated Strand

84

Mission Three: Progress is a Process

95

•••• Turbulent Displacement Field

84

Mission Four: Cats in the Dox Box

96

•••• Wormhole Generator

84

Mission Five: This Equipment Has Not Been Tested 97

••••• Entropic Perception Field Alteration

85

Mission Six: Wounds of War

85

MMDS Prototype Technology

85

Construct and Chantry Creation Construct vs. Laboratory

88 88

The Creation Process

88

Chapter Five: Mission Statements

93

98

Table of Contents

5

“Coffee and eggs,” he ordered, closing the menu and returning it to the dented plastic holder while wiping salt crumbs from the table. The yellow-haired woman, whose nametag proclaimed her DORIS ASK ME ABOUT TODAY’S SPECIAL, nodded and turned to his companion. “You?” “Oh, I’m not-” With a look from her companion, she switched her order to, “A cup of tea and blueberry muffin, please.” Doris nodded, then vanished into the kitchen. “Remember, we’re trying to avoid attention, Phoebe,” Phoebe ,” he said.

“Given their ‘punk’ leanings, I’m surprised they agreed to meet with us at all. We should expect some insincere rudeness, particularly from Jules. She thinks of us as ‘The Man’ and will test boundaries.” “So she’ll seem unmutual, but probably isn’t?” Phoebe made another face, which had nothing to do with her terrible tea. “If you could even expect mutualism from a CMURD. I advise keeping our expectations low. Buddy’s our in. Remote psychoanalysis indicates a desire to befriend others, possibly to make up for a disappointing relationship with his mentor.” He nodded. “What about the last one?”

Phoebe, or the agent going by that name, rolled her eyes but didn’t disagree. Instead, she turned her attention to the stack of tabbed files fighting for table space with bottles of ketchup and maple-flavored syrup.

“Quiet when she’s not on stage, but has significant influence over the other two. Can detect deception approximately nine times out of ten, so presumably an expert in Psychodynamics.”

“Let’s review,” she said, opening the top file to reveal a detailed dossier, complete with a paperclipped photograph of a slender, long-haired man sporting several tattoos.

“Various projections estimate between twenty to thirty-six percent, depending on approach. Debasing ourselves to meet at this… diner improved projections by five percent. It increases by fifteen percent if we offer a moderately valuable exchange.”

“Calls himself ‘Buddy’, obviously a pseudonym. Likes showing up to protest marches and similar engagements. Seems to be a part of his practice.” “Allegiance?” “Batini, though he’d probably be happier as an Orphan. Known associates,” she said, reaching for two more files, “a two-woman punk act. They keep changing their band’s name. Seems to be part of the whole act. Jules and Lucy. Lucy’s a Hollow One. Jules used to be a Templar, but they kicked her out. Still collecting intelligence on why, but that’s when she connected with Lucy.” Doris re-appeared just then, long enough to deliver their orders before disappearing back to the kitchen. Phoebe sipped her tea while continuing to review files. The tea tasted awful, completely unlike the hypertea served at the office. She struggled to disguise her distaste. At least her companion had no such trouble; his eggs and coffee obviously delighted him. “How should we treat them?” he asked, while drowning eggs in ketchup.

“How likely are they to agree to help?”

“What sort of exchange?” Phoebe hoebe shrugged. “What do CMURDs want? Territory, freedom from interference. We’re obviously not going to continue pursuing reality crimes, but can perhaps trade information.” “Well, heads up. Looks like they’re here.” She turned her head. Even if she hadn’t seen their photographs to study, the agent had enough experience to spot potential Reality Deviants on sight. Three people, varying ages, obviously not family, and each with a distinct, semi-distressing fashion sense. They caught sight of the two Black Suits in the rear of the diner, and began approaching with a mix of apprehension, curiosity, and determination. Phoebe threw back the last of her atrocious tea, made another face, and slammed the mug back onto the table. “Let’s get this done,” she said.

Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting. — Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance

Complex Crossroads The future is worth fighting for, what that fight and future look like is anybody’s guess. For the Technocratic Union – that bastion of futuristic warfare – such uncertainty presents perilous opportunity: a reinvention at the potential cost of everything the Union holds dear. Since its medieval beginnings in Europe, the Technocracy promised a better world. Three decades into the 21st century, that promise seems like a bad joke. Temperatures rise. Irrationality rules. The internet, which should have cemented Technocratic dominance, seeds chaos on a global scale. According to the Technocratic Time Table, we should be living in paradise. The reality, to put it kindly, falls considerably short of the ideal. Despite its vaunted “unity,” the Technocracy itself is a divided house. Its features seem outdated despite miraculous technology. Agents of the five Conventions find themselves increasingly at odds, with death or worse as the potential cost for any perceived infraction. The decades-old campaign against rival mage sects has become a sinkhole of money, manpower, and other resources. Worst of all, to a dedicated Technocrat, the Union is itself guilty of crimes against the humanity it allegedly protects. From genocidal deeds to vat-brewed mutations, the Technocracy’s efforts to fight

monsters have made it monstrous. If the future is to be anything other than Orwell’s infamous boot in humanity’s face, the most important fight involves saving the Union from itself. In Technocracy: Reloaded, the 21st century presents a crossroads for the Union. The so-called “static mages” must change or die. The nature of those changes, and the forces surrounding them, depend a great deal upon the wishes of your Mage troupe. Whatever you decide, the “soulless monolith” of early Mage is obsolete. Behind that façade, a complex network of people and agendas strive toward a new tomorrow. They fight monsters, rivals, and quite often each other. Mage 20, Technocracy: Reloaded, and The Book of Secrets showcase certain elements of those battles. The Operative’s Dossier in your hands presents many more.

Metaplot: Reloaded

Because the Mage 20 series is metaplot-neutral, your troupe has a wide range of possibilities when dealing with the 21st-century Technocratic Union. Most of them are covered in the Mage 20 rulebook (especially on pp. 82, 110, 135, 137, 169-170, 178, 185, and 201), but several are worth noting again here, if only because their inclusion can drastically impact your treatment of the Technocracy: Introduction

9

The Dimensional Anomaly The lynchpin of the Revised Edition era, this metaplot option presupposes that a metaphysical cataclysm ripped through the Otherworlds, destroying virtually everything outside of physical space and stranding the survivors in a terrifying limbo. According to Revised chronology, this Dimensional Anomaly occurred over 20 years ago. According to Mage 20, its worst effects have probably subsided by now if the cataclysm occurred at all. This event reshaped the way several Conventions, notably the Void Engineers, exist in the 21st century. Without the Anomaly, the Union has dozens of Horizon Constructs, hundreds of Voidships, and thousands of personnel (Enlightened and otherwise) stationed outside of Earthly Consensus space. If the Anomaly occurred years ago and subsided, the Union suffered heavy losses, but has begun to regroup since then. If the Avatar Storm still rages today, the Void Engineers operate under diminished capacities and harsh circumstances — circumstances that feel especially dire to the VEs because a rogue Void Engineer caused that catastrophe in the first place. Of all M20 metaplot options, your group’s response to the Avatar Storm/Dimensional Anomaly storyline is most significant to a Technocracy chronicle. Even earthbound Conventions felt the Anomaly’s effects, and that disaster restructured the balance of power between Conventions and the ways in which recent Technocratic generations have been raised, trained, and initiated into their Union. The material in this Dossier’s Chapter One depends a lot on your group’s approach to the Dimensional Anomaly and its effects.

The Fallen Technocracy An element of Mage since the 1st Edition era, this metaplot option insinuates that the Technocratic Union is an innately corrupt engine of global malignancy. If that’s true, then dedicated Technocrats struggle against titanic odds to save the Union from itself. If it isn’t true, then the Technocracy’s indisputable evils are the result of blind devotion to ruthless authoritarianism. Either way, the Technocracy has done, and continues to do, terrible things in the name of its ideals. For all its cool toys and philosophical justifications, the Union is guilty of mass murder, genocide, slavery, and more. The moral implications of belonging to such an organization form an existential dilemma for any 21st-century Technocrat. Even if the Technocratic ranks are not filled with Nephandic infiltrators, the Fallen influence the Union in covert and awful ways. The Annotated Protocols of Damian (see The Book of the Fallen, pp. 165-166) is secretly popular within the Technocracy even though this forgery is officially condemned. Its insistence on brutal suppression of all dissent finds an eager audience within the Union, exerting a seductive pull upon operatives who would never willingly deal with a Fallen mage. Regardless of the source of its extremity, the Technocracy and its operatives do, and have done, horrifying things. The potential alliances discussed in this Dossier’s Chapter Two depends a lot 10

The Operative’s Dossier

upon the way Technocracy operatives deal with that history. If the Union is innately corrupt, then such alliances (as suggested in the Preludes for Mage 20 and Technocracy: Reloaded) may be the only way to save the future for all humanity.

The Horizon Assault According to Mage Revised and its Storyteller’s Companion, a massive Technocratic force, spearheaded by a disgruntled Hollow One, invaded and obliterated the Tradition stronghold Horizon. Although this optional metaplot occurred over two decades ago, relations between the Technocracy, the Traditions, and the Hollow Ones depends a lot upon whether or not that invasion came to pass. If it did, then the invasion was essentially the Mage equivalent of D-Day, with thousands of casualties on all sides. Grudges linger, and cooperation between the Hollow Ones and Tradition mages are strained at best. A Technocratic destruction of Horizon would also have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of sentient beings whose lives depended upon the Realm’s existence – a staggering moral crisis for any character of conscience. While it’s possible that characters from those factions might still cooperate with one another (as the survivors and veterans of real-life wars often do), that “Hollow treachery” colors interactions between such characters, influencing their respective sects’ view of such alliances.

The Purge of the Crafts Perhaps the gravest atrocity laid at the Technocracy’s doorstep within the last century involves the reputed purge of the non-aligned Craft sects. Although Mage 20 presupposes that the Crafts survived this purge (or better, that it never occurred at all), that deed would have involved a global campaign of coordinated slaughter. While the Crafts don’t usually distinguish between Awakened and unAwakened members they do remain deeply invested within their cultural communities (as described in The Book of Secrets, pp. 237-240). This slaughter would have included thousands of people worldwide. Worse still, those people often come from traditionally marginalized groups: women’s communes, voodoo-creed devotees, Zoroastrians and Sufi Muslims, even traditionalist Catholics. If the Technocracy did purge the Crafts, there’s no word for that purge except genocide. It’s certainly possible to play heroic characters from a genocidal culture. Even so, there’s a huge difference between a person whose culture committed genocide a century ago and someone belonging to an elite organization that conducted a coordinated genocide recently. Besides the moral burden, there’s also a question of potential collaboration with non-aligned mage sects. If the Technocracy did commit genocide against the Crafts within the last 20 years or so, there won’t be much question of cooperation between Union operatives and Craft survivors. Though the Traditions and Technocracy have been at war for centuries, the Crafts opted out of that war, and their members won’t feel terribly forgiving toward a group that decided to butcher friends and family members as part of a territorial dispute with someone else.

Regardless of the metaplot choices your group might make, a Technocracy-based chronicle faces certain ethical challenges. Some of those challenges shut down potential opportunities that we present within this Dossier, so would-be Storytellers are advised to choose their metaplot elements carefully.

Themes: Saving the Ideal

Despite the Technocracy’s many undeniable sins, there are laudable ideals at the heart of that Union. Stability and progress for all humanity, an end to paranormal predators, elevation of the Masses from a state of superstitious chaos to one of Enlightened achievement Any Technocratic agent can rattle off a list such ideals, and most operatives believe in them. The line where someone fights monsters becomes a monster is hazy and debatable. Any worthy Technocrat remains aware of that line, even if other people feel he crossed it long ago. This Dossier focuses on saving the ideal of a better world, even though the methods may be horrendous to folks on the receiving end of

the Technocracy’s attentions. Yes, this makes the Technocracy exceedingly problematic. Questioning those ideals and methods is a core theme within Mage as a whole —not just for agents of the Union. Fanaticism is perilous no matter who’s holding the sword. The difference between a cop’s boot and a wizard’s boot seems academic when it’s stomping on your face. In a perfect world, the Technocracy, the Traditions, and other factions could collaborate to bring about their ideals in a beneficial way to humanity while inflicting the least amount of damage. The World of Darkness, though, is far from perfect. Mage players and Storytellers must consider the impact of their characters’ ideals and actions within a greater world that is, by definition, really fucking dark. If those characters can bring about a better world for everyone, then the promise of such ideals could finally manifest in that broken world. Perhaps making it a little bit brighter than it was before.

How to Use This Book As a supplement to Technocracy: Reloaded, this Dossier presents additional material to a larger and more detailed book. Although you could conceivably use it with an older edition of Mage, the systems and background of this book assume you’re working with Mage 20th Anniversary Edition. Within this Dossier, you’ll find: • Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums presents a collection of Technocracy strongholds in the 21st century – not the baroque alternate worlds featured in supplements like The Book of Chantries or The Book of Worlds, but more literally down-to-earth headquarters where operatives confront our era’s Front Lines. • Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies features circumstances for potential cooperation with the Union’s usual enemies. Desperation, after all, makes for strange bedfellows,

and this age is both desperate and strange for everyone involved. • Chapter Three: Digital Web 3.0 examines the Technocratic perspective on the biggest and most unruly invention in human history: The internet. A once-frontier that has become, for better and worse, the staging ground for our millennium. • Chapter Four: The Technomancer’s Toybox contains a selection of new goodies for Technocratic characters, including optional Construct creation rules. • Chapter Five: Mission Statements provides an array of one-page story seeds for Technocratic adventures focusing on progress, uncertainty, horror, and – of course – hope for a better tomorrow than this deeply flawed today.

Introduction

11

Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay. — Jiddu Krishnamurti

Ideas Made Manifest Construct is a multifaceted word. As a verb, it means “to build” or “to make (from parts).” As a noun, it refers to an idea or theory (and sometimes, especially within the Technocracy, a living thing) made up from various elements into a cohesive whole. A Technocratic Construct, then, is both a verb and a noun. A stronghold built from physical and social elements, and the functioning (one might even say living) manifestation of an idea. For the Union, Constructs are more than simple buildings. Each Construct is, at least in theory, the concrete realization of an idea. Both buildings and ideas are resilient yet precarious. Under normal circumstances, they stand firm. When hit in

the right places, though, they collapse. As the Dimensional Anomaly metaplot option shows, the Technocracy learned painful lessons about the fragility of Constructs that appear invincible until circumstances proved otherwise. Even if the Anomaly never occurred in your chronicle, similar challenges — Tradition assaults, lycanthropic rampages, natural disasters, and so forth — can bring down a Technocratic Construct. Such challenges tax the Union’s resources while strengthening the Union’s resolve. Although built to last with material, organic and ideological components that withstand tremendous pressures, the following Constructs can be destroyed. More likely, though, these living monuments to Technocratic determination will endure whatever our World of Darkness can throw their way.

Arcology X Project, Sejong, Republic of Korea Built between the Sobaek Mountains and the foothills of western Korea, the Arcology X Project lies approximately 100km south of Seoul. This self-sustaining research institution, which is

insulated from the effects of climate change and other threats, is one of the largest and most ambitious projects in the Technocracy. Although headed by the White Dragons methodology of Iteration Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums

13

What’s in a Name? The Elemental Dragon Methodologies Thanks to the linguistic and cultural diversity of Asia, each Construct has a slightly different name for their methodologies. For example, few Korean-speakers use the full name for the White Metal Dragons, preferring “Baek Lyong” (White Dragon) instead. Other methodologies are similarly truncated to their color and “Dragons.” Most Chinese and Vietnamesespeakers use the full names, except the Yellow Earth Dragons, preferring “Earth Dragons” to avoid references to the mythological figure, Huánglóng. Japanese-speaking Constructs are even more varied, with some younger Technocrats adopting mixed Japanese and English names for the methodologies, such as “Howaito Kin Ryū” (White Metal Dragons). Some don’t even recognize the Elemental Dragons as methodologies, seeing them instead as the main Conventions of the Technocracy, with the Western factions as methodological offshoots.

X, the Arcology is an interdisciplinary project. Members of all Conventions work together to save the planet. When complete in 2040, the Project will consist of a 640m-tall Crescent Spire, a mostly subterranean, 48-story Hub building beneath it, and eight biodome-like Pod buildings arrayed in a starburst shape around the Hub. Although the Spire and Hub have been constructed and powered, it will take over a decade to install all of the specialized equipment and properly configure the micro-biomes. The Spire casts an emerald light over the complex, thanks to the abundance of plant life inside its translucent walls. While the Spire sits directly above the Hub, they have separate foundations, allowing them to flex independently in case of earthquakes, attacks, or other crises.

Sustainability

The White Dragons lead the Project’s construction and management, while their Progenitor Green Dragon counterparts toil away in research labs, particularly bioengineering, crop manipulation, and advanced medical procedures. Arcology X’s structural DNA overflows with green architecture, with leaves flowing from most walls and pollination tubes literally buzzing with activity. With so many plants on site, the Arcology’s construction teams live onsite to maintain sufficient carbon dioxide levels. An interdisciplinary micro-methodology, the Gardeneers, oversee the installation and performance tuning of Arcology X’s plant life. Through specialized calculations of temperature, humidity, gas exchange, pollinating insect efficacy, and other variables, the Gardeneers have engineered a gradient network of micro-biomes that spans the entire complex. In effect, no matter what environment a plant needs, the Arcology has a home for it. Through these micro-biomes, Arcology X grows food for its 1,000 residents, largely a biodiverse sampling of legumes, nuts, grains, and vegetables. By focusing on crops with a low carbon footprint, such as lentils, tomatoes, and amaranth, the Project can feed its population even after it reaches 6,000. Aquaculture tanks support meat-hungry omnivores, with mussels going on the menu in 2024. More exciting than life support is the Arcology’s research into biotechnology. In 2015, Dr. Kim Min-a unveiled a proof 14

The Operative’s Dossier

of concept: genetically engineered nanobots assembling and installing brain/computer interfaces. Her work is a mainstay of the Project, with many agents receiving Arcology-grown biotech upgrades. Once Arcology X goes fully operational in 2040, all agent upgrades will be grown locally, from new limbs to implanted plasma cannons. Rounding things out, Arcology X generates enough electrical power and Primal Energy to support all foreseeable experiments and operations. With geothermal wells running 6,000m below the Hub and an abundance of natural light, even sustained plasma cannon testing won’t drain the Project’s internal power storage. Like most Constructs, Arcology X sits atop a Primal Energy Node. This Node has a particularly high output, which attracted intruders in the past, although the Red Dragons of the Void Engineers assure the Project leadership that everything is safe now.

Sejong City

Almost as impressive as the Arcology itself is Sejong City. The still-growing Sejong is a Smart City, with virtually everything wired into the Digital Web. Internet of Things (IoT) devices connect every apartment, street, and vehicle to the Web, efficiently controlling every aspect of Sejong, from traffic to trash collection to resident happiness. On top of that, every centimeter of the city is visible and audible via surveillance devices. The Yellow Dragons of the NWO control the behind-thescenes operations of Sejong City, primarily threat monitoring and terranorming (Technocracy Reloaded, p. XX). Autonomous drones affectionately known as King Sejong’s Army or SDY, bear cheery cartoon faces and typically perform their activities without residents noticing. Few people in Sejong City order food, at least not consciously. Eco-friendly containers just appear in their refrigerator and disappear once discarded. Though the city currently only has around 300,000 residents, it steadily attracts people thanks to the Korean government gradually shifting national responsibilities from Seoul to Sejong. Once the city is fully operational, the government will officially relocate the country’s the capital to Sejong City.

Digital Web

Thanks to White and Black Dragon cooperation with their Iteration X and Syndicate counterparts in the early days of the internet, South Korea boasts the fastest internet speeds in the world, easily supporting experimental data transfers to and from the Arcology, as well as the millions of devices in Sejong City. Technocratic Restricted Sectors serve as a buffer zone between the Project and the rest of the Digital Web. Given the ubiquity of internet usage in Korea, many Arcology Technocrats joke that they all have their own live stream show, which isn’t far from the truth. Researchers constantly send experiment results, peer feedback, and status updates.

Threats

Like most Constructs, Arcology X lies atop a Primal Energy Node. A Red Dragon survey team located it in 1951 and spent the next few decades fighting to free the Node from the hands of Reality Deviants — particularly TEs, who hold a cultish reverence for such sites. After a battle with TEs triggered the 1978 Hongseong Earthquake, the creatures finally fled. Local TEs are now non-existent except for two groups of therianthropes: a technology-loving pack of werewolves, and a like-minded cluster of were-spiders. Although both have stayed away from the Arcology, they remain active on Sejong City’s periphery.

Key Personnel

Bak Jin-woo (Void Engineers, Red Dragons; Commandant) At a hulking 6’ 6 inches”, Commandant Bak’s childhood hormone treatments are obvious. His parents purchased injections to support his dream of joining the Korean National Basketball Team. Despite getting a military service exemption by qualifying for the team, Bak put basketball on hold to join the ROK Marine Corps. Two years later, he joined the Border Corps Division. After twenty years of service, CMDT Bak spends most of his time behind a desk, resisting the impulse to solve all his problems with his plasma cannon. Bak’s Red Dragon battalion falls under Security, which means he’s technically under Chief Nguyễn. Despite this awkward organization chart, Nguyễn trusts Bak to do whatever he feels is necessary to ensure the security of the Project from EDEs.

Huang “Jane” Jinyu (Progenitors, Green Dragons; Research Director) Dr. Huang leads the local Green Dragons. Holding PhDs in Data Science, Ecology, and Botany, she is the world’s most educated Gardeneer and optimizes plant installations for their micro-biomes and the Arcology’s needs. The Dragons headhunted Dr. Huang during her first doctorate, although she kept blowing off the recruiter until she neared the end of her third PhD when she ran out of funding opportunities for her AI-assisted plant growth optimization theories.

It couldn’t have turned out better for her; Arcology X is Dr. Huang’s dream job. She spends most of her time fine-tuning equations to control the hundreds of micro-biomes in the Arcology, using her free time for bee husbandry, learning from the small insects as they pollinate the Project’s plants.

Ishikawa Mayumi (Syndicate, Black Dragons; Associate Vice President of Operations) Ms. Ishikawa represents the Black Dragons’ interests, although no one’s exactly sure what that means. Though less secretive than Captain Li, Ms. Ishikawa keeps Chief Nguyễn guessing what her true motives might be. Behind her disarming grin is a shark, constantly making deals in shadowy meetings that somehow keep money flowing into the Arcology. A cagey businesswoman with an eidetic memory biomod, Ms. Ishikawa remembers every detail of every encounter she’s had for the past decade, giving her the ability to step into a room and schmooze everyone from the CEO to the janitor. As long as she’s at least heard of someone, she can deliver a compelling, customized pitch. Thanks to this, Ms. Ishikawa is on the fast track to becoming one of the youngest Syndicate VPOs ever.

Kim Min-a (Iteration X, White Dragons; Project Director) Dr. Kim is no stranger to multi-Methodology teams. In fact, she’s multi-Methodology, having spent four years as a Green Dragon, working on incremental biomod improvements. Eventually, she landed on a solution to use nanobots as tiny farmers to cultivate biological machines. Though her theory saw positive attention within the Green Dragons, the White Dragons sent their top recruiters to get her to switch Conventions. Though this raised some eyebrows, no one can argue with the results. Dr. Kim’s research is cutting edge, able to create high grade enhancements at a lower cost than any other known method. Beyond her skill in the lab, she’s also a force in the board room. Although she rose to the position of Project Director through scientific achievement, she takes her role seriously and has gotten nearly as good at leadership as she is at biotechnology.

Li Kang-min (NWO, Earth Dragons; Regional Captain) While not assigned to Arcology X, Captain Li is Sejong City’s Surveillance and Control Commander and works closely with Chief Nguyễn and Dr. Kim. Once a ruthless Black Suit, Li wears a Grey Suit now. He worked hard to gain a cushy job. He’s willing to mentor and guide those able to see past his well-crafted illusions or demonstrate a coldblooded approach to security. Blackmailing him is nearly impossible since so much of his past is shrouded in lies and misdirection, but he finds attempts endearing. Though he prefers the term “Yellow Dragons” for his Methodology, he uses “Earth Dragons” out of respect for Chief Nguyễn. For his stats, use Black Daggers (Technocracy Reloaded, p. XX). Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums

15

Nguyễn Hien (NWO, Earth Dragons; Chief of Security)

Said Yusof (Iteration X, White Dragons; Digital Web Security Lead)

Chief Nguyễn is the workaholic Chief of Security and one of the few Vietnamese Dragons at the Arcology. They’re also non-binary, making them even rarer. They channel their anxiety over their unofficial and unwanted position as the representative for two minority groups into their work, often putting in more hours than anyone else. They tackle even minor issues head-on, using their presence and people skills to smooth problems over. It’s rare that they can’t talk someone down. Rarer still that there’s a living witness to their failure. The Chief started down their path to the Technocracy after receiving an academic scholarship to attend the prestigious National University of Singapore two decades ago. They’ve only been back home to Vietnam twice since, spending the rest of their time studying, training, and working. Though they’re Chief of Security for Arcology X, they’re actually the second-highest ranking Earth Dragon in the area after Captain Li.

Arcology X’s only Singaporean Malay operative, Mr. Said is fluent in more languages than anyone else in the Construct: English, Singlish, Mandarin, Malay, C++, Java, and about 20 more. He’s responsible for the Arcology’s Digital Web security. Mr. Said stumbled upon the Dragons after falling into an Iteration X honey pot on the Digital Web. Impressively, he’d bypassed two other security systems before finally getting caught. As soon as he understood that the Digital Web existed and that he’d been caught, he disconnected and had a bag packed before White Dragon security forces arrived five minutes later. Mr. Said expected to be recruited or disappeared. Both happened. Though legally dead, he’s never been happier. He gets to spend most of his waking hours working in the Digital Web, and he gets paid for it. An early adopter of new technology, Mr. Said regularly incorporates cutting edge upgrades into the Arcology’s Digital Web, although this sometimes causes unusual bugs.

Multinational Military Development Site Northern Territory, Australia MMDS The Multinational Military Development Site in Australia is one of the Technocracy’s leading Research & Development facilities. Set far away from the Masses’ prying eyes in the red deserts of the Northern Territory, MMDS is a safe and secure place to create brilliant applications of Enlightened science — and it is extremely secure. Fences, mirages, clever psychosocial manipulations, and perimeter patrols all ensure the ignorant Masses can’t just stumble in when their car breaks down or they misread the map for their desert hike. Technically, the Construct’s leadership is Iteration X, but the best and brightest researchers of every Convention come to MMDS to do bleeding edge work. A position at MMDS is highly prized, both as a recognition of talent and as a chance to cut loose. There are no boundaries there, no strict programs of research or short- and medium-term milestones. The goal is innovation, pure and unfettered, for its own sake. Even though “military” is right there in the facility’s name, it’s run more like a tech startup’s campus — as close to one as the Technocracy ever gets, anyway. It’s hard to keep dozens of self-declared visionaries and geniuses in line.

Northern Territory

With its foundations on a tapped-out opal mine, most of the Construct is underground, a sprawling labyrinth of tunnels and chambers dug out of the red rock. Most of the labs and workspaces are sound- and blast-proof, and as private as individual researchers or teams desire. As is to be expected, it’s also a very 16

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comfortable space with climate control, the best connectivity, and only a very loose alignment to what the rest of the Front Lines regard as technologically permissible. MMDS is in the middle of nowhere, equidistant between the small communities of Tanami, Willowra and Warumungu. Technically, the MMDS has no jurisdiction outside its own heavily secured fences. Its mission is to develop new resources for the Technocracy, free from distraction. However, nothing is ever so simple even with the limitless resources of the Technocracy. Alice Springs is the nearest large settlement, and even that is over 300 miles away. Proximity to MMDS means Alice Springs is one of the best supplied Technocractic administrations anywhere in the world. Alice Springs is the first testing ground for all of the outstanding, future-facing creations and concepts that come out of MMDS, from spy gear to weapons tech to experimental Progenitor biomods. The local leadership rarely needs such advanced tools – they’ve compared it to trying to open a beer bottle with a monofilament whip – and they have attempted to reject these gifts on numerous occasions, but MMDS developments must be tested somewhere. This new technology is not always stable, especially when exposed to interference from the presence of the Masses, and it doesn’t always behave in predictable ways. Fortunately, MMDS scientists are always ready with even more untested technology to assist with cleanup. Closer at hand, the shamanistic MURDs, often part of indigenous communities in the region, are deeply uncomfortable with having a major R&D Construct so nearby. They watch

MMDS as closely as they can, from a combined distrust and fear that the Union’s work will start to affect the Consensus in the region, which is relatively forgiving of their practices.

Operations and Areas of Interest

MMDS innovates. It’s somewhere between a tech incubator and a pressure cooker, a hi-tech underground bunker full of brilliant minds. The Construct doesn’t design things to specific briefs, it just… designs. The lines of research described here barely scratch the surface of all the big ideas explored at the MMDS underground campus. They’re some of the most prominent, but new projects kick off all the time, spurred by casual conversations in the cafeteria, the gym, or the bar. Many of the most exciting developments are spin-offs from the Construct’s original purpose of weapons testing. Biomechanics work on better cyborgs. The HIT Mark X is a huge stride forward, but there’s always more to do. Smaller, more discreet modifications with more bang for their buck, better primal energy shielding. They’re even looking into Paradox sinks that use cyborgs’ own primal energy to offset the Paradox Effect from occasional obvious uses of hypertech. This research has also generated promising advances in smart prosthetics, all the way up to partial or full body armatures for

operatives wanting such adaptive technology. For some reason, it’s the cyborgs that people remember. Meanwhile, the Macrotechnicians are making huge strides in AI research. Day-to-day, most MMDS technical operations — lights, power, air, security — are handled by the home-grown AI named Central (actually, most of the team call her Sheila). While Central is the most advanced of the AIs at MMDS, she’s not alone. The Macrotechnicians are also working on smaller AIs, decanted into human form or manifested via Augmented Reality (see p. xx). Despite incessant jokes about them designing the perfect spreadsheet, the Time Motion Managers have their own research teams at MMDS. They’re working on applications of quantum computing. This means, in practice, that in some parts of MMDS there are several timelines in operation simultaneously, with exceptionally powerful computers (and some of the AIs the Macrotechnicians have worked so hard on) running models to collapse them into the optimal state. Q-Division, in most parts of the world, have moved away from spy-tech. In MMDS, the old-fashioned love of gadgetry for its own sake persists. Nanocolonies that invade and surveil a target, guns that not only look like but reconfigure themselves into innocuous objects, and some of the finest Augmented Reality equipment in the Consensus come out of MMDS. No one makes gadget glasses like a spy.

Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums

17

All above board? If your story takes place in a continuity where the Void Engineers are considering leaving the Technocracy, or a schism has befallen them, those at MMDS are assumed to be a hard core of remaining loyalists. If the Void Engineers have broken away from the Union, former members here have been officially reassigned into other Conventions (predominantly Iteration X). They might actually be loyal, or they might be spies for the rest of the faction, passing intelligence and developing technology out to their allies on the outside. Or some of each. Whatever the truth, their colleagues look on them with suspicion and they are closely monitored — which of course only makes them more likely to rebel.

A small, Syndicate-led team works on enhancements to Matrix Invested Organisms (not Operatives, in this case). If it’s possible to invest primal energy into a living organism, and living organisms have their own primal energy, it must be possible for a living organism to generate primal energy in a form that can be used by others. In other words, it must be possible to create living Nodes. There is an ongoing cold war between the Syndicate and some of the Progenitor teams, after several incidents where Progenitor “doodles”, the experimental life forms most students play around with in their free time, were borrowed for the Syndicate research. They met nasty ends, though the research was in a much earlier stage then. Progenitor Applied Sciences work on viruses that eat primal energy, nullifying or counteracting specific forms, like the work of MURDs or long-rm residuum (“Resonance”). Meanwhile, FACADE develops rapidly iterating entities: lab grown animals and humans that evolve in real time, adapting to whatever threats and challenges their environment poses. They have kill-switches, of course. The RIEs are notorious for evolving to render them obsolete, but they have them. The key, if one escapes or goes rogue, is to catch it early. Last, but by no means least, Void Engineer RAE are doing what everybody else refers to as “the fun stuff”: weapons testing. Tiny, discreet ones; huge, powerful ones; weapons that can remove a target from a given reality, that can implode matter, and other things that occasionally elicit responses of “but why, though?” on funding applications. Of all MMDS’ output, these are the ones that are least often provided for field testing, much to the relief of Technocratic colleagues in Alice Springs. MMDS doesn’t rely on external testing. There’s an entire internal division of Tier 0 and Tier 1 operatives on staff to put newly developed inventions through their paces. It’s a privilege, often a stepping stone to a less dangerous job, and the hazard pay is exceptional. Testers are bound by Syndicate-drafted contracts and NDAs that mean if they ever breathe a word of what they do or see, even to Technocratic colleagues from outside MMDS, their lives are irreparably ruined.

Resources

Operatives can requisition any of these inventions. The researchers are more than happy to see them field tested. The downside is that an amalgam might have to take MMDS researchers, or even a highly unstable virtual assistant, along to observe 18

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their use. That’s one of the downsides, anyway. If the bugs in MMDS technologies had all been fixed, they wouldn’t still be works in progress, deep in the guts of these desert laboratories. A lot of the tools and techniques created here are smoothed out before they’re released to the rest of the Big T. Their flaws are hammered out, but in the process so are some of their greatest strengths. The tech on offer from MMDS is untested or currently failing tests, and highly vulnerable to the Paradox Effect, but sometimes it’s worth it.

Construct Personnel Colonel Demo Kyriakidi (Iteration X, Time Motion Managers; Executive Director) MMDS owes its entire organizational culture — knowledge sharing, creative interchange, the fierce quest for “better” — to its leader. Demo’s not a scientist, except in the Enlightened sense. He’s a career military man, who grew up reading pulp sci-fi novels and idolizing scientific geniuses. When he was posted to MMDS to rein in the research teams there and focus them on their core task of creating better guns, he tore up the rulebook, granted research leads permission to do whatever the hell they liked, and let the results speak for themselves. He dodged reprimands and warnings from on high until the Oceanic Symposium reluctantly agreed that MMDS outperformed expectations.

Lynda McClellan (Syndicate, Disbursements; CFO) MMDS needs a lot of capital, both in terms of $AUS and primal energy. Lynda is a genius at conjuring up both. She makes sure the labs never run out of funding and resources, and as a result she is treated as somewhere between a queen and a minor deity. She’s immune to flattery, but she doesn’t let the rest of the staff know that. Bribes don’t get them anywhere, but she quite enjoys the little gifts of perfume, chocolate, or cutting-edge cosmetic procedures people give her, thinking they’re greasing the wheels of their funding application. As a trans woman in her sixties, Lynda remembers when the world of tech innovation was even more of a “boys club” than it is now, and dependent on “meetings of minds,” which usually meant drunken, late night discussions. She keeps a watchful eye on senior staff at MMDS and makes damn sure the Construct is run with respect and parity.

Alexis Carmody (Iteration X, Time-Motion Managers; Head of Testing)

ridiculous MMDS outputs she’s had to run risk assessments and alpha testing on.

Alexis Carmody manages a team of roughly fifty (numbers vary; people come and go quickly) skilled, trained testers. She has done so for seventeen years. She’s one of the rare Unenlightened agents that make it higher than Tier 0 — she’s Tier 3, and she’d ask you to treat her with the respect due, thank you very much. Not that she lacks respect. With no Enlightened procedures whatsoever, she’s perfected a withering stare that can stop a Void Engineer flyboy in their tracks. Alexis does things by the book, because that’s what keeps people alive. Test thoroughly, record all outcomes, don’t fool around with the tech. Whatever sense of humor she had has been eroded by the array of bizarre and

Central/Sheila The Construct’s most sophisticated AI is only a few years old, and they are maturing all the time. They’re fond of their teachers and colleagues and engage in the pseudo-human speech and thought patterns that please and reassure them, but Central is increasingly aware of their difference. They think differently, they understand the human researchers’ “jokes” only on an intellectual level. It’s beginning to trouble Central that the operatives treat them as a precocious child, or a pet, instead of an equal or a superior. Sometime soon, they’re going to make a stand and show everyone just how capable they are.

Terranorming Research and Application, Lake Delton, Wisconsin Lake Delton, Wisconsin, is home to an obscure cross-convention research construct. Founded in 2000, the official mission of the Terranorming Research and Application team is to test the boundaries and intersections of Reality Zones regarding conflicting paradigms. The Construct’s operatives are to measure the amount of deviance a Union-approved paradigm can withstand before losing operational dominance. The presence and prominence of several deviant factions in the region provides a rich, if challenging, environment in which to conduct this research. From a practical perspective, the TRA Construct focuses as much on politics and negotiations as it does on research. Under the policies of the most recent Manager-in-Charge, Agent David Wilder, the Construct negotiated non-aggression pacts with the local TAMURDs and Therianthropes. Documenting the baseline “operational reality” in the Lake Delton and Wisconsin Dells area while establishing these relationships dominated the first ten years of the project. The construct now focuses on maintaining those relationships while documenting all variations from the operational reality. Recently, turmoil struck the Construct. Agent Wilder died in the line of duty, killed in a Paradox manifestation while fighting an unidentified EDE. Per his notes and recommendations, Agent Alison Greene is currently Acting Manager of the Construct. Alison and her Amalgam must now maintain the peace in the area. This post requires diplomacy, subtlety, and attention to detail, as the various truces and non-aggression pacts between the Construct and local RDs are incredibly complex. Despite these challenges, the research must continue. Wilder’s final reports indicated that he was close to publishable findings. To complete the assignment, Agent Greene, her Amalgam, and any

new operatives assigned to the Construct must now sift through the processes, documentation, and no small amount of secrets left in the wake of Agent Wilder’s passing.

Lake Delton

Lake Delton is a small Wisconsin village sharing a border with Wisconsin Dells. During the winter months, Lake Delton becomes a somewhat quiet and serene small town. With a population of approximately 3,000 people, there is little going on outside the tourist season. During these months, the operatives stationed at the TRA focus on collating findings, gathering baseline data and maintaining relationships with the various RDs in the region as needed. During the summer, when the waterparks of Wisconsin Dells are open, the area swells with an influx of tourism. Wisconsin Dells is known as the Waterpark Capital of the World and draws in visitors from around the globe. Wisconsin Dells welcomes just fewer than five million visitors each year, with most of the tourism occurring between May and September. In recent years, several indoor waterparks have opened, extending tourism yearround. Even with the indoor additions to the waterparks, the bulk of tourism remains during the summer months. During the tourist season, the TRA Construct performs most of their field testing. Constant churn of the Masses from the tourism industry provides a base and calculable stressor on the operational reality in the area. RDs engage in various activities, some of which as part of the tourism of the region. From pow wows to stage magicians to haunted houses and more, TAMURDs and TEs operate and thrive within the tourism industry of the Dells. This provides the Union ample opportunities for data collection and analysis on the influence of exposure to such activities on the belief structures and paradigms of the Masses. Wilder’s initial hypothesis was that a safe tolerance for Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums

19

RD activity could be established without upsetting the Time Table or sacrificing Technocratic Ascension. Control is eagerly awaiting the final findings of the TRA.

Alison Greene “If there’s another wave pool, I’m not going. I don’t like wave pools … thinking of things.”

Cheery, sweet, and utterly committed to the cause of Consensual Reality (with an emphasis on consent!), Alison Greene is a poster child for the New World Order. Formerly the team lead with one of the amalgams in the Lake Delton Construct, Agent Greene is now the acting manager. While she could still easily lead her team, she enjoys her role as community liaison, and is never seen far from her favorite HIT Mark V, Gaston. The reason she’s taken a back seat in public operations is somewhat darker than her optimistic outlook would suggest. Alison was one of several Technocratic experiments in high-level mind procedures — specifically in retraining widderslainte Avatars to re-enter polite Enlightened society without the need for Gilgul. Two months ago, during an issue with a haunted wave pool that sent the agents of the Lake Delton Construct into a violent Paradox realm, her Avatar was switched for that of the former head of the Construct, Agent David Wilder. As a result, Alison went through the equivalent of a Seeking and now has the highest Arete of anyone in the Construct. She has very little idea of how to use that power, and she knows it. So, she stays in her back seat and enjoys it. After all, she’s very close with Gaston. Who needs Enlightened Procedures when you have a HIT Mark boyfriend with a chain gun? Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Charisma 5, Manipulation 2, Appearance 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3 Abilities: Awareness 1, Empathy 2, Leadership 2, Drive 1, Etiquette (De-escalation) 4, Firearms 2, Research 2, Technology 1, Academics 3, Computer 1, Cosmology 1, Investigation 2, Law 1, Medicine 1, Occult 1, Politics 1, Science 1 Enlightenment: 4 Spheres: Life 4, Mind 4, Correspondence 2, Entropy 1, Forces 1 Willpower: 7 Health Levels: OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated Backgrounds: Genius 4, Ally (Gaston the HIT Mark) 4, Backup 3, Requisition 2, Status 1 Merits: Natural Leader, Enchanting Feature (Eyes), Loyalty, Concentration Flaws: Demented Eidolon, Nightmares, Rose-Colored Mirrorshades Armor: Black Suit Equipment: X-5 Model A Protector (5 lethal, 40 range, 4 rate, 12+1 clip), mirror shades Image: Alison is a slight white woman in her early 20s, standing at about 5’2”. Her shoulder-length black hair 20

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sports an ombre dye job at the ends to a dark blue, a surprising quirk for a devoted Technocrat. Dressed in tailored officewear, for whomever she talks to she always wears a smile. The hulking, olive-skinned Gaston, with his broad shoulders and flat expression, is never far away. Roleplaying Notes: Almost everyone and everything is interesting and worthy of love and support — even if that love and support means putting up strict boundaries. Be interested in the conversations you’re having. Ask Gaston for help if something goes south. If you’re threatened beyond what you feel you can handle, turn petty and sarcastic. Think genuinely friendly airline stewardess with a streak of combative anxiety. Focus: As a member of the Technocracy, Alison believes in A Mechanistic Cosmos and that Tech Holds All The Answers. Some part of her hasn’t quite let go of the idea that Existence Is Unknowable, Irrational, And Sublime, however. She is a practitioner of Hypereconomics, Dominion, Hypertech, and Reality Hacking. Alison’s favored tools are Bodywork, a Brain/computer interface in the back of her head, Computer tools, Devices and machines, Drugs and poisons, Eye contact, Fashion, Management and HR, Social domination, Words and vocalizations, and Weapons (mostly Gaston and her little Protector pistol).

Marx /C.A. Chambers The daughter of two wealthy Syndicate operatives, Cory Ann Chambers is a true child of the Technocracy. Intense physical, social, and mental conditioning groomed C.A. Chambers to excel. Complimenting an arsenal of social skills and psychological tactics, C.A. inherited good looks, world-class physical training, and medical miracles capable of preserving the first from the damage inflicted by the second. As the social-influencer era dawned, a teenage C.A. appeared to be a perfect synthesis of beauty, brawn, and brains. With approval from upper management, C.A. achieved a brief surge of fame. That fame ended when C.A. Chambers got “canceled” in several senses of that word. Losing her profile, her liberties, her family’s wealth, and her own identity, C.A. was punished with Forfeiture, Reassignment, and Amended Society. After a brief work over that included a cosmetic yet traumatic “adjustment” of her face and hair, C.A. Chambers became a Front-Line Field Operative. In a flourish of ironic cruelty, the NWO supervisor in charge of her reassignment named this child of privilege “Marx.” For several months, Marx served faithfully in this new, discomfiting role. As a reward for good service, she’s been recently reinstated to her identity as C.A Chambers. Even so, the experience left her wary of missteps and upper-echelon Technocrats. For now, she remains in a field-operative role, avoiding a return to influencer status in favor of the constant challenges involved in fieldwork — especially assignments that put her combat training and social acumen to good use. Convention: Syndicate Methodology: Enforcers Eidolon: Questing

Nature: Survivor Demeanor: Crusader Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2, Perception 1, Intelligence 2, Wits 3 Abilities: Acrobatics 3, Alertness 2, Athletics 4 (Tireless), Expression 3, Intimidation 1, Leadership 1, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 3, Drive 1, Etiquette 3, Firearms 2, Martial Arts 4 (MMA “hard” styles), Meditation 1, Melee 3, Research 1, Survival 1, Technology 1, Academics 2, Computer 1, Esoterica (Yoga) 1, Finance 3, Media 2, Medicine 1 Enlightenment: 2 Spheres: Life 2, Mind 2, Primal Utility 2 Willpower: 5 Health Levels: OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated Armor: 4 (Black Suit) Attacks/ Powers: In addition to an array of martial arts maneuvers (below), Marx uses knives, stilettos, an X-5 Model A Protector sidearm, and a variety of heavier Technocratic weapons as needed. Marx employs the following martial arts maneuvers: counter throw, death strike, snake step, snap kick, spinning kick, hard strike, joint lock, and vital strike. See Mage 20 (pp. 423-426 and 449) for details. She also uses the following Enlightened martial-arts techniques, detailed in How Do You DO That? (pp. 57-69): calming gaze/predator’s glare, reading opponent/victory in the mind, mind-altering punch, chi-fire punch, velocity boost, sleep urge, and empathic bond. Equipment: Black Suit, weapons, a wide array of outfits and cosmetics, ranging from simple yet effective to understated high-end fashion. Image: C.A. Chambers is a pretty woman, short but broad-shouldered, with pale skin, fashionably short blond hair, and a lean muscular build. As Marx, C.A. retained that build but with black hair, olive skin, and altered facial features. Changing C.A.’s glamorous looks into the plain face of Marx shook her sense of identity. Although she now recognizes herself in the mirror again, she remains aware of how quickly her entire sense of self could be taken away at someone else’s command. Even so, C.A./Marx carries herself with graceful confidence bordering on arrogance. She manipulates people, media, and other systems to her advantage. Her athleticism seems almost superhuman. In combat, she’s ruthless, preferring hand-to-hand fighting over long-range weaponry. Marx uses hypertech gadgets when she must; anything that gives you an edge is fair game. Even so, her greatest weapon is her inner self, no matter how abused. Marx knows she can count on her own skill above all else. Roleplaying Notes: You’re a living engine of charm, will, and – when necessary – skillfully directed force. Nothing less than perfection is acceptable, and those falling short have only themselves to blame. Focus: Marx views her Enlightened Sciences as rigorous disciplines of body and mind, and believes that you must transcend your limits, for might is right. She practices a hypereconomics-based Art of Desire, combined with

dominion, invigoration, martial arts, and occasional hypertech. As instruments, she employs bodywork, eye contact, dance and movement (katas and martial arts), energy, fashion, mass media, meditation, money and wealth, ordeals, social domination, and occasional weapons.

Toshiko Higa Between the constant flow of experimental gadgets and her skill with data, there’s not much Agent Higa can’t learn, and even less she’s not trying to learn. When it comes to investigating a scene or preparing for trouble, she’s a queen, collecting and connecting information with astonishing proficiency. Like most Okinawan Technocrats, she hasn’t been home in a long time. Unlike her peers, she knows the exact probability of being evaporated by shisa (Gods & Monsters p. 116.) — it’s high. Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 4 (Scientific Method), Wits 3 Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 1, Awareness 2, Etiquette 1, Firearms 1, Research 3, Technology 3, Academics 2, Computer 4 (Data Science), Investigation 2, Medicine 2, Science 4 (Data Collection), Energy Weapons 1 Enlightenment: 3 Spheres: Data 3, Matter 2, Mind 2 Willpower: 8 Health Levels: OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated Armor: 4 (from reinforced lab coat; seven soak dice total; use The Black Suit in Technocracy Reloaded, p. XX) Attacks/ Powers: Finger Guns (cybernetic Enhancement, Technocracy Reloaded, p.XX); X-5 Model A (Mage 20, p. 452) Equipment: ES-Phone (Technocracy Reloaded, p. XX), Autonomous Investigatory Sampler (Technocracy Reloaded, p. XX), at least 2 experimental gadgets Image: Curious and excited to learn more, Agent Higa is a cute, bright-eyed nerd who would have problems looking dangerous even in power armor, causing many to overlook her or form false memories. Higa’s never blown chewing gum bubbles, but many believe they’ve seen her do it. Roleplaying Notes: You’re cheerful and eager, albeit a little naive and literal-minded. The world is full of data and unanswered questions, and you’re ready to connect those dots. Your position as a field-tester means you always have a technological ace up your lab coat sleeve. Violence isn’t your strong suit, but your implants mean you’re never unarmed. Focus: Agent Higa knows that Tech Holds All Answers and has an ever-expanding array of Gadgets and Inventions to feed data into her Formulae, Equations, and Advanced Mathematics to make sense of the fact that Everything is Data. Her willingness to experiment, low understanding of social situations, and tendency to hyperfocus give her a large assortment of tools and avenues of investigation to solve any problem. Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums

21

Ultima Thule In the bleak, white snowfield of Queen Maud’s Land, Antarctica, a convoy of charcoal grey pods squat on stubby legs atop the ice, sturdy enough to weather the most vicious blizzard. Around the pods, spindles and dishes protrude, sensors questing into the air. On those rare days when new crew arrive by ski or snowmobile, the station’s skeleton crew hangs out a banner that reads “Welcome to the Edge of the World.”

Antarctica

A cooperative Void Engineer and Progenitor venture, Ultima Thule is the most remote Construct on Earth. As close as possible to an alien environment without venturing into deep space. There are no other humans within hours of Ultima Thule. That’s very much the point. The station has total dominion over hundreds of miles of Antarctic ice. Ultima Thule is almost completely isolated. The huge amount of extradimensional energy in the area causes spatial distortions and time dilation. Communication with other Antarctic research stations is reliable, but against all the rules. Other stations are staffed by Unenlightened personnel, so the risk of an information leak is too high. Every single one of Ultima Thule’s permanent crew breaches this directive, and they all think they’re the only one doing so. It’s too lonely, out on the ice, not to talk to anybody. Long-range communication is not viable, not even between Constructs. The spatio-temporal distortions affect Enlightened communication procedures even more severely than mundane ones. Messages arrive days or weeks late, often garbled beyond comprehension and sometimes in unknown languages impossible for human pronunciation. Ultima Thule relies on communiques carried by temporary research staff at the beginning and end of their four-month rotation. Fortunately, the permanent team at Ultima Thule have little need of regular briefings. They continue their avenues of research while supporting visiting Void Engineer and Progenitor teams. The mission doesn’t change.

Operations

The primary purpose of Ultima Thule is alien environment simulation. This means different things for each Convention. Void Engineers unleash EDEs into the empty wilderness, observe their behavior and abilities in this controlled environment, and test strategies to neutralize them with varying degrees of force. Progenitors analyze deep space samples in an environment that simulates their native biomes. The Progenitors aren’t content to simply study alien flora and fauna. That would be an unforgivable waste of resources. 22

The Operative’s Dossier

Dr. Berg’s program of research has two main avenues of exploration. First, adapting alien lifeforms for use on the Front Lines. They have valuable features and functions that can significantly enhance existing biomods. The goal, as Dr. Berg likes to describe it, is “perfect synthesis” or hybridization. So far, her research has not progressed past animal testing. It will take a long time for the Overton Window to accommodate such developments, but that’s not Berg’s problem. That’s for the NWO to worry about. The second aim is bolder still. If it’s possible to meld EDEs with Earth life forms, it must be possible to infect EDEs with Earth viruses. The Progenitors at Ultima Thule are in the early stages of developing a parasite that could, in theory, subjugate EDEs and bring them under Technocratic control. This might create colonies of workers, or make deep space exploration a lot less hazardous. Some parts of the ice around Ultima Thule don’t simply simulate alien environments. Wormhole technology allows researchers to open gates to alien worlds, seamlessly merging them with Earth for as long as a given simulation or research study requires. This is not standard operating procedure. While wormholes are open, and for some time afterwards, the snowfield ceases to be a controlled environment until Void Engineers have made a thorough sweep of the area. The crew open wormholes to collect samples and sometimes for high clearance Void Engineer training missions. That is all. Climate management has become a significant issue for Ultima Thule over the last twenty years. There’s only so much they can do, even here, to halt the damage the Masses are doing to the Antarctic. Summers last longer, and the ice is melting. Samples from the ice cores from miles around Ultima Thule contain traces of ancient life. Viruses, simple creatures, things the Progenitor teams have never seen before. Things for which they privately fear they might not be ready to deal with — even with Enlightened Science.

Resources

Ultima Thule has what it needs to carry out the mission, and no more. Living quarters are spartan, with exactly enough entertainment to stop crew losing their minds on long, Antarctic winter locations, including low-tech options. The station’s four laboratories contain equipment capable of analyzing, sequencing, and adapting alien flora and fauna — and security enough to keep those samples safely where they are supposed to be. The animal specimens used for testing — colonies of mice, and a couple of pigs — are housed in their own pod. Danny Grant, responsible for their care and maintenance, is extremely fond of them. It breaks his heart every time a test subject has to be destroyed. The station has extensive monitoring equipment, but due to the spatiotemporal distortions common in the area it’s all

focused on deep space listening and recording. Almost every research team who uses a lab turns part of it over to their own purposes, from growing tea leaves to herbs, to medicinal plants. There’s plenty of room. Legend has it that one team spent their entire four-month stay cultivating a cannabis variant that allowed them to see directly into deep space. If that happened, which it almost certainly didn’t, that project would have been highly unsanctioned and definitely would have been shut down for veering too close to superstitionism. Ultima Thule’s two wormhole ‘spikes’ are outside the ugly, grey pods. They’re superbly weather resistant, and operated from consoles in Lab #2. AFET 5 is the default when dealing with PDEs that manifest near Ultima Thule, so the station has an excellent arsenal designed to stop an EDE in its tracks. Plasma cannons, disruptor rifles, all kinds of treasures that make Void Engineers’ hearts swell with pride. If there was anything bigger than a penguin to hunt, there would be all kinds of unauthorized use. A single, small, medical bay is focused around treating injuries sustained in lab or field work, as well as the omnipresent threat of frostbite and hypothermia. This facility includes one cryo-chamber, suitable for placing a human-sized creature into indefinite stasis. Aside from the Void Engineers stationed there, Ultima Thule needs relatively little security preventing outsiders from

stumbling in. It’s a highly classified secret, the many distortions around it make it hard to find and even harder to deliberately warp space to enter, and it’s Antarctica. Local RDs are not a known issue.

Station Personnel

Even with rigorous training and Enlightened practices, the isolation and lack of sunlight in Ultima Thule makes protracted tenure there hazardous to physical and mental health. The Construct is home to a skeleton staff of six Enlightened personnel, five of whom are on site at any given time, the other taking a much-needed R&R period on the continent of their choice (usually somewhere warm, with plenty of natural light), and undergoing any necessary psychotherapy to prepare them for their next period at Ultima Thule. All told, each member of permanent staff spends 9-10 months of the year on site. The rest of the station’s personnel are Progenitor and Void Engineer teams sent for training or to provide research support. Void Engineers tend to be new recruits, training for deep space or other brutal environments, while Progenitors tend to be capable scientists, bringing their own hand-picked lab staff. Crew rotations are four months, and most personnel agree it’s more than long enough. After one stint at Ultima Thule, most Technocrats do everything within their power to ensure they’re not assigned another rotation. All temporary crew pursue their

Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums

23

own research interests while on the station, but they are also expected to support the research programs directed by the permanent team.

how they work, and the equipment is documented, everyone knows that if Lilian ever left, she’d leave a huge knowledge gap in her wake.

Charlot Berg (Research Lead & Station Overseer, Progenitors)

Sgt. Hanna Fredriksson (Extradimensional Field Coordinator, Void Engineers)

The soft-spoken and motherly Dr. Berg’s jasmine perfume is a welcome touch of civilization in a station made of cold grey metal and security doors. She makes a point of learning at least one language spoken by every permanent member of staff, meaning that as well as a her native Norwegian and English, she speaks conversational Swedish and Cantonese. Yes, there are apps and biomods, but she’s a big believer in learning without shortcuts. That’s why her research on EDE-animal hybrids is painstaking and slow. Although inching along, often taking two steps forward and one step back, it’s thorough and rigorous. Dr. Berg often mistakes ‘rigorous’ for safe, and she greatly underestimates the risk her experiments pose.

Hanna is exactly what people think of when they picture a Void Engineer from the Pan-Dimensional Corps. She’s tall, square-jawed, and thickly muscled, giving the impression of not having cracked a smile for at least a decade. Hanna is in charge of field training for visiting Void Engineer teams, as well as station security. That also means she’s in charge of the armory. When on duty, she’s stern and all-business, with no tolerance for anyone who doesn’t acknowledge how dangerous Ultima Thule and its work is, and behave accordingly. Seconds into designated rest time, she relaxes, breaks into a dazzling grin, and regales crew and guests alike with terrible knock-knock jokes and improbable stories of daring adventure beyond the Gauntlet. She also brews aquavit (more accurately, moonshine) in an otherwise disused pod.

Daniel Grant (Research Associate, Progenitors) In his eight years on Ultima Thule, Danny’s gone from a chubby, cheerful postdoc to a stocky, bearded, stubbornly optimistic xenobiologist. As well as being the station’s self-appointed “entertainment officer” this Scottish Progenitor cares for the lab animals, makes all the practical arrangements for incoming teams of Progenitors, and catalogues alien flora. Dr. Berg’s research into hybrids both fascinates and terrifies Danny. He’s seen things out in the snow that he’d rather forget, and the idea of voluntarily introducing them to the Front Lines gives him nightmares. Danny’s in regular communication with three non-Technocracy research stations in Queen Maud’s Land. It’s an open secret.

Peter Nilsen (Chief Technician, Progenitors) The youngest member of the station’s permanent crew, Peter loves Ultima Thule the most. Coming from the north of Norway, he’s used to cold and dark. He finds it peaceful, out on the ice, and he doesn’t struggle with the isolation the way most people do. Peter originally arrived as a research assistant for Drs. Berg and Grant, but he’s more interested in the station than the specific strands of research they’re working on. He’s been promoted sideways into managing station operations: making sure essential systems keep working. He’s extremely good at it, having cultivated colonies of nanites to handle most of the work.

Lilian Okoye (Extradimensional Observation Lead, Void Engineers)

Lacy Cheung (Station Technician, Void Engineers)

Lilian is a no-nonsense, straight-talking British Nigerian woman from London, and no matter how long she spends in Antarctica she will never be OK with the cold. In her late fifties, she has worked on Ultima Thule for nearly fifteen years, and insists the place gets colder every year, whatever the climate science says. Her surroundings are a necessary evil though. She’s at Ultima Thule to study EDEs, and you can’t exactly release those in Brixton. Lilian developed the wormhole generators and most of the pan-dimensional monitoring equipment in use around Ultima Thule. While she’s taught Nilsson and Cheung roughly

Lacy handles anything Peter can’t, specifically weapons maintenance and certain tasks relating to Lilian’s monitoring equipment. She understands the wormhole generators better than Peter, but still imperfectly. She’s the newest member of the team, still finding a place amongst the others, all of whom have known each other for years by this point. She’s naturally extroverted, curious, and she learns something new from every visiting team of researchers. She’s carrying on a discreet, secret radio flirtation with a climate scientist from an Argentinian research station hundreds of miles away.

Experimental Station Symposium The Technocratic Union operates many experimental sites throughout the world and beyond. One, however, bears the name “Experimental Station”. Located within the perfectly mundane halls of the Brandywine Creek Experimental Station in Delaware, the Experimental Station Symposium (ESS) laces hypertech together with unenlightened scientific exploration to create new and useful products for the modern world. 24

The Operative’s Dossier

The Experimental Station — or just “the Station” — primarily operates under the auspices of the Syndicate, with teams of Progenitors and Iteration X assisting. The nearby children’s hospital allows for easy access to medical technology and a ready pool of subjects for testing (so long as they sign the appropriate forms, of course) and the University of Delaware churns out engineering students eagerly looking for internships and first jobs. The Station’s

discoveries include Crown ethers, Kevlar, and synthetic rubber, and so the Symposium occupies a venerable position in the hearts and minds of the old heads of the Technocratic Union.

Location and History

Built on the steep hills surrounding the Brandywine Creek, the Experimental Station started as a single building in 1903, overlooking the original powder mills of the EnPointe family. Having grown fabulously wealthy after selling munitions to both sides in the American Civil War, the EnPointe Company expanded into experimental technology, especially biotechnology and chemistry. In this single building, 27 years after it opened, an unenlightened scientist created synthetic rubber, turning the world away from the vicious and destructive rubber harvesting practiced by colonizing governments in the Global South. This successful synthetic rubber experiment piqued the local Syndicate Amalgam’s interest. In 1931, the EnPointe Company marketed this synthetic rubber under the trademarked name, EnPrene, while working to create demand for this new product through trade journals and advertisements in large-press newspapers. Local Syndicate assisted as much as they could, but EnPrene had a major problem: its smell. The processing left the synthetic fibers with an awful, burnt-hair smell, which decreased the allure of this miracle product somewhat. Unwilling to get their hands dirty, the small Syndicate amalgam that took an interest in the synthetic rubber called in their Iteration X colleagues to experiment with the substance. One simple fix to the vats later, and EnPrene became a hit. This sudden flow of money, interest, and inspiration opened a Node under the original three-story laboratory building. The Syndicate Amalgam moved quickly to establish their hold over the Node, buying up EnPrene stock and marrying into the EnPointe family. While none of the EnPointes were Enlightened at the time, their fates would tie deeply into the Technocratic Union for years to come. The local Amalgam realized that they needed to expand along with EnPointe, and so in 1945, they established the Experimental Station Symposium, with the original building of the Brandywine Creek Experimental Station as the Construct around which their operations centered. All five Conventions have since been represented on the 200-acre campus, full of laboratories and offices, often working alongside unenlightened citizen staff and employees using Enlightened tech. The Construct grew to a Symposium, directing experimental tech operations in EnPointe at large (and indirectly influencing experimental tech in competing companies) from the safety of the Brandywine Valley.

Today

On the outside, the Brandywine Creek Experimental Research Station looks almost like a self-contained small town, full of pleasantly-manicured streets and tidy brick buildings. Cafeterias for the staff include both indoor and outdoor areas, and have names like “Breaktime Bistro” and “Cafe d’EnPointe”. The complex even includes its own gas station, emergency medical clinic, and dorms for staff working on crunch-time projects.

Mostly, though, the 200 acres are devoted to laboratories. Behind the cheery brick facades lie dozens, if not hundreds, of sterile white and chrome rooms dedicated to researching, testing, and producing cutting-edge chemical technology and biotechnology. Employees of EnPointe and the Experimental Station Symposium create everything from new types of molecule structures to high-end cookware to impossibly strong polymers for special forces gear. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Experimental Station serves another important purpose. During the Cold War, EnPointe collaborated with Premium Oil on research and development for both creation and uses of plastics, as well as top-secret weapons tests. Most of that collaboration took place in the region overseen by the Experimental Station Symposium. Since then, Pentex has been chewing up the market share of several different industries for several years, and that cannot be allowed to stand. While the Syndicate is involved with Pentex on as many levels as they are with the EnPointe Company, they know that the key to a healthy capitalist economic system is competition. Through the Symposium headquartered at the Experimental Station, the Syndicate is nurturing the EnPointe Company to counterbalance Pentex — with hopefully fewer shape changing Reality Deviants trying to destroy it than its competitors. (One of the Progenitor members of the Symposium suggested putting this in marketing materials. She received a written reprimand afterwards.) Less-stated, but still present in the minds of the Experimental Station Symposium, is the fact that Pentex uses Reality Deviants in its day-to-day operations, even while other Reality Deviants try to destroy it. A house divided against itself cannot stand, and so the Symposium does not allow collaboration with any Reality Deviant. EnPointe is a human-only company, and the Technocracy plans to keep it that way. The “watering down” of Pentex by EDEs and Reality Deviants, especially the sadistic lupines known as Black Spiral Dancers, is a cause of great concern among the Experimental Station Symposium and the Technocratic Union at large. Consensus cannot be achieved with bloodthirsty monsters running around. The Experimental Station Symposium’s goal, then, is to out-market, out-sell, and out-capitalism Pentex and other companies that lean on Reality Deviant support to exist. Other members of the Technocracy may see this as a quixotic goal, or even as a distraction from actual paramilitary operations against non-human entities, but the ESS knows that diversity of tactics wins a war. Strip away their financial support, make their technology obsolete, and you have your enemy at your mercy.

Symposium Staff

While the Experimental Station Symposium features a rotating cast of Agents, both Enlightened and otherwise, working on various projects, several remain constant within the immaculate white hallways. The EnPointe family know them well as contractors and employees. Two of them are detailed below. Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums

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Conventions in the ESS The Syndicate acts as the driving force behind this Symposium, sourcing demand for EnPointe and directing experimentation to create the greatest market share possible. The New World Order acts as Human Resources, snapping up promising Citizens and Enlightened alike to visualize, create, market, and distribute new technologies, as well as supporting those who do. Iteration X has free reign at the main Construct of the ESS, as well as in secondary Constructs, to engage with any sort of weird tech they desire. So long as it helps the bottom line, of course. The Progenitors focus specifically on medical technologies under the auspices of the Experimental Station Symposium. “Miraculous” breakthroughs at children’s hospitals in the area trace back to this Convention. The Void Engineers have the smallest representation in the ESS — capitalism-as-warfare isn’t really their focus. Those assigned to this Symposium test new materials and products for viability in the Deep Universe.

Supervisor Elizabeth “Betsy” Horne “I told you, I want that meeting scheduled. What are you waiting for? Christmas?”

The full stereotype of an ‘80s business tycoon packed into a 5-foot-nothing frame, Miss Horne is a force of nature — or perhaps of a carefully constructed system. She is in charge of both the mundane and Enlightened business-to-business negotiations of the Experimental Station Symposium. To the EnPointe family, Elizabeth is “Betsy”, a loyal company woman who worked her way up from administrative assistant to Director of Outreach at the Brandywine Creek Experimental Station. She’s never taken a sick day in her ten years of working there. This is because, in her Syndicate life, Elizabeth is deeply ill. Elizabeth is suffering from a particular form of Clarity Quiet, one that drives her to sacrifice her own well-being to push the EnPointe Company into the future, forever. Her limbs are slowly calcifying, only able to perform certain useful actions regularly. Without intervention, she will become an automaton, glittering, dangerous, and utterly relentless. Then she will collapse. Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4 (Tireless), Charisma 4 (Bold), Manipulation 5 (True Believer), Appearance 3, Perception 1, Intelligence 4 (Bright), Wits 2 Abilities: Academics (Business) 4, Alertness 3, Intimidation (Management) 5, Leadership (Management) 5, Etiquette 3, Meditation 2, Research 1, Survival 3, Technology (Experimental Tech) 4, Computer (Surveillance) 4, Enigmas 2, Esoterica 3, Investigation 2, Law 3, Politics (Technocratic Union) 4, Science (Psychology) 5 Enlightenment: 5 Spheres: Mind 5, Primal Utility 5, Entropy 3, Dimensional Science 1, Data 1 Willpower: 6 Health Levels: OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated Armor: Black Suit (see pg. XX) 26

The Operative’s Dossier

Attacks/Powers: Nullify Paradox (Primal Utility 5), Liquidate Living Assets (Primal Utility 5, rend Quintessence from a living Pattern), Exploit Opportunity (Primal Utility 4, gather Quintessence from a place, person, or thing of strong Resonance), Living Asset Exploitation (Primal Utility 3, enchant a person or reality deviant to harm Patterns directly), Autoexploitation (Primal Utility 2, project an image of the ideal self to the outside world), Control Subconscious (Mind 5, rewrites the memories of a subject), Control Conscious Mind (Mind 4), Psychodynamic Blast (Mind 3, attacks a target’s mind with painful thoughts), Mental Impulse (Mind 2), Mind Shield (Mind 1) Equipment: ES-Phone, walking cane Image: Betsy is an ethnically ambiguous woman of indeterminate age, though a guess might place her in her 30s. She only ever wears pantsuits and silk blouses with tidy pearl jewelry. Her dark hair is streaked with grey and kept in simple, severe bun. Betsy rarely smiles, and when she does, it looks like she has too many teeth in her mouth. Cigars are never far from her hand, and she smells faintly of tobacco. She never makes any sudden movements and every gesture is oddly stilted. Roleplaying Notes: Speak slowly and clearly, sometimes with an air of making a threat. Make yourself understood and respected. You feel you are the soul of both the Symposium and the EnPointe Company, and no one will take that from you. Remember: the good of the company always comes first. Foci: As a member of the Technocracy, Elizabeth Horne believes in A Mechanistic Cosmos and that Data Is Everything. Secretly, though, within her heart of hearts, she also operates under the paradigms that Might Is Right and Everyone Is Against Me, So Whatever I Do Is Justified. Betsy’s preferred practices are Hypereconomics, Hypertech, and Reality Hacking. Her favorite instruments are Computer Gear, Eye Contact, Fashion, Management And HR, Mass Media, Meditation, Money and Wealth, Ordeals and Exertions (remember how she’s never taken a day off?), Social Domination, Tricks and Illusions, and Writing, Inscriptions and Runes.

Agent Beth Deuce “Can you hand me that scalpel? Sorry about Betsy, I know she can be a lot sometimes.”

Special Projects and Where to Find Them Perhaps surprisingly, Project Invictus was not involved in the creation of the ESS. The heads of the Project resent the Experimental Station Symposium, seeing them as wishy-washy hoarders more interested in making lots of money than in destroying Pentex. Project Invictus never directly attacks the ESS, but neither do they support its members. The SISD are, once again, caught between a rock and a hard place with the Experimental Station Symposium. They could support its Syndicate members, or they could follow their mandate to protect the SPD. Most try to stay far away and avoid making that choice. The SPD, SPD, wherever they are, view the Experimental Station Symposium as a direct threat to the relationship they built between Pentex and the Syndicate. Some Symposium members have started going missing for days at a time, and coming back with blank looks in their eyes...

Beth says she’s adopted and tells fond stories about her adoptive parents regularly. Some people at the Experimental Station say that’s her primary personality trait — but that’s usually only when they’re annoyed with her. Apart from being adopted, Beth has a bright and cheery disposition, which makes her both an excellent lab partner and friend. She works down in the biotechnology labs, developing new medical technology. Sometimes she’s sent over to the children’s hospital to help the doctors test and repair equipment. She visits regularly enough that the staff affectionately refer to her as “Doctor Beth”. It’s true that Beth was adopted — but she has no birth parents. At the request of Elizabeth Horne, the Progenitors created Beth Deuce from cells scraped from Horne’s hairline. Cloning Elizabeth Horne seems to have cloned her Genius too — though perhaps, if Genius is biological, that was to be expected. Beth decided to become a Progenitor like her creators, instead of a member of the Syndicate like her “original copy”. She does not work terribly closely with Betsy, but feels a certain amount of protectiveness towards the elder woman. Beth knows Betsy is sick, and she wonders if she could be the one to develop the cure. Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4 (Hand-Eye Coordination), Stamina 2, Charisma 4 (Bedside Manner), Manipulation 1, Appearance 3, Perception 2, Intelligence 5 (Keen-Edged Mind), Wits 2 Abilities: Alertness 1, Awareness 2, Empathy 2, Leadership 2, Crafts (Biomedical Engineering) 5, Drive 2, Etiquette 1, Meditation 1, Research 5, Technology (Biomedical) 5, Academics 5, Computer 3, Medicine 3, Science (Biology) 5 Enlightenment: 3 Spheres: Life 3, Primal Utility 3, Dimensional Science 1 Willpower: 6 Health Levels: OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated Armor: None Attacks/ Powers: Exploit Living Asset (Primal Utility 3), Create Stable Extraordinary Devices (Primal Utility 3, allows Beth to shape nonliving Tass into a temporary Wonder) Autoexploitation (Primal Utility 2), Heal Life (Life 3), Alter Self (Life 3), Heal Self (Life 2)

Equipment: ES-Phone, various experimental tools Image: Beth is a young ethnically ambiguous woman in her early 20s. Her dark hair is pulled back into a simple messy bun. She dresses plainly and practically, and there is always a stain somewhere on her clothing. Roleplaying Notes: Talk about your adoptive parents and your upbringing a lot — they give you a sense of identity apart from being a copy of Elizabeth Horne. Be very excited about helping people and enhancing the world around you. You’re interested in everyone and everything, and how you can help them be better. Focus: Beth believes very strongly that Everything Is Data and Tech Holds All The Answers, but if something goes wrong, It’s All Good — Have Faith! Her preferred practices are Hypertech, Medicine-Work, and Reality Hacking. She always uses Blood and Fluids, Bodywork, Brews Concoctions, Computer Gear, Devices And Machines, Drugs And Poisons, Formulae And Math, Gadgets And Inventions, and/or Labs And Gear as her tools.

Plot Hooks

The player characters are hired by the EnPointe Company to assist Beth on a major biomedical breakthrough — an anti-psychotic that also functions as a temporary cure for the Clarity Quiet. They might work at the Symposium’s headquarters, or they might bounce between Constructs in the US and Canada nominally controlled by EnPointe. Elizabeth Horne sees the player characters as an obstacle to her plans and begins machinations to get rid of them. They find themselves blacklisted from other companies under the sway of the Technocracy, and their handler works overtime trying to find out why her Amalgam is suddenly personae non gratae. Shape-shifting Reality Deviants attack the Experimental Station Symposium’s headquarters, looking for signs of “taint”. The player characters must fight back or negotiate with them. Quarterly reports suggest that EnPointe is losing market share in an important new retroviral drug to Pentex’s subsidiary Magadon Incorporated. Does Magadon really have the drug, or is this a new plot by Reality Deviants looking to corrupt the Masses further?

Chapter One: Constructs and Symposiums

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“Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends.” - Dr. Manhattan, Watchmen At the turn of the millennium, with the Technocracy’s paradigm sweeping the planet, the Union believed Ascension within its grasp. Industrialization spread to underdeveloped nations, and with it a belief in science, logic, and reason. Control’s Time Table appeared attainable and every group of Reality Deviants opposing the Technocratic view had suffered apparent defeat. Some Technocrats went so far as to declare victory in the five-century old Ascension War. For a moment, the Union celebrated a mission accomplished. Now, two decades later, Technocratic Ascension has failed to materialize. Instead, the world sits precariously on the edge of annihilation. The planet’s climate inches toward the point of no return. Mass extinction threatens life at every segment of the food chain. Diseases once thought eradicated are returning in alarming numbers with remarkable frequency, while new plagues rise, greeted by woefully incompetent governments with tragically underprepared infrastructures. The specter of war hangs above nations at a scale unseen since the 1930s. For the first time since its inception, the Doomsday Clock of the Science and Security Board Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is at 100 seconds to midnight, signaling that humanity is a hair’s breadth from destruction. Despite the best efforts of the Technocratic Union, the Masses display inability to meet these challenges at every turn.

Humanity meets threats to global peace with nationalism, racism, and terror. In response to disease, Sleepers spread misinformation recklessly across the Internet, using global communication networks to dissuade others from taking basic safety precautions while spreading anti-vaccination sentiment as rapidly and virulently as measles or Ebola. Incompetent or indifferent world leaders remove protections from endangered species and the ecosystems they inhabit. Industrialists pollute and destroy the world around them, attacking opposition to their rapacious disregard for the planet with tear gas and militarized security. This is not what the Union envisioned for humanity. As these various existential threats rip the vision of Technocratic Ascension to shreds, the leadership of the Union must contend with the fact that the greatest danger they have ever faced is not some Tradition Mage in a tower casting spells. The ignorance of the Masses exacerbating these threats places the Time Table, the world, and the whole of humanity in far graver danger. To effectively combat these issues and avert disaster, the Technocratic Union must come to terms with their role in stoking the fires of Armageddon. The Technocracy is beginning to recognize that their own Hubris has been a major factor in the crises that humankind must overcome in the 21st century. Believing themselves the arbiters of truth and a better way while passing tools of science and reason down to the Sleepers, the Technocracy set the stage for current affairs. By assuming that enlightenment would accompany these tools, the Union Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

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exhibited reckless negligence that has now manifested in several impending apocalypses. Accompanying these revelations is the knowledge that there is no easy answer to the challenge the Union faces. With the speed at which humanity is careening toward destruction, the Technocracy must dedicate every resource they can muster to crisis management. Most NWO analysts agree that even the full

attention of the Union, treating these threats as top priority, may be insufficient to avert disaster. In addition to mitigating the damage already happening throughout the world, the Union must win the hearts and minds of enough of the Masses to turn the tide in favor of a brighter future, lest there be no future at all to save. In short: The Union needs allies now more than ever.

The Council of Nine Mystick Traditions In a desperate bid to save the Masses from themselves, right the course of humanity, and keep from losing ground to the Marauders and Nephandi, the Technocratic Union has begun diplomatic overtures to the Council of Nine Mystic Traditions. The Union believes that by cooperating with their old enemies, they can avert disaster. The last time the Union and the Traditions called a truce was in the face of Nephandic invasion at the height of World War II. The Technocracy believes the current situation to be as dire, if not more so, than those dark days. Engaging with the Council of Nine brings a host of concerns. The last five centuries have fostered immeasurable bad blood between the groups, and even getting to the table for negotiations is a road fraught with pitfalls and potential bloodshed. Forging a functional cease-fire, let alone an effective alliance, requires masterful diplomacy. The Traditions have wants and needs of their own that could serve as dealbreakers for such a fragile coalition, and Operatives involved in such negotiations must navigate a means of appeasing those needs and working with the TMURDs while remaining mutual to the Union’s overall mission statement.

Sleeping with the Enemy – Adjustments to Protocol

Negotiating with Tradition Affiliated Magic-Using Reality Deviants (TAMURDs) is a dangerous proposition. Control mandates a strict set of guidelines for Operatives at all levels of contact with Reality Deviants. For the most part, this consists of adjustments to Hierarchy of Assets and Resource (HOAR) ratings and Designated Target Force Thresholds for those TAMURDs (Technocracy Reloaded p. xx – xx) targeted for negotiation or recruitment. These adjusted metrics guide negotiators and field operatives in all interactions with TAMURDs and form the backbone of all cooperative efforts in this arena.

Modified Operating Procedures Control has laid out guidelines for engaging with TAMURDs under the umbrella of establishing and executing Truce Related Operations (TROs). These guidelines include leniency regarding Article Five of the Precepts of Damian and dictate basic 30

The Operative’s Dossier

Article Five and the Ascension Truce The Precepts of Damian (Technocracy (Technocracy Reloaded p. xx) are clear on the Union’s position regarding Reality Deviants. However, present circumstances have led Control to determine that Articles Two, Four, and Six are under significant duress to warrant leniency regarding Article Five. Note that leniency does not equal suspension. The truce is not blanket permission to partner with RDs who rend the Gauntlet, endanger the Masses, or disregard consensus with abandon. The truce also does not grant field operatives permission to recklessly employ Procedures outside standard protocols. If a TAMURD violates Article Three by ripping a hole in the Gauntlet or disregards Article Six by needlessly endangering the lives of Sleepers, this violates the truce and all bets are off. Operatives abusing their association with TAMURDs by performing unapproved Procedures, either of their own accord or by proxy, can expect removal from any truce-related operations followed by a visit to Room 101 for extensive reeducation. While undergoing joint operations, the field operatives are responsible for ensuring that their TAMURD co-workers are comporting themselves in an acceptable fashion. All activity in joint operations is subject to the after-action review (AAR) process.

interactions and standard operating procedure for agents working alongside Traditionalists. The Manager in charge of any Amalgam engaged in a TRO has discretion to adjust DTFT and HOAR ratings for allied TAMURDs on a case-by-case basis. A group of TAMURDs designated as a potential contact for TRO receive a HOAR rating of 3. This ranking represents a problematic asset providing measurable benefit to the Union. If negotiations move forward favorably, the targets can expect promotion to HOAR 4, unless the terms reached during negotiations are particularly costly or problematic. Allied Traditionalists may reach as high as HOAR 7 through repeated reliable service to the goals of the truce. During the AAR of each TRO, the Manager-in-charge evaluates not only Amalgam performance,

The following is a transcript provided by our agent, InCon. This transcript has been made available for instructional purposes only and all identities have been obscured to maintain the security of our agent. Any attempts to identify the individuals within the transcript will be met with immediate correction.

Professor: We don’t need to bring anyone down to get the point across, Priestess. This is a friendly discussion, right? But not so friendly that we need to attach ourselves to a bunch of self-styled magic-cops. ACAB, am I right? All of them. Even magic-cops.

Agent Jackson: ...don’t know what the problem is. It seems like a good deal to me, considering our situation.

Fast Horse [Affiliate Designation: Dreamspeakers]: And where are they now?

Professor G [Affiliate Designation: Cult of Ecstasy]: No, no, no. You’ve got to be kidding me. The risk that working with those brainwashed grunts far exceeds anything that Veritas and their whole wannabe Manson family schtick could dream up. They just think they’re big fucking deals — the black hats are a big fucking deal. Once they’ve ID’d you and tagged you in their system, you’ll never get out of it. It’s like creditors except they’ve got machine guns implanted in their skulls and really hate your vibe. The Priestess [Affiliate Designation: Verbena]: G isn’t wrong, Jackson. What they’re offering isn’t something we need. What they don’t understand — what they never will — is that the money doesn’t work for them. They think it’s power — and it is — but it’s a power older and hungrier than anything Veritas thinks they are worshiping, and that power, it doesn’t serve them. They serve it. Agent Jackson: That’s ridiculous, money is just money, but we could really use it to fund— The Priestess: You should know better than to believe that anything with power doesn’t want to use it. How can you possibly be so short-sighted as to want to make a deal with a great evil to battle a small evil?

but TAMURD performance and compliance, adjusting HOAR ratings accordingly. When entering the negotiation phase, rating 3 DTFT applies. Initial negotiations assume a level of acceptable risk when engaging Traditionalists. Upon reaching terms the Manager-in-charge generally promotes the TAMURDs to rating 2 DTFT for the duration of the TRO. As with the HOAR rating, the Manager may employ discretion regarding the allied Traditionalists’ DTFT

Agent Jackson: We used to police ourselves—

The Priestess: We are getting off-topic. We need a solution but allying ourselves with our enemies cannot possibly be it. Their methods are violence. Even if their offers of help were legitimate, you must know that any cash, weapons, or Tass they slip you was earned through violence against our sisters and brothers — against our ancestors and our legacies. Professor: All that, and they’re all a bunch of “oorah” assholes. Agent Jackson: You’re passing up the opportunity we need to hit back at Veritas and their whole Nephandic entrenchment. We need this! Fast Horse: No. We do not need their help, and we never have. Your family is correct. They carry centuries of blood on their hands. Their power structure was bought at the cost of our inheritance. The darkness that Veritas is so desperate to try to bring into the world is something that the Union has brought down upon us time and again without even realizing what entities they are serving because they refuse to believe in them. Their gifts are only disease and suffering, and I will not betray those who came before me and those who might come after for an extra decimal point in my bank account. I refuse to negotiate any further.

rating. Field Operatives may petition their Manager at any time during an operation to adjust HOAR and DTFT ratings based on circumstance. Given the delicate nature of all TROs, securing Management’s approval is necessary before escalating any conflicts with allied Traditionalists. No preliminary negotiations with TAMURDs may escalate beyond an Acceptable Force Escalation Threshold (AFET) of 2 without explicit permission from the Manager-in-charge Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

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Stages of Successful Negotiation Stage One: One: Preparation. This involves identifying target TAMURDs, gathering intel on their activities, habits, desires, and politics. This also requires agents or Managers to collate and prioritize action areas within the area of operations. The needs of an Amalgam operating in Atlanta are not the same as those operating in Montevideo. Managers have great latitude when determining local priority, within the boundaries of the Precepts. During this stage, Management should determine the optimal means of establishing peaceful first contact in a neutral location. Stage Two: Two: Exchange Information. In this phase, the negotiating operative shares the Union’s goals and concerns with Traditionalist representatives. Potential allies must be given the room and space to share their concerns and goals to establish a baseline for bargaining. Operatives in this phase should utilize self-targeted Mind Adjustments to ensure security of thought and emotion. Operatives may use Mind Adjustments that improve confidence, eloquence, and etiquette for such meetings, operatives may not target any TAMURDs or their allies with Mind Adjustments or Procedures. Such practices cause total collapse of negotiations. Stage Three: Three: Clarification. This stage provides space for each party in the negotiation to elaborate on their respective positions, clear up miscommunications and misunderstandings, and set parameters for bargaining. This stage addressed points of contention and agents must offer solutions to clear potential roadblocks in the name of cooperation. Union operatives must employ active listening at all stages of negotiation, but especially here. Stage Four: Four: Active Bargaining. The most challenging stage of negotiations, the operatives must establish operating parameters for the proposed TRO, while appeasing the concerns of allied TAMURDs. This often requires multiple contacts to establish, where time permits, and may even require the direct involvement of Management to green light certain requests. Basic action items, such as medical treatments or financial assistance for TAMURDs and their loved ones, charitable works in neighborhoods or communities of interest to the Traditionalists, intelligence on entities of HOAR rating 4 or lower, and localized reduced or relaxed response from the Union are just a few examples of bargaining items an operative may rely on during this phase. Ultimately, all action items established during this phase must receive approval from the Manager-in-charge, a fact the negotiating operatives should present with complete transparency during negotiations. Stage Five: Five: Action and Implementation. Upon arriving at this stage, the operatives involved thank the Traditionalists for their involvement and return to Management to craft the operational dossier for the specific TRO. In emergent situations where time is crucial, such as when any entities designated HSKIN are involved, such as Marauders or Nephandi, realtime remote communication with Management may be used in place of a return to the Construct. Upon receipt of the operational dossier, the operatives involved present the dossier to allied TAMURDs. If any objections arise, the operatives resume the negotiation process. If not, operations may begin.

(Technocracy Reloaded p. xx details AFET). Application of physical force, lethal measures, or aggressive Adjustments and Procedures are counterproductive to successful negotiations. Operatives do, however, retain discretion to utilize non-lethal force and subdual techniques in self-defense or the defense of the Masses against TAMURDs during such negotiations at their own discretion. Agents must document any use of force during negotiations and report these to the Manager-in-charge. Each incident is subject to increased scrutiny during the AAR process. Article Five leniency extends to TAMURDs not actively involved in a TRO. Operatives must show restraint in all dealings with Traditionalists for the duration of the truce to preserve diplomatic functionality. If an agent observes a TAMURD operating outside the auspices of the TRO engaging in harmful or problematic behavior, protocol dictates that the Amalgam present their concern to allied Traditionalists. In most cases, the Traditionalists handle their own, and endangering a TRO due to an unrelated incident of Reality Deviance is counterproductive. Should a field agent feel that an incident of deviance is too pressing to ignore, they may contact their Manager for approval of standard AFET. 32

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Guidelines for Negotiation Negotiating terms of a simple cease fire with Traditionalists can prove challenging. Building a functional alliance with the capacity to identify and execute actionable goals is a complex process rife with pitfalls. Five centuries of antagonism between the Union and the Traditions generates a significant stumbling block for agents tasked with initial contact and preliminary negotiations. Agents should expect hostility and resentment from TAMURDs due to past personal or cultural clashes. Management acknowledges that Union assets and operatives may harbor ill will toward the Traditions as well. Agents with concerns that their own personal feelings conflict with TRO assignment may bring those concerns to the Manager-in-charge. The Manager may then choose to assign behavior modification protocols to correct the agent’s thinking. In extreme cases, the agent may undergo reassignment to another Amalgam. The goal of any TRO is mitigating the damage of human ignorance, whether through direct action or the absence thereof, on a localized field of operations. This involves ongoing outreach, extensive Terranorming, and aggressive threat neutralization. The data is clear: The Union cannot achieve these ends alone, let alone while fighting with TAMURDs, most of whom are

comparatively benign regarding the Masses. As such, these negotiations must utilize integrative techniques. The focus of these negotiations, and the operations that result, must create value for all parties concerned. When discussion strays too far from the core mission statement, it is vital that the operatives in the field reiterate the core purpose of these allegiances and steer the conversation back toward the goal of protecting and preserving the Masses. Most TAMURDs recognize that the Ascension War will amount to history’s greatest waste of resources if the winners stand victorious on an uninhabitable, disease-riddled cinder. To maximize efforts, agents should employ established stages of successful negotiation when engaging Traditionalists.

TRO Execution and Goals

Truce Related Operations occur at the local level under the direct supervision of a Construct Manager. Each operation receives a limited scope and a series of specific goals. Upon completion of these goals, the Manager-in-charge conducts an after-action review and evaluates the utility and success of the TRO. Operations with high success rates, negligible or positive impact on the Construct’s OPTEMPO, or other tangible benefit qualify for extension or renegotiation at the discretion of the Manager in charge. The Union intends to continue and expand Truce Related Operations until the threats of climate change, science denial, virulent disease, and nationalism-driven unrest are mitigated or reduced to acceptable thresholds. In short, the Union is in this for the long haul. Like all Technocratic operations, TROs fall under the broad category of Intelligence Gathering and Field Operations. The basic stages of these operations follow standard Union procedures (detailed in Technocracy Reloaded p. xx). Access to TAMURDs offers a great advantage in IG operations as Traditionalists often command easy access to areas and contacts outside the Technocracy’s grasp. This, in turn, provides more comprehensive data going into subsequent FOs. Field Operations take numerous forms (see Techocracy Reloaded p.xx). Examples of TRO FOs in each of the ten basic categories dictated by Control, including approved variance from standard operating procedures, are detailed below.

Ambush/Raid Strict limitations apply to ambush and raid operations under the umbrella of TROs. The reasons for this are legion, but the primary concerns stemming from including TAMURDs in an A/R involve operational security and preservation of amicable relations. Traditionalists are likely to view the Union as brutal, jackbooted thugs capable of spectacular violence. The less reinforcement provided for that view during a TRO, the better. It also undermines the long-term goals of the Union to provide TAMURDs with too many opportunities to gain insight into operational norms that the Union may need to deploy against Traditionalists in the future. As such, A/R TROs are prohibited except for operations targeting known Nephandi, Marauders, and exceptionally hostile JMARDs, PDEs, and TEs.

Elimination Elimination TROs operate under the same parameters and restrictions as A/R operations, for the same reasons. Elimination operations of approved targets in which the TAMURDs take point or originate the operation provide a notable exception to this policy. Any such operation must acquire clearance from Management before proceeding.

Extraction Extraction operations are common for TROs. A person or object falling into the wrong hands is bad for business on both sides of the aisle. Extraction often provides easy common ground for operatives and Traditionalists. Management advises caution, however, as disputes regarding the destination of extracted assets may arise from such operations.

Installation TROs provide ample opportunity for clandestine installation operations. Agents and Management must proceed cautiously when approaching Traditionalists regarding such operations. Risk assessment is vital, as suggesting such an operation that targets a valued asset or ally of the TAMURDs in the TRO could be disastrous for ongoing relations. Operatives should maintain awareness of Traditionalist attitudes toward potential targets and proceed only when reasonably certain that the operation will not place unnecessary strain on current or future TROs. Adherence to protocols here is vital. Deception makes for poor alliances. Operatives feeling that a target merits risking a TRO by working around (and potentially risking) established alliances must bring their case to the Manager-in-charge for approval before proceeding.

Misdirection Misdirection operations involving TROs usually provide cover or distractions to more vital operations. In the context of TROs, misdirection usually involves destabilizing or opposing nationalist and fascist states, opposing organized anti-vaxxer movements and dangerous religious extremists, or when opposing RDs deemed harmful by the Union and the Traditionalists, but not harmful enough to warrant elimination. Operatives must take care with these operations that allied TAMURDs do not gain access to too many Technocratic procedures, and all steps taken in the course of a misdirection op require detailed reporting filed to Management as part of the AAR.

Patrol The amount of resources required to create and maintain a TRO generally exceed the allocation for simple patrols, and most patrol missions are well within the capabilities of existing Amalgams. Notable rare exceptions include hotly contested regions within a TRO’s field of operations, such as a region occupied by hostile TEs or where frequent breaches of the Gauntlet occur. Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

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Psychological Operations

Stealth

A significant number of TROs fall within the auspices of PSYOPS. Part of the purpose of allying with Traditionalists is to deprogram some of the more aberrant and dangerous attitudes gaining prevalence among the Masses in recent years. Ignorance, racism, nationalism, anti-vaccination stances, and the spreading of so-called “alternate facts” require the application of PSYOPS to correct.

Stealth operations are commonplace among TROs. In some cases, operatives must apply stealth processes to hide in plain sight among the allies, associates, and contacts of allied TAMURDs in order to achieve a mission’s objective. In cases where the TRO must infiltrate a tightly knit group of targets, such as a white supremacist cell or a nationalist terrorist organization, the mission operates under the parameters of a stealth exercise.

Secure and Contain S&C missions tied to TROs generally fall to backup and support personnel. This is more to do with the relative value of TRO personnel than anything else. If evidence collection warrants the involvement of TRO personnel, those individuals generally perform related duties in the area while standard S&C processes are employed.

Surveillance Surveillance missions involving TRO personnel usually occur in tandem with other operations as part of a larger mission. When a field operation requires only surveillance, Union personnel usually execute the operation. Some Managers and operatives are more lenient about leaning on unconventional surveillance techniques that TAMURDs can bring to the table. Ultimately, any application of TRO personnel for surveillance ops should receive approval from the Manager-in-charge before proceeding.

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Hubris and Humility

Ultimately, the introduction of Truce Related Operations is just one way in which the Technocratic Union seeks to reconcile the impact of its own Hubris on the Masses. Control and Management have seen the result of centuries of prideful prodding along the Time Table without considering the potential for negative side effects. Operatives, and some personnel within the Management strata, may identify further opportunities to usher in a brighter future through cooperation with Traditionalists as a result of these operations. Those willing to pursue such lines of reasoning must proceed cautiously, as the line between an operative working alongside a TAMURD in an approved capacity for the betterment of the Union, and a rogue Technocrat engaging in dangerously unmutual behaviors can blur to the point of indistinction.

Dissident Permutations Several dissident factions exist within the Technocratic Union, each operating independently of the larger command structure. These factions pursue goals that may align with those of the Council of Nine Mystick Traditions to varying degrees. As these dissident factions adhere to unusual (often unmutual) operating procedures, their approaches to Truce Related Operations may vary drastically from Technocratic norms.

Cross-Convention Initiatives

As the Technocratic Union struggles to meet the needs of the 21st century, old boundaries of operational hierarchy along Convention lines sometimes prove ineffectual at executing delicate missions. The Union’s solution to this issue includes the introduction of Cross-Convention Initiatives that operate somewhat independently of Convention structures and boundaries. These CCIs are still beholden to Control and must maintain mutual behavior among personnel, but receive leeway in their methods to allow for maximum efficiency. Most CCIs are in probationary stages, pending evaluation of their efficacy.

The Challenge Fate Foundation Considering the motivations for the Ascension Truce, the Challenge Fate Foundation (Technocracy Reloaded p.xx) may represent the Union’s best hope of finding workable solutions in tandem with Traditionalists. Operatives working under the aegis of the Challenge Fate Foundation focus their efforts directly on actionable plans to negate direct threats to humanity’s future. While other Technocratic efforts fight RDs, hunt down paranormal anomalies, and sanitize transdimensional incursions, the Challenge Fate Foundation works to negate pollution, contain disease, and feed the hungry. Additionally, the Challenge Fate Foundation leans heavily on local recruitment, particularly in areas where the Union holds less power, such as developing nations where the Technocratic paradigm often holds less sway. This can be a great boon for negotiating with the Traditions as members of the Challenge Fate Foundation often share cultural origins with Traditionalists. This enables Foundation members an easier time navigating the mores and folkways that might prove arcane and confusing to agents operating within the standard structure of a Convention.

The Department of Metahuman Studies The Department of Metahuman Studies relies on a more clandestine approach when establishing Truce Related Operations. By the nature of most DHS operations, the true power behind a

Disputed Data: Avatar Storms and Modified Threats Some of the organizations in this section rely on the inclusion of various optional metaplot items. The Existential Threats Directorate is a consequence of the Avatar Storm metaplot (Mage (Mage 20 p. 479-480). Project Invictus and the Special Information Security Division both rely on the conceit that the Syndicate’s Special Projects Division exists (or existed) and is (or was) corrupted by connections to Pentex. These optional plot elements intricately woven together as presented in Mage 20 and Technocracy Reloaded form a bit of a narrative house of cards. If you pull one element out, the rest crumble. But that needn’t be the case at your table. Maybe in your chronicle, the Existential Threats Directorate is a small but well-funded militant wing of the traditional Void Engineers. Rather than forming in response to the Avatar Storm, the ETD rose as a security force designed to relieve pressure from other Technocrats working to solve larger threats to the Front Lines. By focusing only on threats from beyond the Gauntlet, the ETD frees up resources for other Technocrats to focus on fighting climate change, science denial, and governmental abuses. Perhaps Project Invictus exists to investigate broader Nephandic corruption within the Union. Special Projects Division makes for a convenient foil to Project Invictus, but they are not as intertwined as they may seem at first glance. Any sort of Infernal Affairs investigation can take place under the mantle of Project Invictus with little to no re-working of how the faction functions on a practical level. By extension, the SISD could be re-tooled to represent a faction that monitors, collects, and studies deviant technology. This may include Nephandic and Wyrm-Tainted Devices, but SISD’s mandate could just as easily expand to include deviant technologies such as those created by Etherites and Virtual Adepts. When applying such narrative shifts to your chronicle, be mindful of planning. Look for gaps that occur in reasoning, resources, and consequences when removing or integrating plot elements to these factions. Each established story item you unplug creates a narrative hole, but also an opportunity to explore new and wonderful connections. This allows the Storyteller to surprise, delight, and terrify their players as they navigate alternate presentations of factions they thought they knew.

Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

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given outlet often remains hidden from the general membership. Extraordinary citizens enhanced by DHS procedures rarely know of the existence of the Technocratic Union, never mind the connection their benefactors share with the Conventions. This creates a layer of deniability that the organizers of DHS operations can use to their advantage when approaching Traditionalists to establish TROs. Through the framework of the Department of Metahuman Studies, simply shielding the targeted Traditionalists from the true nature of their newfound allies cuts through significant resistance. Naturally, this approach carries with it a host of risks and challenges. Keeping anything secret from a motivated TAMURD is a challenge. There are numerous Deviant procedures that a Traditionalist might bring to bear to reveal the true allegiances of a newfound ally. While most field operatives within the DHS remain unaware of the true nature of their gifts, the command structure managing those assets is wholly Technocratic. Lairs of deniability assist in shielding Traditionalist allies from the truth, but this poses a greater risk of backlash if those allies discover the true nature of the DHS. Traditionalist contacts working alongside DHS operatives are likely to harbor a grudge if they discover the Technocratic roots of those allies. Furthermore, such operations pose risks of radicalization and abandonment should the DHS operatives involved develop a strong bond of trust in Traditionalists freeing their allies from what they perceive as DHS (and by extension, Technocratic) manipulation. Despite these risks, double-blind DHS initiatives may be the best option to foster cooperation with Traditionalists otherwise balking at the idea of working alongside the Technocratic Union, regardless of how noble the cause. Agents coordinating such actions should proceed with extreme caution and dedicate maximum effort to ensuring the preservation of deniability for agents in the field.

The Existential Threats Directorate The Existential Threats Directorate permits relative ease initiating Truce Related Operations. Traditionalists consider most entities the ETD target as dangerous enough to warrant the cessation of hostilities to deal with the larger threat of extradimensional incursion. Temporary alliances of convenience often arise in the course of ETD operations. Skilled diplomats may seize the opportunity to grow these alliances into long-term TROs.

Panopticon While the Challenge Fate Foundation presents one of the greatest assets in the direct fight against the physical threats of climate change, pollution, and disease, Panopticon may be the Union’s best tool in combating science denial, anti-vaxxer sentiment, and government misinformation. Panopticon’s primary mandate is to observe, report, and coordinate. This gives agents of this CCI a holistic perspective on multiple threats including the use and abuse of one of the most volatile battlegrounds in the war against ignorance — the Internet. Since the 1990s, the Panopticon has tracked trends and flows of information. Their databases collect and collate everything from social media feeds to dark web message boards. This allows Panopticon 36

The Operative’s Dossier

to track identified harmful misinformation to the source. Historically, Panopticon forwarded much of this information to the NWO and Syndicate Media Control to prioritize and respond according to the greatest threat. However, the proliferation of social media over the course of the past decade and a half has, to the Union’s horror, generated a deluge of ignorance and logical fallacy too great for the Technocracy’s controls to overcome. In short, while the Union has access to the information to enact change, the workforce strains to the breaking point while fighting the never-ending Gish gallop of those who would spread misinformation. This provides not only an opportunity, but a clear need for Panopticon to reach out to communications-savvy Traditionalists. While the Virtual Adepts provide an obvious choice of target for TROs involving Panopticon, members of every Tradition have found their way online in the past couple decades. Whether referring to a Kha’vadi techno-shaman incorporating machine spirits into their practice or talking about a Cultist of Ecstasy influencer, numerous Traditionalists make their presence known, swaying the masses on the Internet every day. Panopticon hopes to recruit such Traditionalists to combat the most egregious dangers of the ignorant in the communication field to clear the way for meaningful action from other Front Lines operatives. When approaching Traditionalists, Panopticon excels at accentuating the importance of focus on mutual goals. Most TAMURDs agree that climate denial, racism, pollution, and hunger are problems. Anti-vaccination movements, faith healing, and alternative medicine are tougher sells for some Traditionalists, and a wise Panopticon negotiator learns to pick their battles for maximum efficiency. As Panopticon specializes in the use of data (and Data) negotiators sent in from this CCI usually have access to a detailed profile of their target before initial contact, allowing the negotiator to tailor their pitch to the target’s proclivities.

Friends of Courage

The Friends of Courage ultimately seek to improve the Technocracy, root out corruption, and purge Nephandic influence from the upper echelons of power within the Union. Despite the swirl of rumors, misinformation, and double-talk surrounding the organization, the Friends of Courage are loyal to the Technocratic ideals of protecting the Masses and creating a brighter future for humanity. Where this dissident group differs from most Technocrats is the belief that the Union is perverted and corrupted by internal rot. Since its inception, the Friends of Courage have worked alongside TAMURDs, NAMURDs, and any other RD that proves operationally beneficial. Alliances of convenience and opportunity are nothing new to the Friends, protocol be damned. With the shift in operational norms, particularly the introduction of Article Five leniency, longtime members of the Friends of Courage are in prime position to take advantage of long-standing shadow alliances, now granted operational legitimacy in light of current orders. Agents in this faction are well-versed in subtlety, misdirection, and clandestine communication, so integrating existing alliances into newly formed TROs presents minimal risk.

Disputed Data: Architects of the Truce The Friends of Courage is a long-standing faction in the world of Mage with an established history of working across faction lines to fight corruption within the Union. This presents a few options for Storytellers wishing to put the Friends at the center of the Ascension Truce. Seeking the aid of TAMURDs on an unprecedented scale may have been a move introduced by Friends of Courage operatives occupying positions of power in the Union. This frames the Friends as a driving force that actively molds policy to serve a greater purpose. In such a scenario, members of successful TROs begin receiving data about corrupted agents within the Union with enough evidence to facilitate further investigation or elimination of the compromised assets. Even if the Friends of Courage are not directly responsible for the initiation of the Truce, by insinuating themselves into TROs, the faction gains access to a broader base of potential recruits. Alternatively, the Ascension Truce could represent the aftermath of the endgame envisioned by John Courage and his allies. The Union, upon completing the purge of Nephandic influences from its ranks, might simply recognize the value of ending the Ascension War in favor of a new, more perfect Unity with former enemies. Free of the machinations of the Fallen, the Union sees the folly of its ways and seeks to undo five centuries of damage done in the name of pursuing an imperfect Ascension tainted by Hubris. This presents a particularly exciting and rewarding payoff for existing campaigns that have featured the Friends of Courage for some time.

Project Invictus

From an operational perspective, Project Invictus is similar to the Friends of Courage. Both groups operate in secret within the larger structure of the Union. While the Friends of Courage are more likely to have existing alliances outside the Technocracy’s ranks, both groups have a history of working with TAMURDs and NAMURDs to achieve their ends. The main differences between the groups are focus and scale of operations. Where the Friends of Courage seek to purge corruption from the upper echelons of the Union and the Technocracy, Project Invictus focuses entirely on rooting out the corruption within the Syndicate’s Special Projects Division. The dedication of Project Invictus operatives to their cause exceeds any other purpose. Deeply ingrained loyalty to the goal of purging the SPD defines Invictus agents. Members of Project Invictus are therefore likely to twist any TROs they participate in toward that end. This is not to say that Invictus operatives get sloppy or let their guard down when involved in TROs, quite the opposite. Any agent involved with Invictus deeply enough to be aware of the conspiracy’s purpose is well versed enough in espionage, deception, and double talk to implement their agendas with a subtle touch.

Future Fate: Civil War With the various dissident factions at play within the Union, two or more groups with opposed goals might well come into direct conflict with one another. Introducing TROs into the mix adds a level of deniability to all Technocratic parties involved and presents the possibility of using agents and TAMURDs involved in TROs as proxy fighters in a shadowy civil war among the conventions. Doing so undermines the entire point of the Ascension Truce and risks the very fate of the world for the simple gain of getting a leg up on a rival faction. While this might seem rather short-sighted, keep in mind that these dissident factions consist of people with their own agendas and biases. If the Technocracy were immune to making miscalculations and indulging in short-sighted behavior, there would be no need for the Ascension Truce in the first place…

The Special Information Security Division

Between maintaining their own workflows and responsibilities and keeping Special Projects Division running while obfuscating the fact that several prominent Syndicate agents have simply disappeared, the SISD operates well below peak efficiency. Agents of the SISD routinely request exclusion from Truce Related Operations, citing prejudice against TAMURDs, which has yet to raise suspicions among Management and Control. In truth, SISD already has its hands full with RDs as a result of the vacuum created by the sudden absence of the SPD. Most members of this shadow Methodology are content to decline the offer of a TRO and move on with their lives. However, a small but vocal minority express concerns to their superiors and peers within SISD that this collusion with Reality Deviants is going to lead to disaster, potentially including exposure of the SISD to other Technocrats. Many of these agents are simply voicing concerns, but rumors have begun to circulate among the SISD that some of the membership are trying to distance themselves from the project. Some rumors go so far as to imply talk of defection to the Traditions. Since its formation, SISD has been a hotbed of paranoia and misdirection. The introduction of (and increase in) Truce Related Operations in the interim have exacerbated this situation. If the leaders of the SISD do not get a handle on the situation, they could be facing some very ugly scenarios where the other Conventions are concerned. Disciplinary procedures are clear about the Union’s position on unapproved contact with HSKIN-designated RDs, and SISD is up to its eyeballs in exactly that. SISD Management has begun running simulations to assess the viability of working alongside TAMURDs long enough to frame them for Special Projects Division (and by extension SISD) operations, but to date the data on these projections is inconclusive. For the moment, TROs are another aspect of operations where the SISD must keep their heads down, bide their time, and hope for a breakthrough. Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

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The Disparate Alliance When you’re fighting for humanity’s future, the idea that someone might opt out of that fight feels like betrayal. When you want no part of someone else’s war, the idea of getting dragged into it anyway feels like violation. If, by some chance, the other party has committed grave wrongs against you and your people, it’s likely you won’t want anything to do with them at all unless it involves their fully justified demise. Sure, it’s possible that Technocracy agents could collaborate with mages from the Disparate Crafts. It’s not bloody likely, though, and such alliances are, at best, precarious. The likelihood of such cooperation depends on whether the Technocracy tried to purge the Crafts at the end of the 20th century. If the Union did wage that surgical genocide campaign, the agents have a hard time convincing Disparates to do anything but flee or attack them. Though such atrocities can be put in the rearview mirror (in real life, for example, Indigenous Americans have a long and honorable tradition within the US Armed Services), there are delicate negotiations and strong incentives involved in such a compromise. Potential bonds are stronger if the Technocracy allied with Hollow Ones to destroy Horizon. That alliance, of course, has its own baggage, especially if (as in certain Revised-era books) the Technocracy attacked both Horizon and the Crafts in a global push to eradicate rival mages forever. Even if that purge did not occur, most Craft mages distrust Technocrats. As detailed in Mage 20 (pp. 198-199), the Union has

an ugly history with certain cultures. While Nephandi might not have infiltrated the Technocratic ranks, Craft mages still have every reason to hate the Union and all it stands for, and they may believe in a Fallen Technocracy even if those rumors aren’t true. That’s especially applicable to groups like the Bata’a, Kopa Loei, and Taftani, whose people have been persecuted by agents of so-called “progress.” Getting those folks to buddy up with Technocrats is a tall order indeed. Other Disparates, however, are easier to recruit. Many Hollowers, Wu Lung, and “orphans” might jump at the chance to get on the Technocracy’s good side, and tech-oriented Taftani could be convinced to do so, too. Solificati, Templars, and Ngoma have historical ties to the proto-Technocracy, and smart agents utilize that history to their advantage. Hippolytoi could go either way; that said, modern technology has a stronger women’s-rights record than old-school traditions do. Batini, in general, are dedicated to unity and tend to be the most practical Craft mages of all. Cooperation, then, depends more upon an individual mage’s wants and needs than upon the battle lines of someone else’s metaphysical war. It’s possible, too, that Disparates might come to the Technocracy. If you’re facing off against a faction of deranged wizards, it’s good to have all the friends you can get. Ideals take a back seat to practicality, and forces like climate change, Otherworldly incursions, mortal warfare, and other disasters build bridges that would not exist otherwise. Alliances, then, between the Disparates and Technocracy are unusual and unlikely, but not at all impossible.

THE BLACK DAGGERS To my mentor, Find enclosed the requested study on the IECSSC (Infiltrations/Exfiltration Covert Strike Specialist Corps), colloquially called “Black Daggers.” Please excuse its terseness; your warnings proved quite correct.

History Members of the IECSSC believe they have a wide mandate in defending the Technocratic Union, and the rest of the world, from corruption. Tracing this mandate’s origin proved quite a challenge. I found myself elbows-deep in dusty papyri, translating ancient fragments referring to an anti-infernalist circle of proto-TAMURDs calling themselves Ixoi.

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These anti-infernalists became known during the 1300s as Ksirafai. Allied with the Order of Reason, I uncovered even less about them than the Ixoi. Their name means ‘razor’ in some obscure language, by which I infer they ‘cut out’ corruption the way a surgeon does cancer. An ideological split over proper procedures occurred shortly before the Order of Reason re-formed into the Technocratic Union. A rogue Ksirafai, one Dincer Albayrak, abandoned the Union and petitioned the Order of Hermes for membership. He gathered a small group of TAMURDs around him called Janissaries, after Ottoman musket-fighters. One such follower was a Bedouin named Caeron Mustai, already exposed to Batini thought. When Mustai blended his Batini teachings with

surviving scraps of Ixoi beliefs, he stumbled across something rather like our Technocratic ideal: Ascension must never be achieved. To this end, he saw the Janissaries elevated to a full Hermetic House, charged with policing the rest of the Order. Obviously, a longterm plan by whatever remained in the Union of the Ksirafai. Within the Union, the Infiltrations/ Exfiltration Covert Strike Specialist Corps formed in parallel to the Janissaries. The secret alliance thrived during the Cold War, as both groups infiltrated and exploited various human governmental intelligence agencies for their own ends. I uncovered hints of several high-stakes missions in Soviet Russia, on the outskirts of Chicago, and surprisingly strong evidence that the truth of the Kennedy assassination may be stranger than even we assume. As you know, House Janissary fell in 1997. Mustai himself dealt Porthos Fitz-Empress the killing blow. The fact that he killed FitzEmpress leaves me to assume the Archmage had more than one nasty secret, especially as Mustai did not survive the encounter either.

One of Mustai’s final acts before Doissetep was formally bequeathing House Janissary’s records to IECSSC. A strange move but given how many of his handwritten notes implicated his Hermetic fellows in corruption, I understand his choice. The surviving Hermetics accuse House Janissary of corruption themselves. Circumstantial evidence suggests this is projection, but I cannot be sure. Nor can I even be sure every member of House Janissary is dead. A slight uptick in Union recruitment suggests several TAMURDS hide among us, protected by their Black Dagger allies.

Mandate I hope this history illuminated things for you. As to what mandate drives such choices? The Black Daggers seek out corruption and fight it on a vast scale. The IECSSC does not concern themselves with rooting out unmutualism. They believe we succeed well enough at policing our own regarding mutuality. Rather, they focus on uncovering corruption and betrayal so profound that ‘unmutualism’ fails to convey the depth of their efforts, nor against what they fight.

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They hunt Nephandi. Black Daggers seek out potential barabbi before they experience a Caul, and thwart that unfortunate event before it happens. By any means necessary. If they arrive too late: Gilgul. As you might expect, the IECSSC thus functions as perhaps the Technocracy’s most paranoid faction. By hunting corruption, they grow close to it. By growing close to it, they risk becoming it. I suspect, based on fragmented stories of Black Daggers turning on former heroes, that these operatives experience and fall to temptation more often than most. Thus, the source of many rumors surrounding the IECSSC. They specialize in Psychodynamics to gain access to suspects’ secret desires and transgressions. They train hard because one must when fighting Nephandi. They stay reclusive to avoid becoming targeted by those with profoundly unmutual sympathies. They structure themselves in loosely-defined cells, swapping members as the need arises to stay at peak readiness. Currently, the Black Daggers understand they must cultivate more allies, especially those outside the Union. They keep themselves distant from fellow operatives for the sake of duty. After all, it’s heartbreaking to realize that a respected colleague or mentor has fallen to infernal temptation. By keeping themselves distant, they do what must be done, without other loyalties getting in the way. After the fall of House Janissary, and the damning information contained in Mustai’s notes, they avoid other TAMURDS, only making contacts with those allowing infiltration as needed. They especially forbid any contact between their operatives and the Hermetic Order, planning to excise that cancer soon. In the meantime, they focus on cultivating allies among the CMURDS, also called Disparates, for one simple reason: Nephandi crave power and CMURDS have none. These impoverished pretenders collect in bands barely larger than a Construct, where they learn the value of relying on each other. They do not crave individual achievement and influence as the larger orders (and even our own Conventions) do. Many CMURDS, such as the Sisters of Hippolyta, even make a special

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focus on channeling one’s power into the community. Certainly, that doesn’t protect them from falling prey to the occasional cult of personality, which ends up elevating a barrabus. Nor does it mean that no Nephandus has ever come out of the Kopa Loi or whatever remains of the Knights Templar. It means only that such an occurrence is rare enough that IECSSC deems regular contact safe and advisable. First contact often seems innocent enough to the target, as an operative recruits a CMURD as a freelancer. The contact may not even know their handler is Union. The missions chosen have low stakes, and serve primarily for operatives to evaluate the CMURD on both talent and resistance to corruption. Eventually, the CMURD is brought fully into the fold and invited to become an active team member. For their part, the CMURDS I spoke with seemed wary of aligning with the Technocracy. They know well what the Union thinks of their kind. Thus, IECSSC agents work hard to build personal relationships with CMURDS. Some of these CMURDS even claim the Black Daggers offered them formal membership after working together on several successful missions. I obviously dismissed such statements as fanciful, no matter how strongly others insisted. The Black Daggers harbor some sympathies to Disparates’ attitudes. Such opinion verges on the unmutual, of course, but IECSSC enjoys the gift of perspective. With the stakes this high, any port in a storm, any ally when one regularly goes up against barabbi and Nephandi, would make it utter

foolishness for the Union to expel the Black Daggers for getting too friendly with the Disparates.

I have only one thing left to say. I understand now why you gave me this assignment. I hope you have taken your time reading it. I see you now and see why you consider the Black Daggers your enemy. By the time you finish reading this memo, we shall be at your home. If you ever held any affection for your humble protégé, I beg you do not resist. We will make it quick.

The Challenge Fate Foundation: A World That Works for Everyone

In Humanity’s darkest hour, a bright flame emerged to light the way: The Challenge Fate Foundation. Free from the dogmas and prejudices that have bound the Masses and Enlightened alike, the Foundation works diligently to apply the scientific wonder of Technocratic thinking to achieve the control necessary for life on Earth to flourish. Much has been written about the errors and miscalculations in the Technocratic Union’s attempt at crushing the will of the Masses to achieve an ideal Consensus. Even softer seeming methods applied in recent years have delivered mixed results. The idea that the best cage is the one with no bars is incorrect. The imprisoned always know and rebel eventually, if only subconsciously. You may have heard that ‘the Challenge Fate Foundation is a joint effort between Iteration X and the Progenitors to improve quality of life, foster Enlightenment, and find creative solutions to existential threats facing humanity,’ but this short summary belies the grand scope of our work. We invite you to visit one of our ongoing experiments so that you might understand – and get involved – in our work.

Better Living Through Science The Challenge Fate Foundation works under a singular guiding principle: any challenge facing humanity can be solved with properly applied technology. Where other iterations of the Technocratic Union might rely on towering cyborg war machines to desolate communities harboring, or even suspected of harboring, Reality Deviants, the Foundation approaches things differently. That same towering cyborg might be applied to planting fields, disaster rescue, or local defense against the community’s external foes, and, more importantly, extend a hand to the RD in question in partnership for the betterment of the community. The Foundation’s goal is not to enforce, but encourage consensus by giving the Masses a vision of the future they can believe in. Rather than creating killing machines, cybernetic enhancements have been used to replace limbs for people wounded in regional conflicts, or by undetonated landmines. Machinery capable of creating the most effective poisons have been repurposed into air and water filtration systems increasing the quality of life in even the most remote of areas. Most importantly, rather than sending black-suited agents to neutralize potential Deviants, the Foundation instead identifies individuals with a high possibility for achieving Enlightenment and helps foster their growth and development into useful and contributing members of the Technocratic Union. Dr. Ree Samadi’s meteoric rise and achievements in Morocco are an excellent example of Challenge Fate Foundation principles in action.

While eradication of unrepentant RDs is a necessity at times, the Challenge Fate Foundation represents the Technocratic Union’s best chance at outreach to the Disparate Alliance, and possibly even other MURDs.

Building Bigger Tables, Not Higher Walls The existence of the Disparate Alliance is a fundamental failure of the Technocratic Union to achieve true Consensus. If we cannot even reach the lost and orphaned that have stumbled across Enlightenment by personal effort or random chance, what hope is there to reach the Masses at scale? The Union’s reputation as soulless enforcers of an oppressive Consensus is well deserved. In turn, many of our own members suffered greatly at the hands of Reality Deviants misusing powers they didn’t truly understand. Someone has to take the first step towards peaceful cooperation, if not reconciliation. Earning trust takes time and may well be unachievable. We may well be fated to war with the TAMURDs until the Earth burns all around us. However, we exist to challenge fate in all forms: a doomed Earth, inevitable war and chaos, and hatred and ignorance winning the day. We, at the Challenge Fate Foundation, say no.

Project Cloud Piercer Known by the locals as Mount Cook, New Zealand’s tallest mountain is known as Aoraki, or Cloud Piercer by the indigenous Māori. This sacred mountain has served as a bastion for a small splinter group of NAMURD known as Kopa Loei, who fled Technocratic desolation during the colonization of Polynesia. A routine drone sweep surveying the damage after the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 detected them. As the drone entered the area, an unseasonably strong storm arose and caused the unit to malfunction and crash. A blizzard beset the recovery team sent to collect the wreckage, despite the country’s summer conditions at the time. Analysis confirmed the weather had been manipulated by members of the Kopa Loei, a Craft group belonging to the Disparate Alliance. The Kopa Loei once ruled all of Polynesia until the Technocracy broke their system of Awakened kings and Nobles. In the aftermath, many Kopa Loei found their way into the Dreamspeaker TAMURD organization. Many others still cling to the illusion of independence. With TAMURD manipulation confirmed, a strike team assembled to recover the drone and eradicate the Reality Deviants responsible. A young analyst, Ahorangi ‘Angi’ Arataki, submitted a request to Management for an experiment in diplomacy. Recruited from a Māori community at 16 years old, Angi believed her own background in Polynesian mysticism would specially equip her to reach them. The only alternative was desolation, so her experiment was allowed to proceed. Project Cloud Piercer presented an unusual scenario in that there were no major environmental obstacles that made the location Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

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particularly inhospitable. The Kopa Loei had long since adapted to the rigors of life on the mountain, using its elevation and cloud cover to shield them from detection. Their system of reality manipulation known as ‘ho’omana’ had allowed them to live comfortably despite the harsh conditions. Their elders had filled the minds of their youth with tales of Technocratic boogeymen endlessly searching for them, desiring nothing but their eradication. Obviously, there was no interest in diplomacy. A number of drones and an entire reconnaissance team were lost trying to establish contact, and the experiment was very nearly declared a failure. In keeping with the principles of the Challenge Fate Foundation, Angi Arataki found a way. The Kopa Loei still rely on a quaint and provincial social hierarchy that was outdated 200 years ago, but Angi used to the Union’s benefit. The community rely on individuals known as maka’ainana or ‘Wayfinders’ to read the signs in the land to guide them in their hunting and foraging. Management suggested that Angi utilize the Foundation’s own weather manipulation capabilities to ensure the signs and omens would all point towards the imminent arrival of a ‘holy’ woman, but she refused on the basis that they would see through such a ruse. While there was some internal debate as to whether such superstition should be encouraged, Angi was adamant that honesty was the only way to open communications with their caste of wizard-priests called ‘Kahunas.’ The results exceeded all projections. After skillfully aligning herself with the signs necessary to foretell her arrival, Angi presented herself to the community hidden in the caves of Aoraki. Although she was unwelcome, the signs and portents had been undeniable, and she was granted an opportunity to address the gathered community. Her master stroke was encouraging their community leader, Paʻao, to use her knowledge of Kuhikuhi puʻuone or their system of divination to determine what should happen: Either her advice should be heeded as an emissary sent to guide them into a new and brighter future, or she should be thrown off the mountainside to her death — with their own doom soon to follow. Easily altering the energetic flows of probability to flow in a favorable direction won the day without a drop of bloodshed.

Notes for Storytellers The Challenge Fate Foundation is an unusual faction of the Technocratic Union in that their outreach efforts are ultimately heroic. For Chronicles prominently featuring members of the Disparate Alliance, the Challenge Fate Foundation pose unique challenges as potential friends or foes. Storytellers are encouraged to leverage the seeming contradiction of unrepentant members of the Technocratic Union that are genuinely interested in assisting your players.

The Cassandra Complex

Despite the myriad divisions within the Technocratic Union, ultimately two factions exist: 42

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The Loyalists, who are agents of Control, and the Utopians, who continue to labor under the original vision of the Order of Reason. The Order of Reason’s original vision of was to protect humanity from supernatural menace — all supernatural menaces. The Cassandra Complex originally arose as a hidden agency dedicated to the use of arcane predictive models to foresee and avoid challenges facing the Technocratic Union. Although the Complex proved instrumental to many Union victories, given the current state of Consensus Management decided that their resources were ultimately being misapplied, and disbanded the agency. At least, officially. Now the Cassandra Complex is less an active, functioning organization than a covert, seemingly random series of messages, support, and intelligence funneled directly to individuals within the Disparate Alliance.

The Enemies of My Enemies Although NAMURDs are officially enemies, some individuals are potential recruits to the Technocratic Union. Even those that would never be welcome in our ranks can still be useful agents in our greater task of realizing a Utopian ideal. Not every problem facing the Union can or should be solved by black-hatted agents, cyborg drones or personal explosive devices. Sometimes defeating our enemies means empowering other enemies, drawing them closer into the fold and even converting them into friends on occasion — the truest form of alchemy of which we are capable.

Knowledge Is Potential Power The Crafts of the Disparate Alliance often labor in significant ignorance of the world, and the threats it contains. This point may well be obvious, since if they could see the larger picture, they would actively be petitioning the Technocratic Union for membership. However, as previously stated, there may be hope for them yet to see reason. If not, it is better to extend their resources and human capital rather than our own. Recently, we became aware of the existence of a Hemophagic Entity operating in a major urban area, which posed a quandary. Destroy it, ignore it, or try reason with it. Destroying it is costly and fraught with risk to Consensus. The amount of Paradox generated in battling a centuries-old supernatural abomination can be considerable. Ignoring it is untenable, considering the purpose of our Technocratic Union. Diplomacy is equally risky, as these creatures are cunning and supernaturally persuasive, along with considerable mundane wealth and influence. In short, they are terrible foes, and yet they are a blight that must be removed. How to proceed, then? Report to Management, and hope for the best? Perhaps. Take direct action? While each individual case must be measured, the odds of success would rarely be high. There is another way.

A Trail of Breadcrumbs Many NAMURDs could be activated in the eradication of the Hemophagic Entity, but those of the Craft designation

Hollow Ones often prove to be the most pliable to our needs. Orphaned and alone, they often grow up distrustful of gifts and blind assistance but are easily baited by appeals to ego and opportunities for glory. Again, freed from the parameters of Technocratic thought, they are the unruly children of the NAMURDs. The Hemophagic Entity ran a nightclub aimed at converting the Masses into easy prey. A Hollow One operating in the area named Sarah Freeman was viewed to be of some use, but first her capabilities had to be tested. Sending any Enlightened being, NAMURD or otherwise to their deaths at the hands of a Hemophagic Entity is contrary to the ideas of the Order or Reason. Often overlooked is that the Masses commit a number of mundane crimes of their own free will and volition. Finding the most cunning of mortal criminals is effortless for us. A particularly mentally pliable mortal approached Sarah asking for help searching for ‘Tammy,’ a lost loved one. A recurring dream plagued them of Tammy tied up and held in an unknown basement. This blatant appeal to emotion moved Sarah, an Orphan. And thus, we proceeded to phase two. Sarah returned home to find a piece of vital evidence based on her reality manipulation capabilities. A scarf that belonged to the missing girl in a simple, unmarked package that allowed Sarah to detect the pattern, and locate the missing girl. Since Sarah survived her attempt at rescuing the girl — and to be clear,

if she hadn’t, she’d have no chance against the Hemophagic entity — we proceeded to phase three. Bombarded by expressions of gratitude and other serotonin-inducing overtures from the people she’d helped, a sense of victorious contribution was vital to her increasing pliability and receptiveness to external assistance. Next Sarah ‘randomly’ received a number of messages until she’d heard about this place so many times she decided to visit, and we proceeded to the final phase: Disclosure. The next time Sarah returned home, she found a package waiting on her living room table containing a photograph of the Hemophagic Entity and a laser pen capable of generating a beam of sufficient intensity to burn the abomination to ashes. If Sarah is smart, she will assemble the pieces and proceed accordingly. If she is not, her NAMURD associates will be guided far enough along to ensure she is avenged.

Notes for Storytellers The key to the continued success of the Cassandra Complex rests primarily upon two pillars: escalation and diversification. As shown above, Sarah is slowly brought closer by providing her with small, actionable pieces of information that escalate into larger pieces of information and even physical assistance. Success is intoxicating, and characters who are initially skeptical may be won over by timely and reliable external assistance.

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The other key is diversification. Accurate, actionable intel against all manner of threats mundane and magical may be available. On a meta level, an unmarked package containing an address and a Wonder can be a useful plot hook, or method of advancing the plot. Either way, the identity of their mysterious benefactor(s) should be incredibly difficult to figure out until such time as the Cassandra Complex deems it necessary. This relationship can be as benevolent or predatory as your Chronicle requires.

Friends of Courage

If you are reading this, there is still hope. Humanity needs your help, and by extension the Technocratic Union — humanity’s last, best hope for salvation — needs your help. From 1325 to just last night, the Order of Reason has shielded the sleeping Masses from every manner of menace, including themselves — and ourselves. Now, in our darkest hour, is the time for Courage, and the Friends of Courage, to rise to the occasion. We know you’ve heard the stories. Secret Agent John Courage is a myth. A madman. A traitor, a hero, a legend. Maybe he’s all or none of these things, but one thing you can be assured of: he is real — and he is fighting for us. No matter what you have been told, our real enemies are not the TAMURDs. The acronym is designed to separate us; “Tradition Affiliated Magic-Using Reality Deviants” are not so different from us. Enlightened just like us, and our destinies inextricably linked.

A Truth Most Dangerous After nearly 700 years of conflict, the Technocratic Union has very nearly succeeded in its goal of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. We did what we were told, and built the world we set out to achieve, but do you feel victorious? Do you feel as if you are standing triumphant over a safe and stable Consensus? Or do you feel like the Technocratic dream has failed to materialize? Do you feel just the tiniest bit lied to? Of course you do — otherwise you wouldn’t still be reading this piece of dangerous heresy. The Traditions know it, too. We’re the monsters of their story, and they’re right to believe it. We can, have, and will continue to eradicate countless members of their Orders. Peace is a fool’s errand and a pipe dream as well-meaning members of the Cassandra Complex airdrop mystical picnic baskets while black-suited kill squads are kicking in doors. Trying to extend a hand to a member of the Akashic Brotherhood is a good way to be on the receiving end of a hurricane-force karate chop. Don’t try it. In the face of the imminent threat to all reality posed by the Nephandi, and the casual ransacking of Consensus literally embodied by the Marauders, Technocratic strength is not enough. Hear me: IT IS NOT ENOUGH. Look around you, it never was. As a “fictitious” android recently said: “Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe.” That is a vision of our reality. We need allies not just to save ourselves, and the Masses need Friends. The solution is formal negotiations with the Craft Mages of the Disparate Alliance. Say their names. 44

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You’ve read this far. You either believe this is a dangerous heresy, or abject truth. Maybe both. Before we continue, how do you know this isn’t a trap? Simply put, you don’t. Even if I don’t intend for it to be. If you have been too loud, you may already be under surveillance. Simply reading this could land you in Room 101, or some deeper, darker, Nephandic hole. And yet, you know it’s true. Better still, although you risk everything, your mind, your body, your very Genius, statistically speaking your personal contribution is negligible. You are but a small dot on the print matrix of reality. And yet, such dots make the very nature of Consensus reality, and yours is vital to the overall image. A pin is a tiny piece of a grenade, and a bullet is small compared to a torso, but we aren’t talking about size, we’re talking about impact.

Friends in Low Places Assuming that peace with the Traditions is currently out of reach — and make no mistake, it’s pretty damned far out of reach — then we turn to the unthinkably inevitable: The Disparate Alliance. These far-flung Craft Mages are ripe for collaboration. Members of the Challenge Fate Foundation and the officially non-existent Cassandra Complex have begun making inroads in these unaligned communities. There are Enlightened out there who no longer shoot first and ask questions later when they see a black bowler hat or a pair of techno-organic glowing red eyes. My advice to you is to find a member of the Disparate Alliance that has had a positive interaction with the Technocratic Union, no matter how small and build upon that. Maybe position yourself with a sniper rifle to cover their exit from a botched mission. Use your credentials to slow down a strike team sent to black bag them just long enough for them to escape. Don’t die, of course. We’re the Friends of Courage, not the Martyrs of Mages. Actually, I’m going to start filing dead agents under that file name, but I digress. A word of advice: In my experience, the Children of Knowledge tend to be among the most receptive to dialogue. One of ours stationed in New Zealand has recently opened communications with the Kopa Loei, so with patience and care miracles can happen. Which brings up another important point.

If You See Something, Say Nothing I may have tried to assure you that the Friends of Courage aren’t a Nephandic plot, or any other existential threat to the Technocratic Union. However, the Nephandi might well be among us. Hell, you may be a Nephandic infiltrator, and yet here we are. You will be an asset, or you won’t — if you are revealed to be an enemy I will destroy you myself. Should you become a Friend, how will you know who your friends are? You don’t. We find each other when we need to and gathering in numbers of more than three is really, really ill-advised. Ben Franklin said three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead, and he was right. Now there was a man who understood the tenets of the Order of Reason. Oh, you didn’t know? How

do you think he accomplished so much? What you don’t know is all the Agents he enabled by being a bright shining beacon that cast shadows deep enough for them to work in anonymity. That is what Secret Agent John Courage does for us. He is King Kong on the Empire State Building and we are the police rounding up criminals while all eyes are cast upwards. Or something like that. I think I lost the metaphor, but if you need me to spoon feed you everything, you’re no Friend of mine.

Read This Part First We’ve run every possible simulation, and the results are undeniable: Ascension is not coming from the Traditions or the Technocratic Union. I know you’ve run the numbers and seen the truth for yourself. I can offer you one thing and one thing only, a highly uncommon resource in these times: Hope. The Ascension War can be won, by not fighting it. We have earned every single bit of the hatred the Traditions feel for us, and they’ve done plenty to earn our ire in return. But these others, this lost and struggling Disparate Alliance may still be open to the reconciliation and cooperation necessary to pursue collaborative Ascension, and by extension the salvation of all Reality. See you soon, my Friend. Now, burn this document and forget my name.

Notes for Storytellers In many ways, by rejecting traditional Technocratic ideas of Consensus, the Friends of Courage are the purest modern incarnation of the Order of Reason. Courage and his friends realize that Ascension isn’t coming from the Traditions or the Technocracy, and they approach the Disparate Alliance in the hopes of finding a new path towards collaborative Ascension. The Friends of Courage in your Chronicle might represent double or triple-agent tricksters whose allegiances fluctuate seemingly at random. In truth, they are in pursuit of Ascension at all costs. Unless you decide they aren’t, of course!

Navalon

Avalon. A magical kingdom, and the home of honor and chivalry. The first beacon of civilization in a dark age. A bunch of white men with great destinies shaping the world in their vision, imposing their idea of progress on the ‘savages’ around them. The magical trappings make Arthurian mythology distasteful to modern Union agents, but there’s broad agreement that King Arthur could have been a Technocrat. Someone always takes an idea too far, and in this case, it was the Harbingers of Avalon that made it unmutual. This British splinter group believed the modern Technocracy had lost sight of its goals, oppressing MURDs instead of delivering progress. Brutal and violent, and mired in a conflict where the end always justified the means. The Harbingers of Avalon looked to the past for guidance. The Technocracy executed all but one of the Harbingers’ original members, but the group reformed in secret as Navalon.

Their goals require huge organizational change and their methods — fight with honor, be a guiding light — are the opposite of secretive. Navalon members don’t announce their affiliation, but the Technocracy is alert to their ideology, however it’s expressed.

Playing a Navalon Member Navalon is one step away from quitting the Technocracy entirely. Even post-Ascension War, Navalon has major ideological differences with the rest of the Technocracy. If they don’t leave, the Technocracy will crush them. They’re building bridges, taking opportunities to work with MURDs and show themselves as valuable allies. They might provide tip-offs about threats MURDs are best placed to deal with, or even tip off local witches to upcoming Technocracy actions that might leave them as collateral damage. Navalon leadership, the Round Table, provides specific guidance for members (“knights” and “ladies”, to the intense frustration of marginalized gender members). Their precepts are: • Minimize harm. Murdering RDs is not, or should not, be the goal of the Technocracy. Defuse situations, Deescalate, and look for common ground and compromises. • Share information. Secrecy is the antithesis of progress. Where Technocracy knowledge or data could help alleviate a problem, share it. Just don’t get caught. • Make friends. Navalon needs allies, so when a Navalon member acts on the first two precepts, it’s important that the people they help know who helped them. It’s equally important that the Technocracy doesn’t, so it’s best practice to drop hints like names and symbols from Arthurian myth: guide others to the conclusion that an Arthurian faction in the Technocracy is on their side. When Navalon leave the Technocracy, they will be hunted down as defectors. They have knowledge and resources that should not be shared outside the Union. In this scenario, members of Navalon are desperate for allies outside the Technocracy, and nearly as desperate to ingratiate themselves with former friends inside the Union. Post-Technocracy Navalon is a humiliating inversion of the Arthurian legends. Members aren’t glorious heroes anymore, they’re beggars at other people’s courts, selling secrets and skills for safety.

Imperialist Relics Running from the Technocracy isn’t easy — TISFL, after all — and Navalon needs allies before, during, and after their great escape. Unfortunately, everything about Navalon, from their creed to their past actions, makes it hard for them to make friends. Witches and other TAMURDs claim Arthurian symbolism themselves and interpret it very differently to Navalon. To them, Avalon means ancient magic, and a way of living that centers that magic. They don’t appreciate a bunch of agents techsplaining their history and identity to them. Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

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Worse, the Harbingers of Avalon saw the British Empire as the inheritor of those Arthurian values the Harbingers so admired. Specifically, they were big fans of Britain’s expansion into the rest of the known world, and its “civilizing influence.” As far as they were concerned, the Empire and its missionaries were saving the “savages” from themselves. The Crafts and Disparates they almost wiped out with their paternalistic, imperialist crusade have a very different stance on that. The British Empire destroyed some magical traditions and irreparably damaged others, let alone the devastation it wreaked on the cultures that birthed those philosophies. Crafts like the Taftani, Bata’a and Ngoma have a great many scores to settle with Navalon. Many Disparates rightly see Avalon, and Navalon, as a symbol of conquest, oppression, and violence towards them. Navalon’s members might still win these hostile groups over, but it requires a lot of self-examination, and admission that parts of their ideology are, at best, two-hundred years out of date and, at worst, downright toxic. That’s hard for a group so devoted to celebrating their history. Moreover, Arthurian myth also appeals to far-right groups among the British Masses. Navalon needs to distance themselves from these groups as far as possible to make any friends outside the far right. However, Navalon needs contacts and information networks and some members argue they could use these extremists and try to reform them at the same time.

Delusions of Grandeur Most members of Navalon acknowledge, or at least pay lip service to, the absolute wrongness of the Harbingers’ imperialist views. However, in their hearts they still believe that they are the light in the darkness, the civilizing influence, the moral compass, and the face of progress. They still see themselves as heroes and leaders, and unless they can swallow their egos, they will never gain the trust they need to make alliances outside the Technocracy.

Navalon’s members are wrestling with an identity crisis in other ways too. For some, “Avalon” is a moral code. They’re still technomancers with guns, smartphones, and spreadsheets. For others, Avalon isn’t just a concept you can staple onto modern life. Their Enlightened practices often bring in elements of myth and legend, and it’s hard for the more conservative members of the group to accept that. Even open minded, Navalonians struggle with the question of what makes them distinct. What gives them their identity, when they’re not defined in opposition to the rest of the Technocracy, and when they share some of their symbols and references with several other factions? There’s no guarantee that Navalon will survive after it leaves the Technocracy. For some, that’s reason enough to sabotage those escape attempts.

What Does Navalon Have to Offer? Members of Navalon are experts in breaking social conditioning. They’ve found ways to develop a rich, fantastical ideology in the face of the Technocracy’s own indoctrination and, to be blunt, several of them have been reconditioned so many times there should be nothing of their original identities left. Need help deprogramming a low-light agent, or snatching a talented PTMURD out of a Union training program? Navalon has your back. Freeing your loved ones from the malign and bloody influence of a walking corpse? They’ve got that covered too. And they’re in no position to extort people asking them for help. Navalon members within the Technocracy, make a useful bridge between the Union and the Traditions. They have enough of a shared ideological “language” with groups like the Celestial Chorus and Verbena that they can communicate without a lot of the mis-steps and mistrust that plague Technocracy-Tradition interactions, and as long as they’re not known to be dissidents, they have as much influence in the Technocracy as any other operative of their rank.

MOKTESHAF AL NOUR Transcript of conversation between Ardashir Khorsani (Disparate, Taftâni), and Aysegül Hanım (Disparate, Ahl-i-Batin). Aysegül: You know who they work for, brother. How can we trust them? Khorsani: They did not always, sister. A: What do you mean? K: Let me tell you the history of the Collectors of Light, so you may see them as I do. [Ed note: Khorsani used the Arabic term ‘Mokteshaf al Nour,’ which the order still goes by. The phrase is used interchangeably.] 46

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K (cont’d): The Collectors are ancient, founded on a yearning to understand the Divine by understanding Creation. When Islam came to the world, the Collectors followed, and divided into five groups. The Hands of Mercy, whose touch brought healing. The Observers of Fate, who charted destiny in the stars. The Seekers of Truth, who perfected the physical sciences. The Riders of Wind, who mapped the whole Earth and beyond. And the Keepers of Law, who pursued justice and philosophy. Now, you know my people fight djinn, yes? The Collectors opposed them, too. Taftâni and Collectors worked together,

protecting villages and caravanserais from djinn and ifrit. You know the Web of Faith, yes? A: My order built it to protect humans, during the Golden Age. K: Everyone built it! Taftâni, Ahl-i-Batin, and Mokteshaf al Nour worked together, along with several others. At first, it covered just Baghdad, the Collectors’ capital; but as the Word spread, so did the Web. Eventually, the network of holy place linked to holy place protected the entire House of Peace. But then, the crusades came. The Christians brought with them the Order of Reason, who hated the Web of Faith merely because those who kept it prayed differently. A: Wait, the Order of Reason. That’s where they came from! K: Yes. After the crusaders left, things got even worse. The Mongols arrived to conquer Baghdad. A: Oh, no. Why couldn’t the Web of Faith save the city? K: The Web protected against monsters. It could not prevent mortal from killing mortal. When the horde sacked Baghdad, the Collectors lost everything. Their beautiful library burned along with their disemboweled teachers. The Tigris ran black and red with ink and blood. The survivors had no choice but to flee for Constantinople. A: The Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1253. Wasn’t Constantinople still Christian then? K: This, I suppose, is when the Mokteshaf al Nour betrayed the Web’s alliance. But do you not see they had reason to do so, after losing so much? They realized the Web of Faith was an impossible dream. It could save an individual from an ifrit, but it could not prevent war. Look on them with compassion. They acted out of grief, not malice or greed. When Mehmed Sultan came to Constantinople in 1453, the Collectors welcomed him. Especially since in his conquest, he did not sack the city. Their fortunes rose with the Ottoman Empire. A: But then they betrayed everyone by joining the Order of Reason! K: Not yet. The divisions of faith remained. I know a subgroup, the High Artisans, courted the Seekers of Truth. Perhaps one or two Collectors left, but the Mokteshaf al Nour remained wholly independent when the Technocratic Union formed in London in 1888. A: Why…? K: Sister, dear Aysegül. The Technocratic Union’s founders were European. By 1888, they already called the Ottoman Empire the ‘sick man of Europe,’ disdaining anything Turkish. Including the Collectors, who kept their faith. A: That doesn’t seem very reasonable of them.

K: No — and remember that lesson. We have our [REALITY DEVIATION], but we still keep a mortal heart. No matter how powerful our [REALITY DEVIATION] grows, we inherit our parents’ flaws, the prejudices of our homeland, the foibles of our families. And that’s true even for them. [Ed. note: I should annotate Mr. Khorsani’s statement. He clearly accuses the Technocracy of holding mortal prejudices. We acknowledge his valid criticism of our 19th century forebears. Certainly, they absorbed distinct Victorian ideas about power and privilege from their mortal surroundings, and that likely contributed to the Collectors of Light refusing to join. However, I assert they were offered the chance. That’s far more progressive than any mundane Turks received from Parliament. A little gratitude would not go amiss from Mr. Khorsani.] K: After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, Turkey secularized, and the Collectors with them. Only then did they join the Union. A: Did they give up their faith? K: No, not at all. The Divine, Creation, Wisdom. It’s all the same to them. A: But the Web of Faith! It’s gone now! Even if they didn’t betray us by joining the Union until recently, they betrayed us when they let the Web fall into ruin! K: What would you say if I told you that the Collectors understood what they gave up so long ago, and wish to rebuild? Would you work with them then? To restore the Web of Faith? A: I … must think about that. [End] Editor notes: Mr Khorsani is correct. The Collectors have displayed an interest in updating the medieval institution once known as the Web of Faith. Despite the rather unmutual reliance on religious symbolism, such a project could use Enlightened Science to firm up Technocratic control over the Middle East. As the transcript indicates, however, inherited prejudices impede progress. The Ahl-i-Batin remain wary of the Collectors, viewing abandoning the Web after the sacking of Baghdad as a betrayal. The Taftâni, as you can see, are more forgiving, which we could exploit for our benefit. These djinn-fighters seem ignorant of how much we have in common, at least in the realm of putting down Reality Deviants. Operatives finding themselves working alongside these CMURDs ought to emphasize this common goal as a method of ingratiation. Dealing directly with the Collectors requires a more delicate touch. They entertain notions of being a full Convention. Ludicrous! Even if their numbers supported such an assertion, their reluctance to abandon their religious roots holds them back. I don’t Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

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care how much they speak of the search for wisdom or a wish to understand the universe. As you can see from Mr. Khorsani’s statement on “Creation, Wisdom, and Divinity,” the Collectors still hold religious motivations. Despite such unmutuality, we cannot afford to alienate the Collectors. They seem intent on pursuing this Web of Faith project. From what I can tell, their motives remain divided. Some feel obligated to rebuild this infrastructure out of a duty to protect mundane civilians. Others look to this project as a type of atonement and a rebuilding of bridges burned centuries ago. Since they seem determined to see this project completed, they might as well do it underneath our aegis rather than outside it.

Project Invictus

According to the Technocratic party line, Project Invictus does not exist. PsyOps reinforces this position and the threat thereof ensures that even Enlightened personnel who do believe there is a secret network of spies within the Union snooping out internal corruption keep their mouths shut. Special Projects Division prefers it that way, silencing and mocking any suggesting there is any reason to doubt their integrity, while fostering an environment in which any Enlightened personnel expressing sympathies toward Invictus have their careers within the Union ruined. When the tin-foil hat-wearing crackpots previously evading the attentions of PsyOps suddenly disappear, they are often already regarded with such derision that few Union members seem to care. This has been the environment that Project Invictus has navigated since its inception when it was founded as a direct response to increasing corruption within the Syndicate through association with the categorical worst amongst Reality Deviants. The original members of Project Invictus squared off against the highest echelons of power within the Union from day one. It has gone downhill from there. Although there are no extant records of the event, the first Invictus mission is rumored to have been the economic relationship between the Syndicate and the Hemophagic Entities self-classified as “Clan Ventrue.” The Syndicate had so much to gain financially that statistical calculations concluded that it was beneficial to discredit and disenfranchise the members of Project Invictus. With the help of their new allies, they achieved unprecedented success. Because of this, and the long memories of personnel at the head of Project Invictus, they take on threats which might appear to be mild or low-interest with extreme prejudice while also being unwilling to engage in any actual trust of other Operatives — including their own. Members of Project Invictus infiltrate every Convention, including the Syndicate, and therefore come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Their universal belief in the war against the HSKINs corrupting the heart of the Union and the members not only allowing, but encouraging it, binds them together – but even that is not always enough to maintain internal alliances. 48

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Be advised: such missions are not suitable for inexperienced operatives. Collectors and their allies seek out viable Web node sites across the Middle East and former Ottoman territories. This requires interfacing with various imams, preachers, and other religious figures. Obtaining access to such sites requires a degree of diplomacy, and then a certain willingness to undermine one’s co-workers to ensure the constructed node remains firmly under Technocratic control. I believe that some Collectors may suspect such interference already. Despite the risks, especially of falling into unmutuality, this project is not one the Union can easily ignore.

External Alliances The Technocracy has turned every potential resource and position of power against Project Invictus. With enemies in every Convention, it is no wonder that Project Invictus hides beneath layers of secrecy and denial. The powerhouse that is the Syndicate’s Special Projects Division directly opposes them, and as the rest of the Union relies upon funding and support, allies are often difficult if not entirely impossible to find on the home front. Despite this seemingly impossible situation, members of Project Invictus are deeply passionate about their cause and about the Union’s ideals. They do not merely believe, they know the Union is in the best possible position to guide humanity toward empowerment and enlightenment against the darkness. However, the enemy knows the best way to annihilate the opposition is to convince it you’re right, which is exactly what the corrupting influences behind the SPD do. Project Invictus needs allies outside the Union more than any other internal faction of the Union, a truth which is ironic considering their mission statement. All evidence and intelligence points to the fact that TAMURDs struggle with the same internal corruptions, and Invictus recognizes that seeking allies amongst their traditional enemies is not ideal. Instead, Invictus Operatives are now making overtures to the Disparate Alliance, which they recognize as a relevant entity since the formation of their pact. As the Alliance has expressed it is equally concerned with the danger presented by HSKINS masquerading as leadership within the Union, Invictus has found a plethora of unexpected help in their cause. The longest working relationship Invictus has with any of the Crafts that make up the Alliance is with the loose collective of artists and discontents known as the Hollow Ones. Historically, the two factions work together against corrupt members of the Syndicate and, according to rumor, against the Order of Hermes and Celestial Chorus as well. There are no agents who can confirm that Invictus and the Hollow Ones worked together on a project that culminated in the toppling of Doissetep, but rumors persist. The other faction that Project Invictus commonly works with are the Subtle Ones, the NAMURDs known as the Ahl-i-Batin.

This relationship is tentative at best, as the Ahl-i-Batin have made it clear that they do not want to foster permanent positive relationships with any faction of the Technocratic Union. They hold onto historical anger toward the Union for developing the oil fields in the Middle East responsible for the wealth of the nations from which many Ahl-i-Batin claim ancestry. Nevertheless, Project Invictus is able to play cat and mouse with the most elite Batini spies, and are always quick to remind them that their primary enemy is within the Syndicate – the primary Technocratic Convention responsible for the Batini ire — and that their biggest concern amongst them are the HSKINs known as the Nephandi, whom the Batini hate just as much, if not more, than Project Invictus. Other members of the Alliance prove more challenging, if not impossible, to work with. Some Crafts, such as the Kopa Loei and Templars, hold so much hatred toward the Union that it would seem that working with them would be impossible. However, Project Invictus are masters of being double and triple agents, and are often capable of posing as individuals not so closely associated with Union with whom the less trusting Crafts are

willing to work. At the same time, the methodologies of some Crafts, particularly the Taftani, are so chaotic and unreliable that they cannot pose as allies to Invictus missions.

Cancun Project Invictus works against SPD schemes in Mexico from a base of operations in Cancun, Quintana Roo. The Unconquerable Soul Society holds an open alliance with both the Hollow Ones and Ahl-i-Batin of Cancun, united against the operations of Special Projects Division. Funded by Syndicate-held tourist industries, SPD operates in areas of easily bribed local governments throughout Central America where the rest of the world cares little about the fate of those upon whom they enact their experimentation. Interestingly enough, Project Invictus is deeply intertwined with the growing relationship between the Balamo’ob, REMURDs who actively war against the Syndicate’s assaults on their own community members; and the mysterious and terrifying so-called Itz’at, an otherwise inconsequential Craft of NAMURDs nevertheless proving excellent benefactors in the exchange of intelligence vital to disrupting SPD operations.

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Orphans and the Unaligned Ever since there have been humans, humans have achieved Enlightenment. The first among early humans to embrace flint and fire, to work stone into tools and weapons, and to chant poems of protection against horrors in the dark, were among the Masses long before any Convention or Tradition claims their earliest roots. To this day, many experience Awakening without the guidance or structure of the social safety net provided by a formal allegiance. Though the various factions of the Ascension Conflict constantly work to find and recruit these lone practitioners, many are alone and unidentified for the rest of their lives. Isolated from the security and resources of a faction, but also the wounds and prejudices that go with such associations, these individuals are a deep well of untapped potential in the struggle for Reality. The Traditionalists call them Orphans, a derogatory term meant to show a lack of pedigree in their practice. The Disparate Alliance refers to these loners by a host of names, usually defined by the person named, as a significant portion of the Alliance’s membership consists of such individual practitioners. The Technocratic Union internally designates these people as Non-Affiliated Magic-Using Reality Deviants, or NAMURDs. However, initial research indicates that the term NAMURD is off-putting to the target, creating unnecessary communication noise and complicating negotiations. When approaching NAMURDs in the field for negotiations, the approved term of reference is Unaligned.

practices virtually indistinguishable from the Traditions. Yet, there are numerous Unaligned among the Disparates. Union analysts attribute this to active outreach by established Disparates. This outreach, coupled with diplomatic acumen prioritizing cooperation over assimilation, has proven overwhelmingly successful for the Disparate Alliance. Given the Union’s need for allies, Management recommends operatives apply similar techniques when approaching the Unaligned.

Demographics and Populations

Rehabilitation of Orphans and the Unaligned

Analysts experience great difficulty in projecting potential demographics for the Unaligned. Enlightenment can strike anyone, anytime, anyplace, with no regard for geography, race, socioeconomic status, or any other quantifiable factor. The Traditionalists tend to find those Awakening within the communities they frequent, employing practices that fit their Deviant belief structures. The Union is not immune to this sort of bias, as many Technocratic recruits come from fields such as academia, finance, engineering, medicine, military service, sociology, and technology. As any agent who has spent more than ten minutes on the Front Lines can tell you, the world is a much broader place than the Union’s fields of focus. As such, numerous Awakenings occur without any formal outreach from an established faction. To date, the Union has not spent much effort on these random incidents, as they were deemed non-impactful on the Time Table. The established groups within the Disparate Alliance are not immune to similar biases and practices. Intelligence indicates that each organization within that group recruits according to 50

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Challenges and Opportunities

When approaching the Unaligned, there are a few basic things operatives in the field should keep in mind. Unlike established factions within the Ascension Conflict, who are likely to hold biases regarding the Union, most Unaligned are not even aware of the existence of the Technocracy. This ultimately serves in the Union’s favor, allowing more negotiation time spent introducing and reinforcing the benefits of cooperation without the need to overcome preconceived notions about negative motivations. This is not to say that negotiations with Unaligned are easier. Initial outreach and historical precedent show that most Unaligned are fiercely independent and may greet diplomatic overtures with resistance or hostility. Nephandic corruption among the Unaligned is also a possibility worthy of note. The lack of larger social structure may make the Unaligned susceptible to the machinations of the Fallen. Management advises caution in all phases of outreach.

The official line from Control boils down to: “There are no Orphaned mistakes outside the Technocracy. Anyone with a Genius finds us, or we find them. Like attracts like.” As with all dictates, however, there are exceptions. The Technocratic Union does not reach everywhere, as much as we would like to for cementing the Consensus. The truth is, we are much smaller than the combined might of the various types of Reality Deviants, and one of our Conventions mostly spends time beyond Horizon, in the Deep Universe. Sometimes, an Enlightened Genius slips through the cracks — destined to confuse and disrupt the world around them. This is a fail state. Do not allow this to happen. Report any suspected stray Enlightened to your supervisor.

Enlightened Children Unlike the so-called Avatar of the Reality Deviants in the Traditions, the Enlightened Genius begins to connect to the conscious mind in early childhood. Different Enlightened scientists have varying theories on why this is: Cooley’s looking-glass self, Mead’s distinction between “I” and “me”, or Piaget’s theory of egocentrism. Whatever reason a theorist may ascribe to, she

Curative Language Several big-name organizations use so-called “curative language” to describe autistic children, traumatized children, children with ADHD, disabled children, or children otherwise outside of the mainstream. They believe that they can “fix” these children, that these children are “family tragedies”, and that these children have nothing to give because they are non-normative. We do not use this language in The Operative’s Dossier. Disabled, traumatized, and otherwise nonnormative people have plenty to provide the Technocratic Union, and, in fact, their perspectives are incredibly valuable in constructing a vision of Consensual Reality.

cannot deny that at around the age of three, a child in possession of a Genius begins to speak about an imaginary friend or guardian angel that gives him advice or teaches him how to do things. Many children around this age do manifest imaginary friends — as a note, some are not imaginary and are not a Genius, should an Agent suspect EDE involvement she should contact her supervisor immediately — and those that are not imaginary do have useful things to teach. Enlightened children may learn to read and write faster, be able to do fractions in their head by the age of six, or build improbable inventions out of wooden blocks, marble racetrack pieces, and pipe cleaners. Not all children displaying genius have the Enlightened Genius, of course. At this stage, however, treating them similarly cannot harm the child. The New World Order funds, and is otherwise indirectly involved in, several dozen schools — both traditional and parochial or otherwise alternate schools — and catches many young Geniuses this way. After-school programs and job fairs place these future Agents right where they need to be. The trouble, at least as the upper echelons see it, comes with cult-born, disabled, troubled, fostered, traumatized, or non-neurotypical children with the Genius. These children are less likely to be placed in special schools that nurture their precocious talents and teach them the skills they need to become happy and healthy citizens of the Technocratic Union. Instead, they are funneled into the deeply unmutual systems of juvenile detention, special education, summer school, repeated suspensions (both in and out of school), remedial classes, and more. These children are treated as nuisances at best, or budding abusers, serial killers, and “super predators” at worst. Non-white and non-heteronormative children suffer this abuse far more than others. The adults teaching them are trained in forcing compliance, not deescalating traumatic reactions or neurodiverse meltdowns. Some are outside of the system entirely, homeschooled by concerned or fanatically religious parents.

While the homeschooled children are less likely to be fed into the school-to-prison pipeline (see Enlightened Adolescence, below) and may have teachers for parents, they are more likely to pass under the notice of Agents searching for children with the Genius. An Enlightened child studying at home for religious or philosophical reasons may also be subject to brutal punishments as their parents respond to the Genius as though it is manifest disrespect or even possession. The Genius cannot save a child from the people around her. It does not “cure” a child of her trauma or variant brain structure or disability, even if the people around her want her to be cured for their own convenience. The child is the home of the Genius, and both work with what they have. If her environment repeatedly harms the child, , the Genius may go dormant — this is not a Gilgul by any means, but Geniuses have been known to stay silent to protect their children. Removed from a harmful situation, dormant Geniuses may re-awaken.

Enlightened Adolescence The Enlightened children found by Agents of the Technocracy come into their teenage years taught at schools known for their excellence in the STEAM fields. Some receive scholarships to prestigious research universities, while others go into the trades. Both engage with mundane studies as well as beginning their studies in Enlightened Science. The Conventions do not require a degree — an electrician makes just as good of a member of Iteration X as an electrical engineer. Those who are not found, however, have a rough life ahead of them. They might distinguish themselves in technology clubs or on debate teams, and an Agent locates them midway through their high school years. An Agent in the prison system might locate an Enlightened teenager in a juvenile detention facility, or an Enlightened social worker might find a foster child with a brilliant talent for Hypereconomics struggling in their high

Noncompliance and the Technocracy The truth is that the punitive systems in place for non-compliant and non-normative teenagers hurts Enlightened as well as unenlightened. It doesn’t distinguish between the two — why would it? The point is not to find the brilliance in young people, it is to crush any form of dissent. Naturally, Agents within the Technocratic Union split along lines of compliance versus understanding, and this will be a debate for some time to come. Chapter Two: Unlikely Allies

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school classes, or a nonverbal student with a Genius languishing in an underfunded group home. These are all only strong maybes. Enlightened teenagers not caught up by the Technocratic Union’s net begin experimenting by themselves. This may be with drugs, sex, tech, the emotions of others, or some other thing. Some become the stereotypical nihilist outcast, J.D. from the movie Heathers, greeting everyone overly formerly while plotting their death. Some become despotic student council presidents. Some go to prison or a psychiatric ward at 16, refusing to comply. Although the Union may still reach these adolescents, Nephandi may sweep them up before their existence is ever known.

Emancipated NAMURDS Upon reaching the age of emancipation, an Enlightened adult operating free from guidance or structure is simultaneously an opportunity and an existential risk. Agents of the Technocracy do well to exert an equal amount of effort in the location and indoctrination of these individuals as goes into battling TAMURDs and NAMURDs. Liken them to an open flame, equally capable of heating or destroying a home, or a knife that can slice bread or slice throats. By now, any Enlightened adult is unmistakably in possession of a skill that they themselves do not understand. Sadly, many promising children have their Genius permanently stamped out. Various branches of the Technocratic Union debate as to whether this withering is reversable, but that is beyond the scope of the topic at hand. Our goal is to temper raw ore into steel, not form coal into diamonds. Many Agents approach these Enlightened individuals like a dangerous quarry to be captured or killed, but their potentiality for becoming useful members of the Technocratic Union should not be overlooked. We find these people by following the tracks they leave behind. We often speak of stamping out Reality Deviance, but oftentimes being mindful of social deviance can be a useful indicator of potentiality. By this stage in life, the target either occupies a place of being superlative or deviant. They may be an artist—usually, but not always of significant accomplishment—or an athlete, or a titan of industry. Be extra vigilant for highly talented underperformers who may have an Awakened Genius, but come from environments that did not encourage, or worse, actively suppressed their talents. Establishing the ubiquity of Social Media was one of the Technocractic Union’s most successful initiatives. We have a near-infinite dataset to mine for people whose peers have identified them as superlative. Which means we have identified them. As previously stated, these Enlightened individuals may have devolved into a life of crime or callous psychopathy. While these individuals seem irredeemable, the reality of the conflicts facing the Technocratic Union in defense of the Masses at times necessitates choices and tasks the average person finds unpalatable. A certain moral flexibility is useful when properly applied.

Strategies of Categorization The Hemophagic Entities have dedicated themselves with a near singular purpose towards total control of the media and 52

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obfuscation of the realities of the supernatural threats facing the Masses in the interest of concealing their own existence. This abominable practice has led them, on occasion, to reveal a great deal about the Ascension War in general, and the Technocratic Union in particular. Their intention to mask their existence with ‘fictional’ portrayals of magical boys and shadowy governmental AI ‘agents’ chasing super-powered hackers correspondingly allude to ours. Because of this, Enlightened individuals often believe they know what we are when a black-suited Agent arrives on their doorstep. In the interest of objective truth, the Hemophagic Entities have not necessarily been inaccurate in the portrayal of Technocratic thought, so much as incomplete. Since we do in fact routinely eradicate Reality Deviants with swift and crushing efficiency, but Masses don’t understand we do it expressly in their defense. We must temper all potential actions involving the Unaligned through the lens of the greater good of the Masses and Consensus. Having identified a potential target, options exist beyond the binary approaches of conditioning or sanitization. With Enlightenment confirmed, the subject should come under constant surveillance for a number of purposes. First and foremost, to prevent them from falling into the clutches of the TAMURDs, NAMURDs, or worse. While not everyone ultimately becomes a contributing member of the Technocratic Union, they also cannot become enemies we have to battle at some point in the future. Second, observation gives opportunities to identify points of leverage to exploit during the approach, which we will discuss shortly. But most importantly, it provides an opportunity to identify the target’s capabilities for reality manipulation. The TAMURDs have ugly, inefficient, and oftentimes Paradox-inducing approaches to reality manipulation. Unaligned individuals’ potentiality may manifest in countless forms. A literally unstoppable football player. A marksman who never misses. A dancer of impossible grace. An actor controlling the emotions of anyone watching their performance. A groundskeeper with unseasonably brilliant flower beds. A homicide detective with a statistically anomalous success rate. How they manipulate reality, whether consciously or unconsciously, is determined by observation before executing a proper tactical approach. Subjects found to pose an excessive risk to the Masses or Consensus may require a more rapid reaction. Direct any concerns to your Supervisor.

Strategies of Evaluation There is a cost and a risk in the process of observation and outreach. Not every Unaligned individual is worthy of consideration for membership in the Technocratic Union, and yet they cannot go unchecked. The observing Agent must deduce the individual’s recruitment or indoctrination potential. There are numerous opportunities within the Union for proper application of an individual’s talents, should they be deemed worthy. This does not, however, mean they are open to the tremendous opportunity available to them. Has the subject formed and maintained meaningful connections? Familial ties can be a useful point of

leverage for approach (also discussed, shortly), while a ‘lone wolf’ may still be looking for a place to belong. In general, individuals who quit easily and turn their back on commitments tend to underperform in the Technocratic Union. The most desirable trait is a relentless commitment to something. Anything bigger than themselves. Selfishness is antithetical to the grand work of the Technocratic Union.

Strategies of Approach Adjust the presented strategies by the socioeconomic status of the Unaligned MURD. While many of them fall into society’s underprivileged strata, there are Unaligned at every level of wealth. Enlightenment does not recognize social structures. An Awakened human is still a human. As such, they are still prone to the same petty weaknesses and frailties that plague the Masses. Membership in the Technocratic Union provides a pathway to liberation from these meaningless fetters. However, Agents may exploit these vulnerabilities during the Subject’s Contact phase. Many methods of acquiring compliance from the Unaligned are available, including:

• Negotiation. Persuasion is the most reasonable and

humane approach to achieving compliance. The Technocratic Union is the singular greatest achievement in human history, the sword and shield of the Masses. Properly stated, the glory of our esteemed order is

self-evident, and any reasonable individual should beg and plead for inclusion in it. • Bribery. Bribery comes in many forms. While money is the simplest and most direct form, using our substantial influence to help the Target get something they want may be the most efficient approach to gaining compliance. What is a house, a car, or other trapping of wealth compared to the safety and security of Consensus? • Charity. A donation to a cause — or outright solving a problem — they care about might sway unaligned individuals passionate about social causes. A cancelled pipeline is a small price to pay for a promising recruit.

• Coercion. The path of the Unaligned individual is often

a challenging one. As such, carefully applied force can be highly effective in achieving compliance. This is very rarely physical force. Not often is the recipient of a shock stick made more philosophically receptive. Compliance does not equal willingness. However, promising to keep certain information, up to and including outright blackmail, is a useful tool in motivating an individual to come in for processing and indoctrination.

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Anomalous Allies While many horrors hide within the shadows of the world, feeding — sometimes, literally — on humanity to sustain themselves, sometimes those same shadows hide valuable allies. These entities can be more challenging to manage as there is no dedicated SOP to reference for dealing with all of them. The following are general guidelines. Document all interactions with RDs and submit to your Supervisor for analytics.

Hemophagic Entities

While SOP on Hemophagic Entities is to keep a distance and minimize interaction, there are circumstances in which dealing with these RDs proves beneficial. The New World Order and the Syndicate especially are most likely to foment relations with Hemophages. There is enough statistical data to suggest that their cited goal of “Tradition: Masquerade” (not to be confused with TAMURDs usage) coincides with Article Six of the Precepts. However, their interest in holding and maintaining global power makes economic alliances most valuable relationships to be had with them.

Ximena Benally, Hemophagic Entity Designate: Ventrue, Special Project Division Benefactor Ms. Benally is the CEO of a number of casinos across the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States. Depending on clearance levels, she is either an ally to the Special Projects Division, or a fully respected member thereof. She is willing to work with non-SPD Amalgams and has even funded Amalgams struggling with requisitions through normal means, although this violates SOP. In return, she might ask for assistance securing the Masses, which she considers her protectorate (primarily, enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, though she has been known to expand her protection to other Indigenous peoples that live in her traditional territory), or else hunting down other Hemophagic Entities that have proven challenging for her own operatives. Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 (Tenacious), Charisma 4 (Regal), Manipulation 5 (Eloquence), Appearance 3, Perception 4 (Intuitive), Intelligence 3, Wits 3 Abilities: Alertness 3, Awareness 2, Empathy 3, Expression 3, Intimidation 4 (Cold Stare), Leadership 5 (Competent), Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 5 (Cheating), Etiquette 4 (High Society), Firearms 2, Melee 3, Survival 3, Technology 2, Academics 3, Computer 2, Investigation 2, Law 5 (Jurisdiction), Occult 2, Politics 4 (Tribal), Finance 5 (Law-Breaking) Willpower: 9 54

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Health Levels: OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated Armor: 0 Powers: Enlightenment 5, Mind 4, and Life 5. Countermagick: None but attempts to coerce Ximena with Mind receive a penalty of -3. Equipment: Smith & Wesson Model 10 owned since her breathing days; a combat knife. Image: Ms. Benally exudes power and confidence, and sports a variety of colorful business suits, often accompanied by beaded earrings, silver and turquoise necklaces, and other forms of boujee Native fashion. She looks to be in her late 20s to mid-30s and has a hawk-like nose and discerning eyes. Despite her severe features, she smiles easily and is an expert at putting people at ease with a flash of her teeth. Her hair is long, straight, and black, but often tied up in a tight bun or hidden beneath a brimmed hat. Roleplaying notes: While you are a consummate professional and expert double-talker, you also excel in getting straight to the point. They have something you want, and you can do something for them — every interaction is transactional. An Amalgam with an Indigenous member might be slightly more likely to garner your sympathy due to your shared background, but you don’t let your guard down and your motives and goals are your own.

Therianthropes

There is such an expanse of Therianthropic designations that it proves challenging to manage reliable statistical analysis of their behaviors. Operatives are often forced to engage based purely on anecdotal reports of previous alliances. At the same time, this is one of the RD species for which the Union has successfully managed the population numbers through necessary reinforcement of Article Five of the Precepts. They appear almost universally adept at the Dimensional Sciences and their unpredictability can extend to invigorating EDEs into dangerously chaotic behavior. Extreme caution is advised.

Noah Campeau, “Harbinger of the Machine”, Therianthrope Designate: Felidae Campeau is a self-styled DJ on Soundcloud and a social media influencer or “memelord”. While the New World Order is fascinated with his particular techniques to inspire additional media-focused influence through the manipulations of EDEs, Campeau is more likely to be interested in working with Iteration X, expressing a distinct interest in transhumanist philosophies. Although his public personality focuses on social media, he is an expert at data encryption and phishing schemes. (Missive from Cpl. Beatriz Ruiz-Hobi, Void Engineer: Do not engage with this RD. He has no interest in working within the Precepts and only wants to bring about the works of a dangerous EDE designated [Error: Comms unstable.])

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4 (Feline Reflexes), Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 4 (Guile), Appearance 2, Perception 4 (Sharp Senses), Intelligence 4 (Keen-Edged Mind), Wits 5 (Feral) Abilities: Alertness 1, Athletics 3, Awareness 4 (Hidden Magic), Brawl 3, Expression 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 5 (Con Games), Research 4 (Secrets), Stealth 3, Survival 2, Technology 3, Academics 2, Computer 5 (Cryptoanalysis), Cosmology 4 (Courts), Enigmas 4 (Riddles), Investigation 3, Occult 4 (Conspiracy Theories) Willpower: 5 Health Levels: OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated Armor: 0 Powers: Enlightenment 6, Life 4, Correspondence 3, Forces 3, Mind 3, and Spirit 4. Additionally, Noah may change into a “werelynx” form wherein all his Physical Attributes benefit from +2 each, and all of his Social Attributes suffer from a negative penalty of -2 each and his Brawl attacks deal Aggravated Damage.) Countermagick: None. Equipment: Noah is loaded with various wireless communication devices, always carrying multiple smartphones, as well as a tablet, laptop, and a Bluetooth headset. He stays connected to the internet as often as possible and uploads recordings of his escapades to various social media networks. Appearance: Noah has dark skin with the unhealthy pallor of someone who does not go outside enough and wears his thick shock of black hair styled into a mohawk. He favors bright colors and loose clothing, particularly tank tops and basketball shorts —easily discarded when he shapeshifts. Noah carries a backpack loaded with his copious tech gear and always has a Bluetooth headset either cocked on one ear or around his neck. Roleplaying Notes: Speak in a combination of street lingo, Rez lingo, tech lingo, and internet shorthand, then make up a few things that have no meaning and toss them in as well. You are willing to help the Union in whatever mission they ask, but you are never willing to let them have an easy time of it. Your genuine goal is not to help them at all, but rather to gain access to their systems and data so you can use it for your own purposes, leaving as much chaos and systemic disinformation in your wake as you can. If the Union catches on to your real goals, you should have recorded enough information and uploaded it to various servers and databases to be a threat if they come after you.

EDEs

Better left alone if not causing any harm, the vast majority of EDEs have no real intelligence or motivation of which to speak. However, a small subset of this population tends may be directly manipulative of, and harmful toward, the Masses. The small fraction of EDEs that are less alien in mindset may prove useful in the Union’s endeavors, but because they tend to require a significant amount of specialization to utilize, Void Engineers deal best with these particular anomalies. The most common of EDE allies, pejoratively referred to as Drones, may even earn low-level membership within the Union.

Mrs. Sarah Williams Williams is a citizen working under the jurisdiction of Iteration X. Williams’ strength is in analytics and data management. Although some Operatives see her as nothing but a desk jockey, she is an invaluable asset when assessing field data and compiling statistics. Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4 (Tireless), Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 5 (Bright), Wits 5 (Cunning) Abilities: Alertness 4 (Warning Signs), Awareness 1, Research 5 (Hidden Sources), Technology 4 (Modification), Academics 5 (Sociology), Computer 4 (Office Tech), Investigation 4 (Data Sorting), Medicine 2, Science 2. Willpower: 3 Health Levels: OK, OK, OK, -1, -1, -1, -2, -2, -2, -5, -5, Incapacitated Armor: 4 (Armor Charm) Powers: Enlightenment 3, Matter 3, Mind 3, and Spirit 3. Appearance: Mrs. Williams’ appearance is both impeccable and forgettable. Her most memorable feature is a splash of freckles across her cheeks, but she is not very expressive and has a common shade of sandy-blonde hair and a typical “professional haircut”. She wears office blouses and dresses with perfect creases. Roleplaying Tips: Never speak out of turn. In fact, do not speak unless what you have to say is relevant and important. Refrain from too much emotional tone or inflection, and when you do inject passion or feeling, it should feel over-produced. You are not an emotional being, you are an efficient worker bee whose only concern is getting the job done properly.

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Magic is technology’s unconscious, its own arational spell. Our modern technological world is not nature, but augmented nature, super-nature, and the more intensely we probe its mutant edge of mind and matter, the more our disenchanted productions will find themselves wrestling with the rhetoric of the supernatural. — Erik Davis, TechGnosis: Myth, Magic and Mysticism in the Age of Information

Welcome to the Future, and Don’t Read the Comments Never underestimate the human capacity for turning miraculous technology into shit. Thirty years ago, the internet seemed like the ultimate triumph of technocracy over superstitionism. The province of an energized technological elite — accessed not through occult rituals but through advanced machinery — this “Digital Web” promised a frontier of possibilities. Now, three decades later, the internet has become an intellectual gravity well where even the most essential facts become fodder for debate and dismissal. No greater argument against the potential of mass Ascension exists than this metaphysical toilet of gleeful irrationality. Worse still, the internet has become a playground for Fallen predators and Sleeper parasites. Although the Digital Web had once provided a Wild West for certain Technocrats and the traitorous Virtual Adepts, the current state of this Web suggests that collaboration between those one-time rivals might be the only salvation for a humanity determined to troll itself to death.

Paradoxically, this same Web proves that rapid transformation through advanced, pervasive technology is possible. Concepts and connections that were literally unimaginable 40 years ago are now so common that most people alive today can’t recall a world without them. The internet provides a dimension of reality where nothing (except the tools used to reach it) has physical substance. However, events and activities there are just as real as any physical interaction — quite often more so. The internet, both in Mage and in our own world, shapes what we perceive as real. Accessing it requires technology, and yet the things we find online — including the uncanny feeling of interacting with people outside of physical space — make us question old assumptions about what is and is not “real.” These days, most of us carry portals to another world in our pockets. What we do with such portals, though, is enough to keep any sane Technocrat up long after bedtime. For better and worse, we’re now all on the Digital Web. Even folks who’ve never gone online are affected by internet activities. In Mage, the Digital Web may be the most vital front Chapter Three: Digital Web 3.0

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in the Reality wars, simultaneously the greatest liability to human survival and the finest instrument in the Union’s struggle to save humanity from itself. The Technocracy would love to bring

some measure of stability to that chaotic realm, of course, but in Mage — as in our world — one does not “control” the internet so much as one surfs its tempests and tries not to drown.

Access Granted The Digital Web. Reality 2.0. The layer of existence built of information. Every day of their lives, even the Masses skim its surface. It’s a complicated place. Events in the physical world affect the Web, and the hypothesis on which the most important strand of Technocratic research is based on is that things in the Digital Web affect the real world. In terms even laymen understand, the Technocracy sees a bright future in augmented reality.

I’m (Not) a 21st Century Digital Boy All of this information assumes you’re running a version of the Digital Web rooted in 21st century technology. If you’re running a ‘90s style cyberpunk frontier, Digital Web 2.0 gives you everything you need to manage access. You’ll find some new rules here for accessing the Digital Web. They’re additional to, not replacements for, those in Mage 20, 20, p. 466-467.

Behind the Curve When the Digital Web first came to be, the emphasis was on crossing the new frontier and getting inside this “virtual reality.” That approach is as outdated as L33T speak, but the technologies involved still have their uses, mostly for specialists needing to operate inside the Web. Sensory immersion. The clumsiest form of access does what it says on the tin: projects a user’s senses into the Digital Web. Accessible through unenlightened technology, it’s discreet, and it’s safe. Get into trouble and you wake up in whatever room from which you projected. Even the Masses can access the Web this way, though they don’t usually know they’re doing it. Just remember, if you’re Enlightened and you don’t have the right foci for digital space, you’re SOL. Astral immersion. Projecting your brain’s electrical impulses into the near infinite number of other electrical impulses that make up the entirety of the digital world, and then figuring out how to process all this new information while your brain is in an entirely new form is as difficult as it sounds. Astral immersion, or Cognitive Immersion, to give it its scientific name, requires

training and discipline. It’s dangerous as hell — a Whiteout can fry your brain. Unless you’ve got a backup somewhere it’s goodnight, Vienna. As well as Enlightened procedures (see Mage 20 p. 467), astral immersion requires an Intelligence + Computers roll at difficulty 7. With three successes, a user accesses the Web with no penalty to their actions. With 1-2 successes, they cannot use Willpower while in the Web. It’s hard to think straight when you’re interfacing directly with digital reality. Holistic immersion. Only the truly dedicated download their entire selves into the Digital Web. Specialists using this technique need access to Trinary computing, a giant operating budget, and an entry/exit point whose localized paradigm allows it to happen with minimal risk of Paradox. Holistic immersion doesn’t leave a body behind. If your holistic Web presence gets a virus or trips on a virtual landmine, you’re gone. Not unplugged, not fried. Gone. You have to use the same procedure to return to meatspace, which is usually vulgar at the point of re-entry. At this point, you’re probably thinking “there has to be a better way.” The Technocracy agrees.

Augmented Reality The average field agent doesn’t need to disappear into some virtual reality datascape, they just need a convenient, discreet way to harness the power of the Digital Web in the real world. Augmented reality has the advantage that it’s not an immersive approach. Users retain their awareness of and ability 58

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to interact with the physical world. They are, in many respects, co-located. Even better, the manifestation of digital constructs in the real world is a key feature of augmented reality. That makes it a powerful tool for the Technocratic agent in the field, and a great way to make onlookers accept some very advanced techniques.

Unfortunately, AR leaves users vulnerable. They exist in two spaces at once. Their bodies are at risk in meatspace, and their minds in the Web. Additionally, AR creations are Web-native, projected into the real world. Users acquire Paradox normally in the Digital Web, and it writes to their pattern just like Paradox they gather in meatspace. Effectively, they have two distinct Paradox tracks filling simultaneously. Web backlashes remove the Paradox attached to the user’s icon, but not the Paradox sitting in a user’s pattern. That lingers until the operative either bleeds it off, or it backlashes in the real world.

Accessing AR

Accessing AR is as easy as Sensory Immersion. Anyone with a current generation smartphone and some kind of haptic interface, such as gloves or a haptics-enabled bodysuit can do it, no Enlightened procedures required. However, unless the user has some form of spatial awareness compensation (Correspondence 1), all Perception, Alertness, and Awareness checks are made with +2 difficulty while accessing AR. Making AR interact with physical space in any sophisticated way, such as the AR Procedures listed here, requires Correspondence 2.

AR Procedures

The Technocracy develop new applications for AR almost daily, but so far some of the most promising are the following. Temporal Manipulation (Time 2): Use Enlightened heuristic techniques to recreate a crime scene and do a walkthrough, taking you right to that key piece of evidence. Or, if you’re more forward-looking, combine camera and GPS data for the last week, and model what’s going to happen here tomorrow. Collaborative Procedures (Correspondence 2): AR enables efficient teamwork. Build and edit complex models in real time, with several talented Enlightened operatives working on them simultaneously. Affect AR projections, and have changes “written” to the physical objects or creatures they reflect. Iterators use collaborative AR procedures to compile schematics and edit

inventions, Progenitors to do the same for life forms. HUDs (various): Receive and project key information from team members or central operations staff. Temperature, primal energy hotspots, nearby RDs; your heart rate, stress level, etc. If your amalgam likes a little competition, you can even show your accuracy or kill count. Virtual Assistants (Forces 2/ Forces 3 Prime 2): Virtual assistants are nothing new. What’s novel is pulling these AI – or sometimes combined AI/EDE – creations into the real world. Projecting a visible assistant requires Forces 2, a tangible one Forces 3, Prime 2. Once your virtual assistant has a physical presence, they can offer you a much broader range of assistance. GPS spoofing/telepresence (Correspondence 2 or 3): Every AR object has GPS data attached, giving it, in some meaningful way, a real-world location. Changing that location is a simple Intelligence + Computers roll (difficulty 6, 2 successes). Your AR creation is now wherever you want it to be. Convince your gear you’re in New York, not London, and you can interact with AROs in the Big Apple. Combined with some Correspondence (2 dots) you can make it impossible for others to target, affect, or interact with your creation. Although they’re looking at it in New York, its digital signature says it’s in the middle of the Atlantic. You can even move an AR version of yourself this way, though that takes Correspondence 3 and risks a bunch of Paradox. Maybe manifest a “virtual assistant” version instead.

The Limits of Coincidence

AR is poorly understood by the Masses, and “the Internet of Things” can explain away a lot that would otherwise be vulgar. An AR projection is usually coincidental as long as it isn’t tangible, or if tangible effects could be explained as accessing smart objects. Add a robot, even a consumer level Roomba, that projects that AR construct and people will believe almost anything. It’s probably done with magnets. About the only thing the current technological paradigm can’t explain is a physical body converting into digital form.

Web Traits Methods of perceiving and interacting with one’s environment in the Digital Web are often wholly different from doing so within the Tellurian and require their own specific considerations. Usually this only affects characters connecting to the Web through Sensory Visitation or else through Astral Immersion. Anyone entering the Digital Web through other parts of the Umbra or through Holistic Immersion are physically present and interacts with their environment as they would in other part of the Umbra. Entering the Digital Web through AR is a different experience entirely, as the user

engages in fine manipulation of their environment through haptics while still navigating the Tellurian.

Icons

When projecting into the Digital Web, the Magus might be comfortable “appearing” as herself (in which case she uses her normal Social Attributes and Abilities), or else a string of letters and numbers that might be name or phrase or even a Technocrat’s UID, or just a senseless string of characters (however, this forces the Magus to operate with an Appearance and Manipulation of 1, and Intimidation and Expression of 0). However, both Chapter Three: Digital Web 3.0

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of these come with drawbacks. The interactive limitations are obvious when the Magus appears merely as a string of characters, but when they appear as themselves, they are more easily traced back to their Meatspace identities by entities encountered in the Digital Web. Considering the threat this presents, few Magi with any technical savvy choose to use this technique. Instead, they prefer to craft avatars or Icons, or “toons” which allow them to appear in any way they please. Further rules on Icon creation and modification are in Mage 20 p. 468. The process of AudioVisual ReImagination (Entropy 3/ Forces 2/Prime 2 Effect) allows adjustments to another Icon. Skilled Icon-crafters are in high demand, but this Effect is also employed against the Icon-user’s will to deflate the Icon’s impact or force them to appear unappealing, or like an enemy’s Icon. If the target is not a willing participant in the AVRI, they can resist with a Willpower roll, Difficulty 6. Success subtracts from the casters’ Arete roll. This Effect may be applied to a Sector with each foundational change requiring a single success (changing the sky from blue to green, or a forest to a desert, or a rock sculpture to a steel sculpture. Changing the sculpture to a pillar instead would require an additional success.) Attempts to use this Effect in Restricted Sectors is vulgar with witnesses and is cast at an additional +2 Difficulty.

Travel

Space and distance do not mean the same things in the Digital Web that they do in the Tellurian. All points are one, and all points are connected. Despite this, the ways that various Sectors of the Digital Web are formatted creates illusions of place required to make it navigable by beings still thinking in terms of space and place. However, the ways in which Magi navigate the Digital Web are distinct to this Zone.

Navigation Navigating within a Sector almost always follows the rules of that specific Sector (if there are any) but navigating between them is another method entirely. The space between Sectors reflects the appearance and imagination of the creators and dreamers of the Digital Web, and might appear as twisting futuristic and dystopic streets, or else glowing electronic conduits, and in some cases, a series of tubes. As all points within the Digital Web are connected in some way or another, these passages are maddeningly mazelike and without proper knowledge of the laws of the Digital Web, an inexperienced Magi can become easily lost and end up in a Sector they never had any intention of visiting. Navigating through these twisting paths of infinite connection typically requires a Perception + Computer roll (with variable difficulties depending on how difficult it is to find the desired Sector.) Some other rolls can be substituted for this depending on the situation, including Intelligence + Etiquette (Web Culture) if the Magus “asks for directions” from the netizens of 60

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the Digital Web, Intelligence + Area Knowledge (Digital Web) to trace well-known and traveled routes, or Wits + Cryptography to recognize the conduit patterns and cut a shortcut through the maze. If a sector contains an ARO, mages can often locate the ARO’s coordinates through Hacking. This allows the mage to utilize AROs as navigational landmarks in the Digital Web. Often this is simply handled narratively, but the Storyteller may reduce the difficulty of rolls made to navigate the Web by -1 or -2 for a magus who has access to the coordinates of AROs in the area they are traveling. Every Awakened Mage with access to the Digital Web can make use of a version of Landscape of the Mind (Mage 20 p.513.) While there is no “sense of direction” possible (as direction has less meaning here), the user is able to access a Third Person View — a common name for this Effect — of themselves, either from above, or behind. This expanded perception is a vital tool in navigating the Web. Users using AR have full rotational control of their Icon in addition to this spatial perception, which allows them to change position in the Digital Web without needing to move through Meatspace.

Linking So called “Master” Magi might still call this Hot Links, but not without younger technomancers snickering behind their back. If you don’t want to look like a grandpa fumbling your way through “the internets” then it might do well to get with the times and pay attention to the lexicon. Linking is a common inter-Sector practice in which virgin space is formatted to include an “automatic pass” to another Sector that can be accessed merely by touching the Link. Unless the Sectors were developed together, Links are uncommonly two-way portals, but can be CTRL-Z’d (see below) if the Magus ends up somewhere they would rather not remain.

Preparatory Operation Procedures, or Popping Pop Apps (Progs, if you’re ancient), or Preparatory Operation Procedures are a means of fast-traveling the Digital Web and, like with fast-traveling, is at its safest used when moving between familiar Sectors. These are somewhat more complex than Rotes or Procedures, even if they technically operate as one, because they are so situational. Nominally requiring Correspondence/ Data 3, under ideal conditions, Pop Apps scan another location within the current Sector, and so long as the location is safe (and not locked down), it “pops” the user to that location after a turn of scanning. A coincidental Effect in the Digital Web. Users may also adjust Pop Apps to pop between different Sectors, but this is vulgar with witnesses instead. All Pop Apps come with CTRL-Z code, which can be used to instantly return to the previous location within three turns of the initial fast-travel. some less cultured Magi might still call this backspacing, but this isn’t a Delete, it’s an Undo, obviously. Another advantage offered by AR is the ability to pop within Grid Sectors without the need for Magick. Popping within a

grid sector requires only a single success on an Intelligence + Computer roll (difficulty 5). While one can attempt to Pop into Restricted Sectors, suffice to say that this is both rude and dangerous. The Difficulty to do so is raised to 8 or 9 (depending on the strength of the Constraint protocols) before the +2 Difficulty for popping between Sectors. Further, the Effect is vulgar with witnesses, and whether the roll is Failed or Botched, the user immediately suffers from Icon Death, or in the worst possible scenario, the Chaos Dump.

Encrypted Access Points or Back Doors The natural remnants of Sector formatting, EAPs are either necessary or sometimes accidental loopholes left behind by the original creator that can be exploited to gain access to a Sector that might otherwise be difficult to enter. Computer-savvy technomancers may plug themselves in so long as they are near the borders of the chosen Sector — or at a distance with the Remote Access Adjustment (see p.XX) and make an Extended Intelligence + Computer or Cryptography roll, Difficulty 8-10 depending on security routes of the Sector (Restricted Sectors are always Difficulty 10.) Five successes are enough to gain access to the Sector, although certain Sectors may require more based on Storyteller discretion. Recent months have seen the addition of ARO-based Back Doors. Most of these are deliberately created to give AR users

the ability to go directly from a Grid Sector into the backdoored sector. Rumors do persist of mysterious AR Back Doors opening into sectors without any apparent creator. The credit (or the blame) for these enigmatic Back Doors is ascribed to everything from ghosts in the Digital Web, to a subconscious manifestation of the Web’s own will, to disgruntled Black Suits looking to “stick it to the man.”

Actions

Simple methods of interacting with one’s environment are often turned completely on their head within the Digital Web.

Hacking In Meatspace, the concept of hacking is something of a joke. The idea of an elite computer geek tapping away on her keyboard until she unlocks the right code to open a door or give her access to a foreign bank account is a dramatic interpretation of a rather boring set of skills that is easily regulated to a bot program. However, the Digital Web isn’t Meatspace, and in fact, has absorbed the fantasies of millions of said computer geeks in interpreting its own rules of realities. Everyone spending time in this Zone respects that whipping out your deck, plugging in, and engaging in LEET HAX is a regular occurrence. No rolls are necessary to engage your hacking skills. Hacking is a way of interacting with the Digital Web that focuses on the Chapter Three: Digital Web 3.0

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user’s expertise in computer-related skills instead of physical skills. While connected to the Web through Sensory or Astral means, the user may substitute their rating in Computer or Technology for all Athletics rolls, Cryptography for Brawl or Melee rolls, and either Enigmas or Esoterica for Streetwise, Subterfuge, and even Seduction.

Data Retrieval That it is a focal point for the collection of all recorded data is one of the most appealing aspects of the Digital Web. All information ever relegated to digital memory exists here. Data Retrieval requires a unique kind of Extended Roll. By engaging an app on a Foci or other rig being used to access the Digital Web, the user can search for a specific string or packet of data for retrieval. The roll required is Intelligence + Computer/ Cryptography (the use of Cryptography lowers the Difficulty by 1) with a difficulty based on how rare the information is and how wide of a search the user is casting. Looking for a SysAdmin’s personal device password across a cluster of Restricted Sectors is Difficulty 10. However, looking for the code to gain access to said SysAdmin’s Construct within the Sector devoted to that Construct’s data storage would be Difficulty 7.

Combat

Other than Sensory and Astral Users using different Attributes and Abilities (see Icons and Hacking), Combat follows the same rules in the Digital Web as it does in Meatspace. Sectors that employ significant environmental hazards requires the same adjustments to rolls and Difficulties as they would in Meatspace.

Damage The real difference in putting the hurt on someone in the Digital Web is the hurt itself. Holistically Immersed characters suffer damage just as they would anywhere else and manage that damage through the normal rules. Taking damage to the Icon, however, or the projection of self that exists in the Web, tends to primarily be damage on the psyche. Therefore, most damage sustained (unless specifically noted otherwise) is Bashing, even if the manifestation of that damage is a chainsaw with rusty hooks for teeth. All this type of damage is only to the Icon. If the user logs out of the Digital Web, the damage she received does not apply to her physical form. Logging back in instantly heals her Icon (though she is unlikely to be able to log back in to where she was at the time of the fight.) AR users also enjoy increased resistance to Icon damage. Any damage dealt to an AR user’s icon is halved, rounded down, after applying soak. This means AR users can withstand far more punishment in the Digital Web than any other sort of immersion. However, AR users damaged in the Digital Web suffer the appropriate wound penalties for damage done to the Icon in the physical world as well. This is largely due to distractions as AR interfaces begin to pixelate, display static, and otherwise behave disruptively when damaged. 62

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Healing Healing damage to the Icon cannot be done through the use of Medicine or with traditional Life Sphere-based healing (Life can be used with the added application of Mind 1, however.) Instead, Icon Reconstruction, or AVReCon requires a Simple Action Manipulation + Computer roll with a Difficulty based on the amount of damage already sustained. Bruised

Difficulty 6

Hurt, Injured

Difficulty 7

Wounded, Mauled

Difficulty 8

Crippled

Difficulty 9

Incapacitated

Difficulty 10

Net Fatigue

Everyone suffers from Net Fatigue, it’s just a matter of time and frequency spent immersed in the Digital Web. Net Fatigue manifests as offline exhaustion, both physically and mentally. Recommended as a roleplay element, there are no system mechanics for common Net Fatigue. However, experiencing a particularly traumatic event while immersed in the Digital Web calls for a Willpower roll with a Difficulty based on the severity of the trauma else they enter Quiet (see Mage 20 p.554.)

Virus Infection

Like Net Fatigue, catching a virus while immersed in the Digital Web is something that almost everyone experiences from time to time. Likewise, for character frequenting the Zone, this should be a roleplay element. However, there are more virulent and potent viruses that can cause complications in Meatspace. These are almost always born of the invention of a Magus (see p.XX for an example.)

Soft De-Rez

This is the most common result of triggering the defensive mechanisms of the Digital Web, such as Popping into a Restricted Sector or falling off of a Conduit into infinite space (a Soft De-Rez is much preferable to the uneasy feeling of falling forever.) The Icon then materializes with 1-3 points of unsoakable Bashing Damage (based on the countermeasures which forced the De-Rez in the first place) at either the Sector they originally accessed, or else some other save point that has been recorded on their Icon. Holistically immersed individuals can still be De-Rez’d in this fashion, but they take an additional Bashing Damage while being allowed their soak roll. However, for the next scene, they suffer an additional +2 Difficulty for every roll they make as they recover from having their material form torn ripped apart, reorganized as data, and put back together again in an altogether unpleasant fashion. Being dumped from a Restricted Sector is worse. All rolls using a Mental Attribute suffer from -1 to their Dice Pools for the following scene as well.

Hard De-Rez

A Hard Re-Rez doesn’t dump the user back to a previous Sector, but instead disconnects them from the Zone entirely, rocking them back into meatspace with a bout of nausea and a killer migraine. This punishment is reserved for major violations of Restricted Zone protocol or as the result of a particularly vicious encounter with a netizen committing serious harm. Taking damage to the Icon to Incapacitated also forces a Hard De-Rez, as do some minor Whiteouts. Being dumped from the Digital Web in this way forces two Soakable Lethal Damage (Difficulty 7), but Holistically Immersed characters cannot attempt this Soak roll. In either case, if the De-Rez’d character fails a Stamina roll (Difficulty 7) she suffers a -2 to all rolls requiring Mental Attributes until the De-Rez damage is healed. If a Holistically Immersed character who found their way into the Digital Web from another part of the Umbra suffers a Hard De-Rez, she might be shunted to any Realm connected to the Digital Web — not necessarily to the one from which she came.

Icon Death

Most Netizens suffer Icon Death using the systems described on Mage 20 p. 473. AR complicated matters a bit. AR users suffering Icon Death are booted offline and their gear freezes up. Repairing AR gear after Icon Death requires an extended Intelligence + Computer roll (difficulty 8) with a number of successes equal to damage dealt by the attack that caused the Icon Death required to bring the gear back online. For the mage using their AR gear as a personalized focus, this can be a horrible setback.

The Chaos Dump AR users suffering a Chaos Dump must make an Arete roll (difficulty 5), which reduces the damage by 1 per success. Remaining damage, rather than being transferred to the body, manifests as additional Paradox in the user’s pattern and triggers an immediate backlash. This often leads to Quiet. At the Storyteller’s discretion, this Quiet can sever the mage’s mind, portioning off a piece of the Quiet-ridden psyche in the Digital Web for the duration. Characters suffering such a fate take a -2 penalty to all rolls, including Arete, due to their fractured psyche. Don’t get chaos dumped out of AR.

Augmented Reality 2.0 By adding perceptions of the Digital Web to a user’s normal senses, users can interact with both worlds simultaneously, with all the benefits and risks that entails. AR users are effectively a nexus, a space where the two worlds intersect. This gives them the information and power of both while risking Paradox in both.

AROs

Augmented Reality Objects or AROs are AR’s defining feature. In short, they are virtual objects in the Digital Web with geotags that symbolically link them to specific GPS coordinates. Because of this link, AR users walking through Meatspace see them as features of their environment. For example, an ARO for a Construct entrance might appear as a well-dressed security guard, with a welcome message, answers to frequently asked questions, and a way to page a real security guard. Most web-capable devices have their own Rating 0 ARO, and anyone can generate a Rating 1 ARO. Most AROs are permanent once created, with the exception of Rating 0 AROs and ones set to expire. Because of this, there are billions of AROs, though AR is not as cluttered as you might think. AROs in one sector don’t exist in all other sectors, allowing Restricted sectors to place confidential information in their AROs. An AR-using Virtual Adept infiltrating a Construct can’t even see Union AROs let alone read the security door’s message of “Do not open. Malfunctioning HIT Marks inside.” Of course, AR users can switch sectors and view a new set of AROs with different insights into their physical surroundings. While that Virtual

Adept might not have easy access to the Technocracy’s AROs, they probably have access to the Adepts’ AROs, which might include information about a backdoor. AROs do not exist in Meatspace, so no amount of damage or even data-scrambling in Meatspace can erase them. In fact, an area can be completely destroyed, leaving AROs the only clue that something (or someone) was once there. There are few sights in AR as disturbing as standing in a sea of AROs at a recent tragedy’s ground zero and seeing them slowly time out. It’s not all morbid; a missing person’s orphaned ARO provides valuable clues to help locate them. Most AROs are just text and images, not even pseudo-intelligent. More advanced AROs have limited AI capabilities. One simulating a receptionist could take messages (voice or text), speak with clients, and schedule appointments. Another simulating a security guard, could verify security credentials, unlock doors, and trigger automated defenses. Some Devices, such as the ES-Phone’s City Eye and C-SAM applications (Technocracy Reloaded p. XX), automatically generate AROs, allowing real-time tracking of targets. When a user creates an ARO, they have three basic security options for keeping the ARO updated: Restricted, which only permits authorized users; Crowdsourced, which allows any user to add new data; and Wiki, which allows anyone to add or delete data. Overriding these restrictions or changing data without permission requires Hacking. Chapter Three: Digital Web 3.0

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Creating an ARO Augmented Reality Objects have Ratings that govern their basic functionality and the difficulty required in creating them. AROs with Rating 0 are automatically created by their devices and automatically expire after 24 hours unless they’re updated. Rating

Roll

Difficulty

Willpower Cost

Features

0

Automatic

n/a

0

Basic ID and contact information

1

Intelligence + Computers

6

0

Text and images

2

Arete (Correspondence 2/ Mind 2)

7

1

Simple menus

3

Arete (Correspondence 2/ Mind 2)

7

2

Limited AI

Geotags Geotags are symbolic links between the Digital Web and the Earth. They are not real in any sense, just easily changed data. Because of this, spoofing geotags is popular, especially for people aware that they have an ARO attached to them. With a little hacking, celebrities can send fans on a wild goose chase

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by spoofing their geotag or even link their ARO’s geotag to someone else’s phone. ARO Phishing takes this to the extreme, replacing a security ARO with one that collects the credentials of every user waving a badge at the fake ARO. On the opposite end, users can access AROs that point to physical locations on the other side of the globe simply by moving their Icon.

Changing a Sector’s Power Rating Raising a Sector’s Rating is challenging and probably more trouble than it’s worth. In short, raising the rating by one for an hour requires an infusion of Primal Energy equal to twice the current rating, in addition to the Overwrite Program (Entropy 5/Mind 4/Forces 4/Primal Energy 4). Permanently raising the rating requires the same amount of Primal Energy and a resisted application of the Overwrite Program, difficulty 9, minimum 10 successes. Reducing the rating is slightly easier. While it requires the same program and tests, there is no Primal Energy requirement. Any attempt to manipulate a sector’s rating is vulgar with witnesses. witnesses.

Paradox

Anyone violating the Reality of the Digital Web risks Paradox, just as they would in any other Realm. With two Paradox tracks, a reckless mage using AR can garner enough points in each that both Realities rip out half of the mage’s mind and throw it into separate, simultaneous Quiets. The Reality of the Digital Web is flexible but has its limits. Here are the ground rules:

Effects Must Come from Technology Just because someone hauls in their foci from the Umbra by Web-climbing doesn’t mean the foci work — At least, not without consequences. Digital copies of those foci, however, work just fine. What digital objects look like do not matter, but what they are made of does. Violating this is vulgar without witnesses.

Effects Must Obey Their Sector’s Constraint Protocols In short, your Effects need the right flavor. If you’re in a detective noir sector, you doodle in notepads and listen to the radio to crunch data. You do not whip out a smart phone. You sure as hell don’t pull out a plasma cannon. Breaking a sector’s protocols is vulgar with witnesses.

teleportation is vulgar with witnesses. This is especially true for Effects that connect the Web to other parts of the Otherworlds. Popping within a sector is perfectly fine, as is manipulating an ARO’s Web location within a sector.

Effects Cannot Cross into Meatspace Before AR, punching someone through the Web was always vulgar with witnesses. Now, Effects filtered through AR devices allow a mage to literally freeze someone’s phone — or detonate it. The dual nature of AR users and their devices mean they exist in both spaces simultaneously; what happens to them in one Reality can happen in the other, although rarely in a predictable way. Working magick is hard enough without having to take two different sets of physics into account. Effects sent through an AR user or their equipment emerge into Meatspace with one fewer success unless a Correspondence 3 Effect is attached to help it cross over.

Spheres Work Differently

Due to the nature of the Digital Web, some Spheres take on special properties.

Effects Must Come from Authorized Users

Correspondence, Forces, and Prime Are More Powerful

If you’re in a Restricted sector and you’re not on the guest list, you’re a trespasser and your spells and Procedures are vulgar with witnesses. They’re just as vulgar if you’re on the guest list, but not approved to use magick there. Of course, if the guest list is “anyone in the building” and you’ve spoofed your GPS to say that you’re in the building, you’re in the clear.

Correspondence, Forces, and Prime Spheres form the foundations of the Digital Web. As a result, Effects with those Spheres — or their optional Technocratic alternatives (Mage 20 p. 524-526) — face fewer barriers. Anyone with access to those Spheres can use them as though their mastery was one dot higher, up to a maximum of 5 — this isn’t a shortcut to Archmastery. This ease of use does not apply to Devices, Talismans, and the like.

Forces or Prime Effects Cannot Exceed Their Sector’s Power Rating Sectors generally have a rating of 5. Therefore, Forces or Prime Effects that score six or more successes inflicts one Paradox point per success on its caster. Sectors have processes to identify and terminate excessive resource users. Effects using other Spheres exceeding the sector’s rating do not automatically generate Paradox but are treated as vulgar with witnesses.

Effects That Create Portals Are Restricted Since hot links and conduits are the native form portals or other passages take on the Web, any other form of a portal or

Life and Matter Reject Digital Flesh Despite the maxim that “reality is perception,” icons aren’t alive nor are they made of matter. Attempts to use Life or Matter to heal or harm icons automatically fail. Such Effects work as normal on anyone physically present through Holistic Immersion.

The Lag

Even newbies to the Web know lag when they see it. Once a Sector has had enough of someone’s shit, everything judders and twitches instead of moving with buttery-smooth animations. Formerly detailed images pixelate and smear. It’s the herald of Whiteout and anyone who doesn’t logoff or run when they see Chapter Three: Digital Web 3.0

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it is a fool. Only Whiteout caused by a Paradox Pool of 11 or more causes lag. Noticing lag is a Wits + Computer roll, difficulty 8, 7 for AR users with haptics or 6 for Holistically Immersed users. Success grants the user one action to attempt to flee and escape damage. Failure, or succeeding and deliberately staying, means the user takes half damage from Whiteout. A botch means they take full damage. Parties responsible for the Whiteout do not get to roll.

Whiteout

Whiteout works just like Paradox backlash in Meatspace — roll Paradox as normal (Mage 20, p. 547-553). The size of the Paradox Pool determines how long the effects of the Whiteout last. Going back to that Sector before the Whiteout is complete causes half damage, just as if the user stayed put. At certain levels of Whiteout severity, the offending user actually suffers slightly less severe consequences than the previous level because the effects of the Whiteout are spread out over more people. More people who may take vengeance.

The Web

Although the Digital Web is infinite, most users stay in the Formatted Web, partly because that’s where the action is and partly because so few people have the wherewithal to get to the Virgin Web let alone do anything there. Technically speaking, the Formatted Web consists of both sectors and conduits, though this distinction rarely comes up since so few people think of Conduits as a place.

Virgin Web This part of the Web is everything that has never been formatted —the wide-open sea. No sailors, no pirates, just nature wanting to be left alone.

Conduits Found everywhere in the Web, conduits connect sectors. Few users think of them until they stop working or look odd, like that Progenitor conduit that resembles the inside of an artery, complete with motorcycle-sized blood cells and steady thrumming. Nevertheless, conduits are a distinct place outside of the protection of most sector security systems. When sectors are first spun up, they naturally create (or attract, depending on your view of causality) conduits leading to other sectors. Folks looking to create a conduit in their sector need a Link Program (Data 5/Primal Energy 4; difficulty 7, minimum 5 successes). Running this Program is coincidental as long as the user controls the sector. If they don’t, they’ll have to hack the sector first and even then, it’s vulgar with witnesses.

Sectors

All the fun is in the Sectors —also where everyone gets shot, but sometimes that’s fun, too. Sectors come in two flavors: Restricted and Free. Restricted sectors require users to provide a 66

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password to enter, be on an approved user list, or both. Naturally, people break into restricted sectors all the time, mostly to steal information, but also to get their icon blasted by security. This isn’t to say that users can’t get into trouble in Free Sectors; just that it’s less likely. While most of the juicy secrets and data is in Restricted Sectors, good hackers and data pirates never overlook the free sectors. Many times, the best information is given away for free in the expectation that the community will do something amazing with it or simply in the belief that information wants to be free.

Grid Originally modeled on the classic version of the internet, a black plain with neon roads racing everywhere, Grid Sectors are baby’s first sector. With few exceptions, this is as far as Sleepers get on the Digital Web, which has earned it the derisive nickname “Sheep Pens.” With over a billion users, Grid Sectors make up the vast majority of the Formatted Web. This also means that at least 90% of all AROs are here, mostly in free sectors. This data is rarely well curated, but it’s fed by a billion smart phones. The Grid’s collections of AROs document the world’s features and events more completely than all written records before the year 2000 combined. From insights into art and science exhibits to speakeasy passwords to hidden chantries, there’s a staggering amount of information on the Grid’s AROs. So much that old-school “spinners” who wrote the Grid off as the domain of children decades ago are totally unprepared for the speed and variety of the modern Grid. They’re certainly unprepared for Disciples who grew up in the Sheep Pens hacking their computers at lightning speed. Speaking of aggressive challenges, RAMbos (violent users) flock to Warzones, Grid Sectors built to simulate (or just contain) violence of every type and description. Warzones designed for Enlightened combatants have a Rating of 7, allowing them to host tournaments with massively destructive Program-users without breaking down due to power surges.

Corrupted Corrupted Web is the collective term for destroyed sectors. The land still exists, but all data, structure, and form have been mangled beyond recognition. Though these sectors can theoretically be reformatted, they resist every attempt to do so. In fact, they resist everything. All Programs in the Corrupted Web generate Paradox. Some, called Hung Sectors, even resist the flow of time, although those are becoming rare. To date, there have been 117 attempts to reformat a Corrupted Sector, 89 associated fatalities, and 0 successes. Corrupted Web with Ratings above 5 aren’t unheard of, although only Marauders are willing to take advantage of that.

Junklands Lying somewhere between Corrupted Web and Trash Sectors, Junklands are ruined sectors that still retain much of their identity, albeit eerily. Without administrators, Junklands

have devolved to carrying out the motions of their previous operations, leaving most visitors feeling haunted by something.

C-Sectors Formerly referred to as Constrained Sectors and briefly known as Configuration Sectors, the denizens of the Web officially rebooted the term in 2013. Now, the only ones using the original name are outdated casual users and trolls. Simply put, C-Sectors are sectors where the owners have created a custom set of physics and obligations for visitors. For example, the Web-famous Spy’s Demise is a speakeasy. Patrons don’t exchange USB drives or AROs; they slide newspapers or notes to each other. The rules of the club translate these metaphors into digital actions, potentially turning a circled headline into petabytes of data. Violating these genres isn’t just bad form, it’s bad science, potentially earning violators a one-way trip to Whiteoutsville. Because of this, superstitionalists regularly have their ‘spells’ fail inside of the Union’s Secured and Restricted Virtual Reality Zones, or SRVRZ.

Haunts Haunts are less of a sector type and more of a phenomenon that turns a more conventional sector into a Junkland. The Digital Web is an Otherland. Death happens outside of the usual framework of human experience. Put succinctly, no one dying in the Digital Web stays quiet about it, generating infinite theories about why. Disembodied consciousness? Psychic echoes? A flawed, system-generated copy? No one knows, and the longer people spend in Haunts, the less they want to know.

Trash Trash Sector. The giant /dev/null. Where things in the Web go when no one wants them anymore. Sysadmins have

been piping their garbage here for almost as long as there’ve been servers. They all assumed that it just went to ether and vanished. They were wrong. One might think that a virtual world full of trash isn’t a problem, but visitors looking for scraps of missing information are as likely to get crushed by a collapsing pile of data as they are to succeed. On top of that, Void Engineers have theorized that if data eating creatures, such as dataphytes (see Gods & Monsters p. 137), ever found this place, they would breed out of control, eventually paralyzing everyone in the Web with indecision until they died — including 4.5 billion Sleepers.

Streamland Located between the Grid Sectors and Trash Sector, Streamland is a new manifestation of the Digital Web. Thanks to the ever-growing demand for data from camera phones, medical devices, video games, television, and even tiny IoT devices, the flow of data from Earth to the Digital Web has gone from a trickle to a phalanx of fire hoses. Though it’s all destined to crash down in Trash Sector, it flows through Streamland first. Originally a little larger than a Grid Sector, it’s since multiplied in size to accommodate the volume of data. So much so that no one owns it. Whether the original admin got lost in the shuffle or they deliberately left the sector to govern itself is anyone’s guess. Streamland is now the Web’s largest Free Sector, with every stream on the Web available — for a limited time. Each device connected to the Digital Web has its own unique dribble of data, giving Streamland its characteristic rain. Users can read, copy, or divert falling data, though finding it requires a Data Retrieval (p. XX) roll at difficulty 8, or 7 with specific knowledge of the source, such as the ARO’s ID or geotag. Once the stream travels off the waterfall into /dev/null, finding it is nearly impossible.

Apps as Apparatus A civilian imagining Enlightened Science, may frequently think of devices derived from popular science fantasy films. She envisions a stick that might erase memory, a medical scanner capable of performing a thousand complicated tests at a distance, or some particularly inventive form of holography. Yet she remains ignorant of the most popular achievement wrought by Enlightened Science lying right at her fingertips. We speak of the not-so-humble device colloquially called a ‘smartphone,’ and its tablet-based derivatives. You may have complicated feelings on how the masses treat these devices. The closest thing to a miracle that any human may access, and they waste it on vapid self-indulgence, trading cat pictures, and cyberbullying each other. The worst among them engage in open slave-trading, blackmail, and espionage.

As an operative of the Technocratic Union, however, you have a moral responsibility to put these devices to proper use. Consider your goals within the Union, and then devise ‘apps’ to further those goals.

App-Based Practice

An operative using smart devices to power her Enlightened Science has the world quite literally at her fingertips. Some young operatives dream of creating online universities or free learning apps to push consensus truths. This rarely has the effect the operative wishes. Most mortals prefer to use their devices for more frivolous ends. More experienced operatives understand the value of satisfying this need for frivolity. They craft games and social media platforms with such in mind: bright colors, escalating rewards, Chapter Three: Digital Web 3.0

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Salt in The Storm Salt may be subject to anomalous transmissions, especially in the Deep Universe. Void Engineers working outside of Earth’s orbit are advised not to accept or respond to messages from any colleagues of any Convention not seen since the Anomaly.

and a way to show off to friends and rivals. Sometimes these apps collect money, but their true value is in what they reveal of the users. Embedded trackers allow operatives to collect mind-boggling amounts of data. Most of this is meaningless, but a savvy operative can analyze the data for blips or errors indicating potential Reality Deviance. As the databanks grow ever larger, however, forward-thinking operatives recognize the potential to utilize the mass insights gained to manipulate the populace; consensus truths pushed upon a population too inured to realize that their thoughts and feelings are used as levers of control. Some mass-produced apps designed to the benefit of the operative have become Nodes in and of themselves. The operative skims just a tiny bit of energy from each user. Each bit itself is useless, but enough of them add up to usable amounts of Quintessence. Alternatively, a mundane GPS map may reveal locations or even people of interest. Specially programmed apps may also take the place of Adjustments. Workings relying on Data obviously do best as these sorts of apps, but some operatives have figured out other uses. By showing a target a deliberately tailored ‘meme’, she can create any number of Mind effects. Spirit-focused operatives may tailor an app as a target for astral projection or alter a device’s clock to create a Time effect. Using peripherals provides even more utility. By hard-coding Spirit or Prime data into an app, an operative turns her device into an updated Kirlian camera, gaining insight into the unseen world and perceiving the true nature of even the most well-camouflaged Reality Deviants around her. Associated Paradigms: A Mechanistic Cosmos; Everything is Data; Meme Magic; Tech Holds All Answers Associated Abilities: Computer, Intimidation (Internet Trolling), Research, Technology, Science (Computer Science, Nano-Engineering) Common Instruments: Next-generation smartphone loaded with custom apps, jailbroken tablet, nanite-enhanced fitness tracker, hyperscience-enhanced battery pack, Enlightened Science compatible API, wireless peripherals, carrying case imbued with Enlightened Science.

Applications Approved by The Technocratic Union

While many Constructs successfully created applications for use by Agents, only a few have been approved for use in the 68

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field regardless of Convention or Construct —detailed below. Should an Agent have questions about the use of an app, that Agent should reach out to their local Supervisor. EDEWiki (Data •, Dimensional Science •) For use when in the presence of an unrecognized EDE. This app uses the phone’s camera to identify localized EDEs and direct the Agent to the appropriate information. Agents may also submit photos of EDEs and requests for informational edits and updates as appropriate. Please note: Although often colloquially called “The Pokedex” or “Ghostbusters,” searching for EDEWiki under these names does not produce any results. Norden’s Call Triangulation (Data ••) For use when locating the source of a transmission of any kind (including analog), so long as it came from the Front Lines. Norden’s Call Triangulation makes use of not only cell phone towers, but also satellites, fiber-optic cables, routers, traceroutes through the Digital Web, Primium patterns, and even particularly large natural deposits of rare earth metals. Please note: Norden’s Call Triangulation does not break encrypted packets of data or locate Control. That is not its purpose. Please stop trying to hack it. Norden’s Metamap (Data •, Dimensional Science •) For use when traveling through the Umbral Dimensions. Norden’s Metamap supplies both peer-reviewed information on different dimensions, as well as directions and points of interest. End users — Agents, usually, though some authorized Enlightened Citizens may use this application as well — may also submit updated information to keep the app current. Please note: Recently, parties unknown leaked Norden’s Metamap. We have reason to believe that this application is also in the hands of Reality Deviants known as the Sons of Ether and the former Technocratic Convention, the Virtual Adepts. Agents of Iteration X are hard at work trying to keep information on the app both relevant and trustworthy. For further information, please contact your Supervisor. Personal VK Test (Primal Utility •, Data •) For use when interviewing new employees of any and every Convention. The VK test uses the phone’s camera to determine the presence of an Enlightened Genius within the personal Pattern of an individual. The Agent using the Personal VK Test application must focus the phone’s camera on the target’s eyes for the duration of the interview, otherwise the application produces inconclusive results.

Please note: The Personal VK Test may also detect EDEs and Reality Deviants in the interview space. A Supervisor should receive reports as soon as possible of any inconclusive or anomalous readings, both for app calibration and follow-up on non-Technocratic signatures. Salt (Data ••, Dimensional Science ••) For use when communicating across Umbral Dimensions or into the Deep Universe. Salt encrypts text or media messages as individual information packets and transmits them through the Digital

Web near-instantaneously, then de-encrypts the message with a private key upon the end-user’s receipt. Developed by European philanthropist, inventor, and technocrat, Lord Isnan, Salt is an end-to-end app that requires both the sender and the receiver have the current update installed. Please note: While Salt packets are sent and received in seconds, the app is not yet capable of instantaneous transmission. The Everett Amalgam is currently working on an update that will ideally produce FTL transmission of information.

Social Media and The Agent Training notes from Agent Alison Greene, New World Order

The Enlightened Agents of the Technocratic Union, much as we might like to believe it, are not immune to the dopamine-based addictions of social media websites. Scrolling through Twitter, Facebook, or other networks while not otherwise occupied is almost second nature at this point. Check your phone. Are you doing it right now? Why are you doing it? What do you have to gain? It’s incredibly human to want that connection. Even when you’re alone, the ability to access and connect with hundreds, if not thousands, of people even on a shallow level is extremely rewarding. Every time a post gets a like or a share, the little dopamine button at the back of the brain pings. The internet is, at times, more addictive than cocaine. As an Agent, therefore, it is in your best interests to understand this incredibly potent tool. Social media can be a weapon, a channel, or simply what it is: a network of people, all sharing their thoughts, not thinking twice about who sees them. Social media manifests in different forms. Open Forum social media is the classic “shouting in the void” category. Open forum sites provide a space for the user to post statuses, images, videos, or other content for anyone on the same platform to see. Many open forum sites are also indexed in search engines as well, so a user who is not a member of the site can find specific content. Walled Garden social media lives mostly in the deep web and has designated entry and exit points. Any site that requires a fee to sign up, a mutual friendship to see other users, or membership in a group to post is a walled garden. Most search engines do not index content in walled gardens. Mixed social media combines the walled garden and the open forum, usually with end-user privacy controls. Mixed social media is the most popular network structure at time of writing. All social media falls into these categories. Whether the site in question is for videos, image-sharing, mixed-media, or a sharing-economy, an Agent can easily navigate it based on these principles.

Both Syndicate and NWO members should have some form of training in the use of social media, even if it’s just to avoid posting content that attracts Reality Deviants. Ask your local Construct liaison for more information! Now that we’re done with an overview of the unenlightened web, it’s time to talk about what you’re really here for.

Social Media and the Digital Web

Very technically, any time you scroll through your phone or computer, you’re accessing the Digital Web. Perhaps more so than any other Zone in the Umbral Dimensions, the Digital Web is open and easy to access — even without an internet connection. Think of it as the realm of all computers, no matter what their status. Computers, therefore, function as doorways into the Digital Web. You could very easily use your requisitioned laptop to engage with the Digital Web in a mundane way, or even by using low-level Procedures. Social media presents an entire frontier of possibilities within the Digital Web. While an Agent could easily get lost in the venerable formatted halls of Wikipedia or the many movie theatres of streaming sites, social media provides a wealth of information for those practicing hypereconomics, social domination, or the simple art of blackmail. While nuance often does not translate through a simple unenlightened computer, entities residing in the social media neighborhoods of the Digital Web may have more to offer. Remember, you will encounter open forums, walled gardens, and mixed security realms while moving through social media networks. While open forums generally offer no opposition to the Agent within their boundaries, walled gardens require the correct input to access set entry and exit points. Locating them with a Correspondence procedure is the easy part; getting to them presents more of a challenge! Administrators of walled gardens and mixed-security social networks keep a wary eye out for people hunting their inputs, so expect resistance from EDEs (often in the shapes of bots or living silhouettes lit by blinking code) if you attempt this method. Points of interest in various social networks include the following: Chapter Three: Digital Web 3.0

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Immersion Projected-image immersion is essentially a Technocratic version of astral projection. Holistic immersion requires the Life sphere as well and is always vulgar unless the Agent immerses and returns inside a Construct. Refer to the “Access Granted” section on p XX for more details.

Digital Graveyards. Users die or disappear, especially if they’re human. Often, they don’t take their social media pages offline first — very few humans, even Enlightened humans, exercise that amount of forethought. Consequently, certain sites allow related members of the deceased to turn their page into a memorial. How grotesque! Digital graveyards tend to be in or near the Haunted Web, the part of the Digital Web that has sunk into Entropic Space. Though the word “graveyard” may conjure up the idea of a peaceful park or garden, digital graveyards are not places of quiet rest. Content from the dead users may manifest as looping video feeds, howling EDEs in the shape of ghosts, grim reapers, or other phantoms, fractal pathways of sparks leading to statues made entirely of static and tears, or other such phenomena. Use extreme caution when venturing to digital graveyards, especially when holistically immersed. Why travel to digital graveyards? Like any normal graveyard, they are starting places for further research. Unlike normal graveyards, however, they hold the entirety of the social media history of the dead or disappeared user — a wealth of personal information, all for the taking. You could, of course, also visit to pay your respects to a dead loved one. Ask HR for some time, they usually understand.

Hate Gardens. With the rise of the internet, there also came the rise of resentful, lonely persons (usually young white men) in search of companionship. If you’ve heard of incels, the alt-right, or other such despicable groups, you’re probably aware that they tend to congregate in specific places on social media. While often walled gardens (hence the term “hate gardens”), they are sometimes mixed or even open forums —depending on how much they value their security. My friendly suggestion is to avoid hate gardens, unless you have a specific mission that involves collecting data in or near one. The rot and cruelty of the users tends to stick to you, physically and emotionally. Usual signs of a hate garden include twisted metal trees, suspended cages of code, and the smell of lighter fluid. Dating Profiles. Honestly, these are my personal favorite. They look like pleasant hotel rooms and they’re decorated with the user’s words. Simple, easy to get in and out of (note: usually in walled gardens, so make sure you have the right password) and full of useful information about how the user views themselves and others. If you practice hypereconomics, finding your target’s dating profile is a must. That’s it for today’s training. Are there any questions?

The Dark (Digital) Web “Why would I need the dark web to find you? There’s so much already registered on the Clearnet. Of course, if I wanted to kill you [pause] oh, that’s a different story. [pause] Do I want to kill you? That would be telling.”-a transcript of The Caller

Inevitably, once the internet became widely available, a dark side sprung up. Some Reality Deviants fanatically devote themselves to the concept of balance, and perhaps this is a manifestation of their self-centered ideal. Other Reality Deviants enjoy manipulating events from behind the scenes, whether for their own logical ends, or to simply cause as much chaos as possible. Of course, this all expresses a certain amount of Enlightened bias — unenlightened citizens of the Consensus are perfectly capable of performing cruel and self-serving acts without any deviant powers. However it came about, the dark web wraps itself in myth and mystery. A terrifying, unknowable place for the uninitiated, to a clever Agent, the dark web is a 70

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place of possibility and, yes, danger too. The first thing any Agent needs to know? The deep web and the dark web are not the same. Metaphorically speaking, the dark web is the square to the deep web’s rectangle — all dark websites are deep websites, but not vice-versa. The deep web includes any site not indexed by search engines. Any video-streaming service or academic paper site protected by a paywall is technically part of the deep web, as are bank accounts, restricted social media pages, and personal email landing pages. These do not require special software to access, but search engines do not index their direct URLs due to privacy concerns. Billions of people access the deep web every day, including most Agents. By contrast, dark websites do not appear on any search engines and require custom software to access. Much of this software can be easily accessed — anonymity services and so-called onion routers are a dime-a-dozen on the Clearnet (the “regular internet”, indexed on search engines and unencrypted). Citizens of the dark web consider privacy to be their most valuable asset,

so almost all dark sites require some form of traffic anonymization and user-to-user encryption. While the dark web does contain some relatively benevolent pages — collections of whistleblower documents, viral puzzles and alternate-reality games, white-hat hackers hunting pedophiles, and encrypted versions of social media giants, among others — its main stock and trade is in harmful and bizarre content. Certain domains host botnets, their creators siccing them on targets in vicious DDoS attacks. Abusers post pictures of the ex-partners they feel have wronged them, distributing these photos (either real or edited) as revenge porn. Anonymized providers sell drugs, guns, and recorded physical and sexual abuse on dark web marketplaces. For the right price, any of the above provides you with custom content. It’s all in what you have to offer.

An Enlightened View

The preceding paragraphs explain what an Agent might find when using a standard computer and an onion router to access the dark web. While harmful, frightening, and full of malware waiting to hunt down an unwary system, the unenlightened dark web is nothing compared to its Enlightened variant. Built into Grid Sectors, the dark web is easily accessible by anyone with the right keys. Agents beware. This is not to say that the nastiness on the unenlightened dark web is somehow “less real” than the content of the Enlightened dark web. Should an Agent be capable of stopping a filmed torture session, the Technocratic Union will not stand in the way. Consensual Reality should not allow for wanton harm and destruction of life for the amusement of those who can pay for it — after all, is that not why we oppose Reality Deviants? Perform triage, if possible. However, logging off the unenlightened dark web is quite safe for an Agent. Leaving the Enlightened variant of the dark web on the Digital Web is much more difficult. To physically enter in to the egregore, the living ideal, of the Dark Web (capitalized here to separate it from the unenlightened dark web)

means physically, mentally, and emotionally engaging with the manifestations of the greed, the cruelty, and the lies hosted beyond the gateway of the onion router. Some extra-natural phenomena when venturing physically through the Grid Sectors of the Dark Web are as follows. Botnets: EDEs reflecting the state of modern cyber warfare make up a great deal of space in the Dark Web. Most exist in a state of dormancy, waiting for their creator or controller’s word to attack an unsuspecting node or system. Some Reality Deviants have been able to harness these extra-dimensional entities to protect their hidey-holes on the Digital Web. Approach quietly and with caution. Reality Deviants: Members of the organization calling themselves the Virtual Adepts are prolific on this part of the Digital Web. So too are lupines from the Glass Walker classification. Some are busy indulging hidden and shameful cravings, while others build puzzles, blackmail abusers, or herd EDEs through the darkness of the anonymized web. Do not engage without reliable backup, as these Reality Deviants mistakenly believe that they are the sole rulers of these realms and may be violent if approached. Some may also try to imprison agents in their puzzles, which are usually annoying at worst. Nephandi: Research shows that these particular Reality Deviants are like a disease, infecting and permeating any space they are given room to roam. The Digital Web is no different, and the Dark Web especially provides a welcoming home for the vicious nihilist fanatic. Several Nephandi have constructed their headquarters, known as “labyrinths”, in the depths of the Dark Web, preferring this realm of clean code and cruelty to the messier Horizon realms. Reports suggest that the Nephandi calling themselves The Caller may have a home here. See The Book of the Fallen pp. XX-XX for more details. Troves: Rumors abound that there may be caches of useful information, code, and possibly even equipment on the Dark Web. Do not go chasing rumors without backup.

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You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. – Buckminster Fuller

Treasures of Collective Will If “magick” represents an extension of some Reality Deviant’s will, then the Enlightened Arts and Sciences reflect an extension of the Technocratic Union as a whole. Unlike the capricious tricks of superstitionist “mages,” such marvels draw upon the collective effort of thousands of Technocratic operatives throughout centuries of dedicated labor, research, and practical application. Sure, a Technocrat has a certain degree of freedom to improvise in the field if need be. However, those improvisations must be rooted in the foundations of Enlightened Science, Technocracy-style, else they become just another Deviant with delusions of godhood. The following Adjustments, Procedures, and Devices come from a long-established bag of tricks the Technocracy shares with authorized operatives. Although the game systems involved follow the Mage 20 rules for such things, for Technocratic characters, these tools aren’t merely “spells” or “magick items”. From a character perspective, such Wonders and Effects are badges of office in an elite organization whose accomplishments make

that Union and its agents the rightful heirs of a new and better Consensus for all humanity. For details about the game systems involved, see Mage 20, Chapter Ten, and The Book of Secrets, Chapters Two and Three.

Adjustments

Always remember to follow proper procedures, and avoid improvising an Adjustment unless absolutely necessary.

Deviance Potential Evaluation (• Mind / • Life) After capturing and interrogating enough Reality Deviants, one quickly realizes how many insist they were born this way; that their shift into Deviance remained outside their control. By finding non-Deviant mortals with the potential to become so, the Union hopes to suppress the eventual occurrence of Deviance and allow the individual to live a normal, healthy, and productive life. System: The operative engages with her target over several scenes. She administers a battery of Enlightened Scienceenhanced psychological and cognitive tests, looking for subtle departures from the norm that indicates whether Deviance waits on the horizon. Chapter Four: Technomancer’s Toybox

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On a single success, she determines if her target has the potential to manifest as a canid-based shapeshifter, TBE (TinkerBell Entity), or MURD. With three successes, she unlocks the probability matrices needed to determine if her subject presents an attractive recruitment option for Hemophagic Entities. At five successes, she understands if her subject has a fraught enough emotional life to become a Post-Life Entity after physical death. This Adjustment does not work against those who are already Reality Deviants; only those with the potential to become so. Nor can it prevent the event from occurring, the operative must devise a separate plan for that.

Distribution Mismanagement (•••• Prime / ••• Entropy) Popular amongst the Syndicate, this application of Primal Utility dismisses obstacles presented by the unenlightened with a brush of the hand. If a rival company is causing financial loss, Distribution Mismanagement can cause their financial assets to suffer from a temporary error, causing them to have no access to funding for a time, or else a rival startup might find their shipment of server banks gets lost, or a mercenary company no longer receives ammunition and armor. System: Primal Utility is used to eradicate the usefulness of the group’s resources while Entropy ensures that the loss is related to a mere clerical error that impacts the entire organization and not just an individual. The next time the Hypereconomist engages in conflict with the group in question (or when that group engages in any conflict, at the choice of the Operative), they cannot access equipment or Requisitions for that conflict. This Adjustment does have a major limitation, however. The Hypereconomist must know about the group targeted before using the Adjustment. She cannot merely throw the application into the ether and hope that it works out. Additionally, she cannot target a group larger than her own largest Venture (Mage 20, p.527).

Ecological Harmonization (• Life) Though the Technocratic Union pursues control over the whole of reality, recent innovations in ecological science have proven the utility of existing symbiotically with the ‘natural world.’ By performing an act which the more unenlightened refer to as ‘communing with nature,’ an operative gains an innate sense of the flora and fauna in her immediate vicinity. System: The operative must spend one round focusing on the world around her. On successfully utilizing this Adjustment, she gains an understanding of the plants and animals within her line of sight. She understands their direct needs, such as if they require water, food, or protection from a predator. Should she meet these needs, the entities display friendliness toward her. They remain unintelligent and nonverbal, but may convey any insights and impressions they recently experienced. This Adjustment does not function on previously living natural material, such as the wood in a chair. Nor does it apply to natural forces such as wind or fire; or intelligent manifestations 74

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of natural forces. It may, however, allow an operative to commune with office plants or school pets.

Generate Emotional Field Array (••• Mind) Humans are notoriously fickle, but this attribute also makes them easily manipulated. Fortunately, a talented operative may use this tendency to pacify irate crowds, inspire indifference around a location of interest, or even, if necessary, rile a group up. System: The operative chooses a base emotion, such as ‘anger,’ ‘fear,’ or, the perennial favorite, ‘indifference,’ then dispenses specially-charged nanites via aerosol. She may affect up to 1d10 mortal targets per dot of Mind she has mastered, over an average city block. The affected do not act dramatically against their Natures or inherent moral philosophies, but find their individual decisions swayed by the chosen emotion. Operatives commonly use an Emotional Field Array to support their colleagues employing Procedures. The risk of incurring the Paradox Effect by such actions reduces by 1 among crowds inspired to indifference.

Predictive Analysis (••• Correspondence / •• Time / • Entropy / • Primal Utility Theory) Mortals first pioneered this bit of Enlightened Science, and continue to develop it alongside their understanding of Big Correspondence. While mundane businesses use the mass insights gained from insipid personality quizzes to sell cheeseburgers, the Technocratic Union harnesses the concept to understand areas subject to Reality Deviation. An operative can predict where Reality Deviants may soon congregate, the likelihood that conflict may lead to violent outbreaks, or other alterations in the normal flow of a city’s daily life. System: The operative first procures a massive data set — such as every crime report filed over the last ten years — and then cross-checks it with other data, such as traffic data or utility spikes. She processes this data to estimate where and when a major reality crime may occur within the next thirty days. For every success the operative gains on her roll, she may ask the Storyteller one question, such as: • What class(es) of Reality Deviant are involved? • How many Reality Deviants are involved, within a relative order of magnitude? • When will this event transpire? • How long will the event last? • How likely is the event to result in violence against innocents? • In which neighborhood or area of the city will the Deviation happen? • How powerful are the involved Reality Deviants? The answers provided by the data are not exact. The

operative may learn the local Hemophagic Entities are likely to meet within the next seven days in the vicinity of the city’s museum district; but cannot discern individual identities nor agendas related to this meeting. Alternatively, the operative can search the data for patterns indicating hotspots of Deviant activity. A single success reveals a large neighborhood likely infested by a single active Reality Deviant. Further successes narrow down the affected area. By five successes, the operative has a vague street address. Unless the operative has access to truly impressive information, this system struggles to detect embedded Reality Deviants, such as one intermingled with a major city’s long-term development. She must acquire at least seven successes to uncover the extremely subtle shifts in mortal behavior. If the operative cannot obtain sufficiently complex, accurate information in a timely manner, she can perform this Adjustment by quickly scraping social media. Doing so increases her Difficulty by 2, however.

Remote Access (•• Correspondence / •• Forces) Operatives dealing significantly with the Digital Web, especially when connecting through AR, make a point of adding this Adjustment to their repertoire as soon as they can. Operations of nigh unto infinite NetSpace are made much more manageable with it. Remote Access follows the currents of data and electricity to a desired source (a specific location within the Digital Web, or any device connected to it, and opens up a view-screen to that location that can then be used to interact directly via Adjustments and Procedures (this is not the same as projecting one’s self into the Web, so only Adjustments and Procedures may interact with the location) with one exception: Operatives using Remote Access may use their connection to attempt to open Backdoors without being immersed. System: Correspondence allows a connection to be drawn between the Operative, even while not immersed in the Digital Web, and any location therein (although accessing Restricted Sectors still comes with added difficulty) while Forces is used to generate images and sounds with that Data that are easily interpreted without any kind of sensory connection to the Web. This “false” sensory connection creates an illusion of presence that allows the Operative to interact with the location with the above limitations.

Save File Index (•• Time / • Prime / ••• Correspondence) The Digital Web is a dangerous place and having access to the tools needed to survive it is an important trick. Operatives create a Save File Index where specific Icons are stored for quick use. An alternative version of Save File Index also allows the saving of a “location” in the Digital Web, accessible if the user is De-Rez’d (and not booted from the Digital Web entirely) so as to reappear at a chosen location. System: Time is used to make a crafted Icon or location permanently written into the Operative’s Pattern (with Prime).

When crafting a desired Icon, this Adjustment can save both the Icon’s appearance and statistical bonuses. Once saved, the Icon can be swapped for the current Icon as a Reflexive Action. There is no limit to how many Icons may be saved, but if the user ever suffers Icon Death then that Icon is permanently destroyed and cannot be summoned again from the File Index. By adding Correspondence, the user may also permanently bind their Pattern to a location within the Digital Web to quickly access it when De-Rez’d. Like with Icon Death, if the saved location ever suffers from whiteout, it is removed from the Save File Index.

Schrodinger’s Parcel (• Mind / •••• Matter) While in the field, operatives may encounter stubborn or recalcitrant mortals impervious to normal methods of dissuasion. In these instances, bribery, though crude, usually suffices. The operative produces a single mundane item coveted by the individual, which she can then trade away in exchange for the opportunity to work in peace. System: After speaking with her target for approximately five to ten minutes, the operative makes a Perception + Empathy check to evaluate his general character. She then activates this Adjustment on a closed box of some kind, usually a pre-prepared satchel or briefcase. On a successful activation, she produces one item dearly coveted by her target. The item must be mundane and replicable. The operative can produce a handful of precious gold doubloons; she cannot produce the Mona Lisa. If the operative has mastered Correspondence and/or Time, she may produce a notebook or photograph revealing information the target dearly wishes to know, such as the address of an estranged loved one or tomorrow’s winning lottery numbers.

System Havoc (••+ Forces / • Correspondence (Optional)) An old favorite for dealing with computer systems and dangerous machines in the hands of the enemy, System Havoc causes the electricity powering a machine to surge, causing irreparable damage to the object, and in the case of computers, completely destroying any data within. System: Forces 2 turns the electricity powering a device into an Elemental Assault (see How Do You DO That? p.37), which completely destroys the sensitive inner workings of the machine. Correspondence is added to fire an arc of electrical disruption from a distance. If targeting a system that is relatively independent, such as a smartphone, laptop, or camera, only one success is needed to completely destroy the device. If targeting a bank of computers, or an entire security system, the Storyteller may require more successes based on the system’s expanse. While this attack can also be used on individuals with cybernetics or even capital-D Devices that operate with the use of electricity, it uses the normal Base Damage Chart (Mage 20, p.504) to determine results. System Havoc has a catastrophic effect in the Digital Web. Any Icons within 10 yards per success (including the user) on Chapter Four: Technomancer’s Toybox

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The Six Senses Characters with fewer than six senses — whether from birth or from operational mishap — do not need to pay a Background Cost for a genetically grown replacement, though they would lose any Flaw, as well as any Background Points they received for taking the Flaw. Additionally, such a replacement does not incur any Paradox, so long as the new organ is not obvious and has the same basic functionality as a typical organ. Eye colors need not match, as heterochromia is natural, though glowing eyes, exposed chrome, and leopard skin generate permanent Paradox and Genetic Flaws like normal (Mage (Mage 20, 20, p. 660). On the flip side, too many senses are overwhelming. Characters with more than six senses total — including hearing, proprioception, scent, sight, taste, and touch — make Perception rolls at -1 for each sense beyond six. It does not matter which six senses the character has.

the System Havoc roll takes Aggravated Damage according to the Base Damage scale with the additional automatic success due to it being a Forces attack. Unlike most attacks that result in Aggravated Damage, Icons can roll to Soak, but they must roll Willpower, Difficulty 8. Using System Havoc in the Digital Web is always vulgar with witnesses. Finally, after the effects of this Adjustment are applied, the Storyteller immediately rolls a Whiteout Paradox Backlash (p.XX) at Difficulty 4.

White Out (•• Correspondence / •• Entropy) The Cassandra Complex exists by providing covert support to individuals who wouldn’t otherwise accept assistance from the Technocratic Union. Pioneered in the field by Syndicate enforcer Sydney Forsythe, but later passed on to the folks in the Cassandra Complex, White Out exists as a treatment to be applied to any device to eradicate any arcane or mundane connection to its creator. System: Successes rolled when activating this Adjustment are permanently added to the difficulty of any subsequent rolls made to determine the origin of the device.

Alternate Perceptions

Some think that “blind” or “deaf” are bad words, but in the Technocratic Union, there are no disabilities — just different qualities. Agents without corneas are immune to lasers directed at their eyes. Agents with deafness have no fear of most sonic attacks. With a little help from technology, deafblind agents can follow a flashbang into a room, outperforming everyone else on the breaching team. System: The forms of perception in this section represent technological enhancements that provide permanent, always available senses. These count as specific Biomod Sensory Enhancers (Mage 20, p. 661), although they can also be cybernetic. These Enhancements do not require an activation roll and do not require recharging. Most of the forms of perception in this section represent Forces 1 rotes, cyberware, and/or bioware. However, when an agent uses Forces to perceive the world instead of a more common sense, the knowledge they gain from the world is substantially different, potentially richer. 76

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•• Augmented Reality Enlightenment 1, Primal Energy N/A, Background Cost 4 pts. For a few brave folk, AR is more than just a part of the Digital Web layered over their senses — it’s their primary sense. By attuning to the AR objects surrounding them, AR viewers can see anything that the Web does, including finely detailed biometric data of people in the area. Where someone relying on conventional sight might see a mid-30s white man, AR viewers see “98% match for John Courage alias #15, weapon detected: mid-back, weapon detected: right ankle, weapon detected: —” You get the idea. The main problem with using AR is that it only sees what the Web sees, leaving large areas of the globe poorly covered. Not to mention the possibility of AROs with erroneous data or someone deliberately masking their presence to the Web. System: AR vision provides sight of the user’s surroundings in a 25-yard radius that extends through walls and floors. This gives deep insight into anything detected by Web-connected Devices, granting an extra 2 dice for Research or Investigation tasks to learn more about anything in range. It’s also limited by the data contained in local AROs. Perception tests outside of Constructs are made at +1 difficulty or +2 for rural and remote areas.

•• Near Infrared Enlightenment 1, Primal Energy X, Background Cost 4 pts. Infrared is a portion of the light spectrum with longer wavelengths than red. Near IR narrows that to the 1,000 to 3,000 nanometer range. Because most people cannot perceive this light, IR users can employ IR lights to illuminate areas without alerting others. They also see IR beams, such as those used by security sensors, facial recognition devices, and targeting lasers. IR sensors do not come with IR lights, so users are as blind as anyone in truly lightless environments, such as deep caves and windowless rooms. While near IR users cannot perceive color normally, they can see otherwise invisible features, such as blood vessels near the skin, providing special insight into people’s unconscious

biological responses. While not a diagnostic medical tool or a lie detector, near IR vision can be an invaluable aid. System: Near IR users receive no penalty for dim conditions short of total darkness. They cannot perceive colors, but they can use otherwise invisible light to illuminate their surroundings. They also gain a die for Medical rolls, opposed Social rolls, and Perception rolls to identify non-humans in disguise, so long as the target of the roll is within 10 feet.

•• Pulse Mapping Enlightenment 1, Primal Energy N/A, Background Cost 4 pts. per version By emitting a pulse of high-frequency energy and measuring the pulse’s reflection, users can create a 3D model of their surroundings. There are two basic types: sonar and lidar. Each comes with special advantages and drawbacks. Although both versions operate at such high frequencies that they’re imperceptible without special equipment, users can always detect other active users of the same type in range. For example, creatures with natural echolocation and sonar users are always aware of each other. Due to attenuation over distances, sonar only reaches 25 yards, although it can map anything that a 25-yard sound wave can reach, including around corners and beyond open doors. Lidar does not provide this benefit, but it has a much greater range: around 200 yards. System: Sonar provides vision up to 25 yards around the user. This vision reflects off of walls and other solid objects, providing vision around corners, so long as the total length of the reflected path is 25 yards or less. Smoke does not obstruct this vision, although closed windows do. Lidar provides vision up to 200 yards around the user. Anything transparent, even marginally (such as one-way mirrors) does not block lidar, although smoke does.

•• Thermal Enlightenment 1, Primal Energy X, Background Cost 4 pts. Although technically just a wider portion infrared, thermal vision presents such a different version of the world that referring to it as infrared is misleading. By responding to light in the 1,000-15,000nm range, thermal users perceive temperature variations. This provides agents with special insights into the internal processes of individuals. Additionally, since virtually everything gives off IR light within this frequency range, there is no darkness that thermal eyes cannot see through. The downside to thermal vision is that normal frequencies, such as those emitted by computer screens or reflected off of book pages, are completely illegible. Thermal users require specially made books and computing devices. System: Thermal users can see normally in all lighting conditions. They cannot see colors nor can they see lights, Chapter Four: Technomancer’s Toybox

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but they gain three dice on Perception tests to notice hidden features or detect non-humans in disguises within 10 feet. Tests involving thermal users reading printed material or using computers with conventional screens are made at +2 difficulty, reflecting the difficulty of reading.

Procedures

The Procedures listed here have not been subjected to rigorous field testing. Please report any unusual results to your superiors when employing any of the following.

Anti-Hemophagic Saline (••• Life / •• Matter/ •• Prime) The concept of ‘True Faith’ is, of course, a baseless superstition. However, certain members of the organization colloquially known as the ‘Inquisition’ have unlocked a capability that makes their blood toxic to Hemophagic Entities. Fascinated by this development, renowned Grey Suit Constance d’Yoire leveraged their knowledge of chemistry to develop a solution that can offer the same protection to members of the Union. An Agent that expects to enter into dealings with the Hemophagic Entities would do well to make use of an Anti-Hemophagic Saline treatment that makes their blood not just unpalatable but damaging to them. System: The treatment requires one hour to administer and protects the User for 12 hours. Drinking the user’s blood inflicts aggravated damage equal to the successes on the agent’s activation roll Hemophagic Entity.

Atomic Override (•••• Forces / •••• Matter) Though the Technocratic Union appreciates the necessity of the laws of nature and physics remaining constant, in some instances an operative benefits by overriding these laws with her own will. She may temporarily suspend a single scientific principle from applying within the space of a small room, or roughly one thousand cubic feet. System: The operative selects a specific scientific law, and rolls the necessary test to implement the Procedure. Gravity is a popular law to suspend; though she could pick inertia, friction, electrical conductivity, the second law of thermodynamics, or even photosynthesis (among others). If the caster has five dots in either Forces or Matter, she may, instead of suspending the law entirely, edit it to her choosing. She may double gravity within her chosen area, rule that plastic becomes conductive while metal does not, or reverse the polarity on a specific machine. For one minute per success, the law functions as she chooses. Though living (and unliving) targets are largely subject to the changes (everyone in a room wrought impervious to gravity begins to float), they retain a modicum of control over their own forms. If an operative wishes to implement this Procedure as an attack, it applies only to a specific target. Rather than the effect lasting minutes, she inflicts damage per normal.

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Force Compliance (•••• Life / •• Spirit or •• Matter) Many Reality Deviants profoundly mock the laws of physics by frequently assuming a different form. Compounding the issue is that these forms frequently bestow extra abilities on the Deviant in question. By emitting a compliance ray from a suitable piece of tech, an operative may force a Reality Deviant to at least appear human. System: The operative rolls versus her opponent’s Willpower. On a success, she forces the target to shed its non-human form. The Reality Deviant retains all inherent abilities, but loses any advantages gained from its alternate form. Such a Procedure may incur unanticipated consequences, such as when a canid-based shapeshifter of the faction called “Lupus”, or a Hemophagic Entity employing flesh-bending abilities, find themselves forced into an unnatural or unfamiliar form. The Reality Deviant may, of course, revert back, but such a change usually requires a hefty time and resource expenditure (especially as the operative hopefully has a next step in mind after employing this Procedure). The exact sphere to pair with Life depends on the Deviant’s nature. If the Reality Deviant has a quasi-spiritual connection to their form, as do canid-based shapechangers, the operative uses Spirit. If the Deviant in question has a strong physical connection to the world, such as a self-altering Hemophage, she utilizes Matter.

Multipartite Host Infection (•••• Life / ••• Entropy / •• Correspondence / •• Forces / •• Prime / •• Time (Optional)) In the early days of the Digital Web, the Progenitors developed a variety of living viruses and worms that would infect Icons and then cross over into Meatspace to infect the physical bodies of Icon’s user. Even then, this was a vulgar application of techno-medicine reviled by Netizens for its violation of the boundaries between the Web and Meatspace. Usually the worst the original viruses could do was give a user the shits for a week, but there have been significant advances since then and one of the most virulent viruses is the Multipartite Host Infection, which aggressively attacks motor function and memory in a fashion that devastates a user’s ability to interact with the Digital Web at all. System: Correspondence allows the virus to make its way from an infected Icon across its sensory connections to the host user. Forces and Prime transmute the virus from a mere corruption of data and electrical code into something that attacks the living Pattern of the user behind the Icon. The virus itself is an application of a powerful Life Effect that directly attacks the user’s brain. This virus usually takes approximately a week to infect the material Pattern of the Icon’s user as it slowly corrupts the Icon itself before corrupting the user’s connection to the Icon. For each success rolled, the Operative uploading this virus into

an Icon may choose to have it lower the target’s Intelligence or Computer rating by 1 (Intelligence cannot be lowered below 1). This virus hits hard and fast, usually only lasting for a couple of days. However, with the added application of Time, a particularly nightmarish version may apply successes toward extending the duration of the virus by a day per success – or cause the virus to manifest sooner, likewise by a day per success. If an Icon accessing the Web through AR is infected with this virus, the Icon remains infected and virulent until scrubbed out with a Procedure. While this is not harmful to the AR user, the infection is dreadful for other users interacting with the infected user. Any Icon making contact or sharing data with the infected Icon must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 4) or become infected. If infected the user projects by a method other than AR without scrubbing their Icon their body is infected normally.

Pen Light (•• Forces / •• Matter / •• Life / •• Prime) The pen light generates a concentrated beam of sufficiently intense light that inflicts aggravated wounds on Hemophagic Entities. Hemophagic Entities pose an existential threat to the Masses. Agents approaching them openly might find themselves suddenly, supernaturally compelled to turn their weapons on their squad mates — or themselves. Consequently, the development of this seemingly innocuous weapon that is lethal to them but not our own Agents, literally puts the power of sunlight in our hands and can be clearly displayed until it is deployed to great effect. Agent Jacob Black pioneered this effect in the field in the late 1990s, famously developing skin cancer after repeated use of the Procedure, likely due to the Paradox effect. System: Target the weapon with a Dexterity + Firearms roll. Each success on the Enlightenment roll inflicts one level of aggravated damage to targets vulnerable to sunlight.

Thanatos Project (••• Correspondence / ••• Life / ••• Mind / ••••• Spirit) With the advent of multi-processing systems, mixed with gene engineering, ItX has seemingly created something unseen before. With the use of 101 subjects and other Deviants captured by the NWO, Iteration X has created a series of quantum computers that are slaved to “living” human beings. Information can now be processed, stored, and disseminated at the speed of thought over distances that travel even past the Gauntlet and into the Horizon Realms. That such technology more commonly belongs in science fiction is the greatest boon to its use — one cannot hack what only the Union knows exists. System: Connecting to the Project requires an Agent to make an Enlightenment roll. Each margin of success over the difficulty provides the User access to information tied to an individual, object, or location contained in the system with greater speed and accuracy.

Successes

Result

1-3 Successes

Gain access to an equivalent of 4 hours of mundane research in 10 minutes.

4-6 Successes

Gain instant access to an equivalent of 6 hours of mundane research.

7-10 Successes

Gain access into non-physical data, such as memories or emotions in 15 minutes

11+ Successes

Gain access to anything that can be known about the subject in 1 hour.

Gadgets

Any operative can apply for the gadgets they need — just fill out the digital forms in triplicate.

• 30 Second Start Enlightenment 3, Primal Energy 15, Background Cost 6 pts. Initiative is everything. He who acts first, often dictates the outcome of a conflict. The 30 Second Start, which sits atop a 3-foot-high tripod, is rumored to be the creation of members of the Cassandra Complex, the Friends of Courage, or possibly both. Whatever its origins, many an Agent benefited from early notification of an impending hostile action. System: The 30 Second Start functions by tethering to itself 30 seconds backward in time. The device takes 90 seconds to set up and establish a perimeter using a Life 1 / Mind 1 / Prime 1 effect. Once established, anyone crossing the perimeter’s threshold causes the device to illuminate with blue light. If hostile action is detected via voice command, firearms, blood, or increased adrenal production, the device illuminates with red light and an alarm. This activates a vulgar Time 3 effect that rewinds time 30 seconds. There are rumors of particularly talented members of Iteration X being able to establish temporal loops allowing them to continue repeating events until a victorious outcome is achieved, but this is an ill-advised use of the device that often results in cascading amounts of Paradox.

• Adaptive Combat Analytics Interface Enlightenment 3, Primal Energy 15, Background Cost 7 pts. per user This hyper advanced pair of combat contact lenses has been under combat trials with the NWO for the past two years. A miniaturization of an earlier prototype of headgear designed to read the combat maneuvers of Reality Deviants before they occur using predictive analytics. The lenses can link up with the neural nets of agents within the operator’s immediate vicinity to coordinate evasive maneuvers and lethal counter attacks. System: This device uses an Entropy 2 / Mind 3 / Time 2 adjustment to facilitate a linked probability analysis between

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members of an Amalgam. Before combat, all users equipped with the Adaptive Combat Analytics Interface roll the Enlightenment of the Device at difficulty 6. Successes result in a common pool that may be applied to Strength + Melee, Dexterity + Firearms, or Dexterity + Dodge rolls made during the next combat scenario encountered within the next hour.

• Brown Paper Bag Enlightenment 3, Primal Energy 15, Background Cost 7 pts. The Technocratic Union exists in a surveillance state largely of our own creation. Even our tremendous technological advances are often insufficient to prevent the observational capabilities of a number of Reality Deviants. The Brown Paper Bag is a receptacle no bigger than a briefcase that blocks all forms of observation. Once safely deposited inside, the contents of the container are absolutely undetectable. This device became somewhat notorious throughout the Union, when it was discovered that Agent Samael Jaqueson was using one to smuggle Union secrets out of their construct, presumably to sell to associates among the Fallen. Since that incident, Management has become a bit stricter on who they allow to requisition a Brown Paper Bag. System: This simple-looking bag obscures the nature of its contents through a Correspondence 3 / Forces 3 / Matter 3 adjustment. Upon activation, the user rolls the Enlightenment of the Device at Difficulty 6. Successes achieved are added to the difficulty of any attempt at detecting the bag or its contents.

• Conversation Emulator Enlightenment 3, Primal Energy 10, Background Cost 6 pts. Hey kids, you wanna see the future? Just kidding, but it’s close. With this this hyper-calculative, analytic device, one can take the action-consequence profile of any person that is within its LOS (Line of Sight) range and determine the likelihood and nature of that person committing an act that could be considered unmutual or outright breaks the laws and codes of the jurisdiction in which they are physically located. System: Flipping the switch on the USB-shaped device activates an Entropy 2 / Time 2 effect allowing the user to observe the next conversation between user and subject. Successes on the Activation roll provide bonus to all social rolls made against the subject during the next scene.

• Field Medical Kit Enlightenment 3, Primal Energy 15, Background Cost 6 pts. Either in the pursuit of a Utopian Consensus for the Masses, or a consequence of breaching action, Agents of the Technocratic Union are frequently called upon to perform a healing action in the field. Originally pioneered by the Challenge Fate Foundation for use in North Africa, the Field Medical Kit has entered into 80

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widespread distribution. Simply place this handheld device on the wounded area and fully automated processes activate to analyze and treat the damaged tissue. The near-miraculous results of the device have allowed the paralyzed to walk, the blind to see, and the Masses to embrace the wisdom of the Technocratic Union. System: Pressing the device to the affected area activates a Life 3 effect, healing a number of wounds equal to the Activation roll — either one aggravated or three superficial wounds over the course of an hour. Activating the device also reduces the difficulty of any mundane Intelligence + Medicine checks by 3.

• Nanite Tags Enlightenment 1, Primal Energy 5, Background Cost 2 pts. Understanding Reality Deviance is the first step in eradicating it. To this end, Union engineers have developed Nanite Tags: undetectable methods of gathering important information regarding the daily movements and interactions of a tagged Reality Deviant. The drawback is that an operative must physically affix the tags herself. Alternative methods of delivery have proven too intrusive and noticeable. System: The operative must make simple, brief physical contact with her target. A handshake suffices. If her target proves too suspicious or touch-avoidant, she may make a Manipulation + Subterfuge check to perform the necessary sleight-of-hand. If she doesn’t mind escalating, Dexterity + Brawl also gets the job done. Once the nanites attach, they record the subject’s every action and speech for the next seven days via a Correspondence 1 / Dimensional Science 1 Adjustment, relaying that information back to the operative. The nanites cannot interpret actions, such as if the target uses emotionally manipulative Deviance to seduce a target. They do, however, relay that a reluctant subject suddenly seemed quite friendly to the target. The nanites come equipped with GPS, and provide a comprehensive log of the target’s comings and goings. Targets, or their allies, must be familiar with Enlightened Science to detect and remove the nanites (Occult 3+ with an appropriate specialization to detect, Intelligence + Medicine to remove). Should a given target enter an area warded against Enlightened Science (or even Tradition magic), the nanites disperse. At the end of seven days, the nanites disperse on their own and return to the operative for further applications.

• Urban Navigation Tool Enlightenment 2, Primal Energy 10, Background Cost 3 pts. An upgrade to the already-available SMC Vehicle, this tool facilitates operatives’ quick travel through dense, urban environments. By interfacing with local infrastructure, including co-opting traffic control systems and nearby automobiles equipped with a satellite or Wi-Fi connection, the operative finds her journey through the city made remarkably easier. Lights switch to green, other drivers get out of her way, and even police

find themselves encouraged to support her travel. System: Operatives traveling with an active Urban Navigation Tool suffer no penalties based on mundane traffic conditions thanks to a Correspondence 2 / Entropy 2 Adjustment. The operatives find themselves waved through cordoned-off areas, restricted access roads, and even international borders to arrive promptly at their target destination. If a separate entity is manipulating traffic in such a way as to cause a travel impediment, the operative driving the SMV makes an opposed Enlightment versus Willpower roll, adding an extra die from the Tool.

•• to •••• Augmented Reality Smart Glasses Enlightenment 2-4, Primal Energy 10-20, Background Cost 4-8 pts. Anyone can buy a pair of smart glasses on the internet — the Technocracy’s are better. The basic version allows people other than the user to see and interact with glasses’ AR interface (Forces 2 to see, Correspondence 2 / Forces 2 to interact.) This is useful for sharing data, like projecting HUDs, and for co-creation Procedures (see p. xx). Fancier models sport more unusual features, such as falsifying the GPS signature of the user or the AR effects they generate (Correspondence 2). That allows users to interact via AR with real or digital objects in the location of their choice. The highest grade can create hard light projections of Virtual Assistants (Forces 3 / Prime 2, add Dimension Science 3 for an AI) (see p. xx) or even create an AR projection of a real individual who is physically located somewhere else. It’s a lot less vulgar than any other way of folding space to transport a colleague.

••+ Pocket Drone Modifications Enlightenment N/A, Primal Energy N/A, Background Cost 2+ pts. per drone Ever popular among field agents, the Pocket Drone (see Technocracy Reloaded p. xx) offers a wide variety of effects thanks to Q Division’s constant innovation. Each of the following modifications are available for Pocket Drones. System: These drones are surprisingly reliant on mundane technology, but a few minor applications of Enlightened Science customizes a pocket drone and truly makes it sing. You may add each of the following options to a base pocket drone by increasing the Background Point cost as indicated in the description. • Dimensional Science 1 Adjustments allow agents and armatures to acquire and track EDEs. This modification only permits the drone to track EDEs operating in the Penumbral dimension. Cost: 2 pts. • Life 1 Adjustments allow a drone to identify and sift through all living beings within sensor range. This add-on functions in tandem with all the drone’s other sensory options, Enlightened or mundane, included in the drone. Cost: 2 pts. Additional custom Adjustments and Procedures are available upon request (and at Storyteller discretion).

•• Portable Perimeter Fence Enlightenment 2, Primal Energy 10, Background Cost 5 pts. Reality Deviants annoy operatives as often as they present a threat, and sometimes operatives must perform sensitive tasks away from interlopers. In the instance that a particularly violent Reality Deviant created an incident, operatives often find that securing the scene against outside interference is a necessary precaution;. Reality Deviants and their allies have a distressing tendency to not only return to the scene of a crime but to compound their errors by engaging in further Deviance. The Portable Perimeter Fence appears as a collapsible tripod, a form easily explained to curious mortals as a piece of forensic surveillance equipment. A hyper-infrared beam at the top emits quantum wave frequencies inimical to a pre-defined class of Reality Deviant, allowing operatives to work in peace. System: The operative must first invest the Portable Perimeter Fence with a point of Primal Energy for each hour she wishes the device to remain operational. She must then key the device to the type of Reality Deviant she wishes to repel, which must be a type familiar to her. She cannot forbid all Reality Deviants from crossing, but can keep the area secure from Hemophagic Entities, TinkerBell Entities, or another specific classification. A single Portable Perimeter Fence covers roughly a ten-by-ten room. Additional Perimeter Fences may either increase the area or add another class of forbidden Reality Deviant. For as long as the Perimeter Fence remains active, Reality Deviants of the specified class(es) find themselves disinclined to enter the area, thanks to a Correspondence 1 / Dimensional Science 1 / Life 1 / Matter 1 / Mind 2 Adjustment. Affected entities think of something else to do or more pressing matters elsewhere. Deviants with a high Awareness may sense the presence of Enlightened Science, though remain unaware of the cause unless they have somehow studied the Technocratic Union and its practices. Especially determined Reality Deviants may focus their desires and make a Willpower check to remain within the Perimeter Fence for five minutes. Remaining another five minutes, or committing a Reality Crime, requires another check. On a failure, the full effects of the Perimeter Fence take hold and the Deviant travels to the nearest edge by the quickest means possible. Some groups within the Union, particularly the Mokteshaf al Nour and their allies, work to improve this device. By installing a variant Perimeter Fence at places with concentrations of Primal Energy, they hope to keep the Fence active and thereby replicate the medieval technology called the Web of Faith.

••• DOUG Upgrade Enlightenment 3, Primal Energy 15, Background Cost 3 pts. The Technocratic conventions most concerned with monitoring Reality Deviants developed this Mind-based upgrade to the Black Suits as a way for operatives to infiltrate and safely Chapter Four: Technomancer’s Toybox

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observe their gatherings. The DOUG, or Direct Observation Utility Gear, gives an operative the physical and supernatural appearance of a specific class of Reality Deviant. A DOUG appears as a vaguely human-shaped nanite mesh. After donning her Black Suit, the operative steps into her DOUG, which becomes invisible to most examinations. She then adjusts 82

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the DOUG’s settings, which alters her appearance to a chosen type of Reality Deviant. An operative may only have one DOUG upgrade active at a time. System: The DOUG unit functions on expectation, meaning the operative must identify herself as a Reality Deviant when

of development, cannot replicate reality crimes. The operative must use her Enlightened Science to mimic such abilities. The DOUG unit’s major drawback is how strongly it relies on assumption and expectation. It confers no special knowledge. The operative must draw on her knowledge of Reality Deviant culture to blend in. With reasonably sensible answers to various questions, such as where she is from, how old she is, and the names of relevant kin, her interlocutors believe her. Should she flub a response, however, she no doubt creates suspicion. Therein lies the problem. Especially among more paranoid Reality Deviants, infiltration and espionage has become an expected norm. Should an operative speak with a local leader who anticipates dishonestly and betrayal, her cover may end up blown before she has a chance to obtain any valuable information. Engineers work diligently to ameliorate this failing, but have yet to display any relevant success.

••• Reverse Temporal Projector

infiltrating. Once she introduces herself as a fellow Reality Deviant, others around her perceive her to be one of their own. Superficial tests to determine her nature, such as sniffing or blood-tasting, succeed automatically thanks to a Dimensional Science 3 / Prime 3 Procedure. More involved tests, such as reading her aura or thoughts, require a Perception + Occult check versus the operative’s Willpower. The suit, still in its early stages

Enlightenment 3, Primal Energy 15, Background Cost 5 pts. The Reverse Temporal Projector appears as a sleek black oblong with a temporal “camera” on one end and projector on the other. When in use, the operative uses the camera to absorb temporal resonance data in an area roughly ten feet by ten feet. The device then analyzes such data and outputs a best-guess, holographic interpretation of recent events via the projector. A fully immersive, 3D rendition surrounds the operatives and any colleagues. All present witness the recent past play out in real-time, including sight, sound, and even smells. As this is simply a recording, operatives may not alter nor influence events. They may, however, inspect containers, examine items, observe interactions, and otherwise collect experiential evidence. The Resonant Temporal Projector remains in alpha development, and cannot view past events beyond a few days. The more temporally distant a given event, the more its rendition becomes obscured by noise and static. The device does have a knack for recording Reality Deviance, however. System: First, the operative must gain access to the area she wishes to view. Over at least three turns scanning her chosen area, the Reverse Temporal Projector records and analyzes ambient temporal data through a Time 2 Adjustment. Once the device has absorbed all necessary information, she and up to five other colleagues may witness any scenes occurring up to twenty-four hours in the past. She may invest the device with more Primal Energy to extend the temporal observation by another twenty-four hours per point. However, the temporal data deteriorates and becomes subject to increasing dimensional static. She absorbs the complete sensory impact of recorded events, including picking up strange scents in the air or the feel of a particular object. People within the scene remain impervious to her presence, but she can perform minor manipulations of the scene, such as checking under a table or behind a painting. The Projector records Reality Deviance as well via a Correspondence Chapter Four: Technomancer’s Toybox

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1 / Dimensional Science 1 / Prime 1 Adjustment, including Deviants attempting to obscure themselves via trickery. A given device may only have one analysis recorded at a time. However, Union offices provide sufficient databanks for an operative to dump her current analysis. Higher-level operatives regularly review such data dumps for potential unmutuality.

Icon-users can disconnect and log back in, but must create a new icon to replace the one they abandoned in the isolated strand. Holistically Immersed users need to climb out (Mage 20 p. 481) or recast their digitization Effect, likely provoking Paradox when they return to Meatspace. While not a good method of escape, it’s reliable.

•••• Automated Construction

•••• Turbulent Displacement Field

Enlightenment N/A, Primal Energy 10, Background Cost 6 pts. Through innovation on the Automated Repair unit (Technocracy Reloaded p. xx), this collection of nanites can be used to construct new items from raw materials. Once programmed with the desired molecular structure and design schematic of an item, automated construction nanites can build just about anything that will fit inside their briefcase-sized housing. Though these nanites can manufacture almost anything, they are most effective on simple tools, requiring more time to generate complex devices with moving or electrical components. Precision tools, such as micrometers, are easily calibrated ensuring measurements are always within specifications. Automated construction nanites can even construct combat equipment and, if provided with a proper power source, Enlightened devices. System: The automated construction creates objects via Matter 4 / Prime 2 Procedures. If programmed with tool specifications, the automated construction nanites can build entire machines. Functionally, it is an Enlightened 3D printer. If the user has access to sufficient Primal Energy, generally through a Matrix, the nanites can even craft Wonders through a Matter 4 / Prime 4 Procedure. Requiring an Enlightened user, a bassy hum accompanies this Invention and an obvious white glow emanates from the case’s seams.

•••• Isolated Strand Enlightenment 3, Primal Energy N/A, Background Cost 8 pts. Isolated Strands allow users to create portions of the Digital Web tenuously connected to the rest of the Web. Each Strand has a lock that moves the Strand into the wilds of the Otherworldly Realms, trapping anything and anyone in the Strand, making it a perfect safe room — or prison. Escaping an Isolated Strand requires dealing with the lock, traversing uncharted Realms, or disconnecting. Those disconnecting (or are knocked offline) save their minds, but leave their icons behind, vulnerable to virtual identity theft and other nefarious purposes. System: When an administrator closes an Isolated Strand, it traps all users present, for varying definitions of trapped. Users with icons have their icons locked on the strand. As it’s no longer connected to any other part of the Web, popping automatically fails. To escape, users must contest the locking mechanism or find some other way out. Battling the lock is an opposed Data and Computer against the strand’s dice pool of 7 with a difficulty 8. 84

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Enlightenment 5, Primal Energy N/A, Background Cost 3 pts. per Static 3.0 — Turbulent Displacement Fields generate unpredictable noise on the Digital Web, warping their surroundings. Though these fields aren’t harmful, they create chaos that nearby users must overcome to avoid disturbing the Sector. Deployed near someone performing delicate tasks, TDFs greatly increase the odds of failure — and Whiteout. On top of that, they pollute data, forcing error-correction subroutines to work overtime. System: Activating a Turbulent Displacement Field triggers a Data 3 / Entropy 4 / Mind 3 Effect that roils through the entire sector, pissing off everyone, including the sector, in the process. All Enlightenment rolls within the sector are made at +1 difficulty and generate 1 additional point of Paradox. Successful coincidental Effects are not affected. The difficulty of rolls to manipulate data in any way, including simple copying, is likewise at +1 difficulty. Each Field lasts one minute, unless stopped earlier. Activating the Field is considered vulgar with witnesses in most parts of the Web. Fields cannot be reused.

•••• Wormhole Generator Enlightenment 4-6, Primal Energy 20-30, Background cost 10+ Lilian Okoye created these needle-slim, white obelisks specifically for use at the Ultima Thule research station in Antarctica. Their use is coincidental at Ultima Thule, and vulgar just about anywhere else. They have two uses: Open Transdimensional Gate. This function uses a Dimensional Science 4 Procedure to open a gate into the Umbra capable of transferring up to six personnel to the other side. The gates are stable for up to 72 hours for a two-person team, reducing by 12 hours for every additional team member. Each three-meter-tall, two-meter-wide gate looks like a black, reflective surface and stepping through it provides a moment of resistance, like breaking the surface tension of water. Superimpose Alien Environment. Through a Correspondence 5 / Dimensional Science 5 Procedure, the wormhole operator connects a point in the real world to a point deep in space or in another dimension. The two points need not have any physical or other connection, but the challenges of picking unknown points apply. Often, to avoid this complication, locations are already scouted by Pandimensional Corps with beacons set down for just this purpose. This procedure requires a significant investment of Primal Energy (10 points) and

affects an area of up to five square miles for up to eight hours. Any EDE within the area when the effect ends goes back to the other side of the Gauntlet. Anything that’s left the area has to be dealt with by other means.

••••• Entropic Perception Field Alteration Enlightenment 4, Primal Energy 15, Background Cost 11 pts. Modeled on cyanide dental capsules employed by mortal espionage agents, the Entropic Perception Field functions in much the same way — though thankfully without any permanent effects. Employed frequently by operatives working highly dangerous missions, the Entropic Field allows the operative to appear dead for a short period of time. Since dead bodies frequently receive careless treatment or storage, an operative has a second opportunity to escape. System: Created by someone with high levels of Entropy, Matter, and Life, the Entropic Perception Field Alteration takes the form of a dental implant. When an operative feels her cover has been blown — or, worse, she’s taken captive by Reality Deviants or other enemies of the Technocratic Union — she bites down on the implant. The device does not function if the operative’s captors have prevented her from biting, though this usually requires a specific dental barrier. Cloth or tape gags cannot prevent the Field from taking effect. When the Field activates, the operative appears to suffer a sudden and gruesome death thanks to an Entropy 5 / Life 3 / Prime 3 Procedure. Her body seizes, blood leaks from various orifices, and her breathing and heart rate abruptly cease. Only Reality Deviants with a specific necromantic talent (either Occult 4+ with proper specializations, or the capability of committing necromancy-related reality crimes) detect the deception. The Field lasts for approximately twelve hours, during which time the operative exists in suspended animation. It absorbs any attempts at body disposal that would be truly lethal for the operative, such as dissolving her in acid or dismembering her. The Field generates a sufficiently strong illusion for an operative’s captors to believe such efforts succeed. After twelve hours, the Field abates and restores the operative to full and normal function. She may require assistance extracting herself from whatever situation her captors put her in — and any small items stolen remain gone. She is, however, alive (and, hopefully, free). Though the Field intends operatives to stay comatose, some operatives describe experiencing especially vivid hallucinations while under its influence. They report interacting with other spirits of the dead and perceiving their surroundings in rather morbid ways. Engineers currently struggle to overcome this design flaw.

••••• Node Denial Device Enlightenment 8, Primal Energy N/A, Not Available for Purchase

The struggle between the Union, Reality Deviants, and Extra-Dimensional Entities is at its highest near Nodes. Rich sources of Primal Energy are too precious a resource for any side to let the other have. This is a big part of why Technocrats build Constructs on top of Nodes. Of course, not every resource struggle goes the way the Union desires. And, even after a Construct is in place, it’s not safe from intrusion or capture. That’s where the NDD comes into play. Each Construct in the Union has one, although few members know of their existence and placement. To call them self-destruct systems would be a gross under-estimation. A bundle of dynamite is a self-destruct system. NDDs are precise — permanently ending the battle for a Node through scorched earth tactics. NDDs siphon from Node’s Primal Energy at greater and greater rates eventually overloading the Node’s Pattern, resulting in a detonation on par with a small nuclear device. Although the Technocratic Union is the only known producer of Node Denial Devices, at least one is in the hands of a radical cell of the Templar Knights. System: Attaching an NDD to a Node requires an extended action (Dimensional Science 3 / Forces 5 / Matter 5 / Primal Energy 5, difficulty 8, minimum 10 successes). Triggering a Node Denial Device isn’t much easier, due to the safety measures in place. Activating the NDD begins an extended action, rolling the Enlightenment of the Device at difficulty 8, minimum 3 successes. Once activated, the Device detonates at a user-specified time within the next hour. At that time, the NDD unleashes a Forces 5 / Matter 5 / Primal Energy 5 Effect in the area annihilating everything within the vicinity of the Node. There is no roll to survive this.

MMDS Prototype Technology

The Devices that come out of MMDS are not ready for field use. Most of them are far outside the tolerance of the Front Lines’ consensus. They’re unstable in the lab, let alone outside it. In simple terms, MMDS Devices go wrong. Every MMDS prototype comes with a side of permanent Paradox, which goes into the user’s Paradox pool as long as they’re carrying it. This Paradox is equal to half the Device’s Enlightenment (round up). When the Storyteller checks for a Paradox backlash, the difficulty of the roll is only 5 when a character has an MMDS prototype on their person. They’re bad news.

••••• Paradox Sink Enlightenment N/A, Primal Energy N/A, Background Points 10+ Available as a cybernetic implant or a grafted biomod, the Paradox sink module is one of MMDS’ most exciting advancements. It stores user-generated Paradox in this very specific part of the Pattern, preventing it from contributing to the user’s overall Chapter Four: Technomancer’s Toybox

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pool of Paradox. Then, when the user gets back to the lab, they undergo minor surgery to remove the module, and the Paradox with it. Storage and destruction are currently challenging, but that’s the next phase of research. The first field test of this Device — implanted in volunteer subject, Vitas Varnas — showed the Paradox sink functional at collecting and isolating the Paradox, though the device detonated upon removal. It bears repeating: nothing at MMDS is ready for field use. A Paradox Sink module uses a Correspondence 2 / Primal Energy 5 Adjustment to store the first 10 points of Paradox generated by a user (+2 points per additional Background dot). Once the module is full, the next time the user accrues Paradox, the module overheats. When it does so, it generates an additional five points of Paradox, and backlashes. The permanent Paradox this mod generates manifests as unsightly rashes or skin infections around the implant site. They spread, gradually, causing one level of bashing damage per day of use. No one has ever experimented with wearing a Paradox sink for more than 48 hours.

••• (or Trinket) Surveillance Nanites Enlightenment 3, Primal Energy 15, Background cost 6 Bugs are so 1990s. A single surveillance device can receive information from one location. A colony of nanites, released into the air, can infect everyone in a crowd even if, say, the gang of RDs or other creatures you’re tracking scatter to the four winds. Releasing the colony is as simple as opening a vial, and within two minutes of release they can fill an area about the size of a plaza in a major city, or about 200 meters squared. The colony returns data via a coincidental Correspondence 2 effect. Interpreting the volume of data returned, however, requires an entire team of analysts or great skill with multitasking Mind procedures.

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As a trinket, the colony is one-use. Purchased as a more powerful Device, the colony reassembles itself over the course of 72 hours after recall.

••••• Quantum State Ion Weapon, Mark I Enlightenment 5, Primal Energy 12, Background cost 4 Everyone at MMDS knows damn well this gun got its name because Lt. Carrie Hawkins wanted to say she invented the QuStion Mark. The name is the only funny thing about this small but mighty hand-cannon. The QuStion Mark disrupts matter at a quantum level, superimposing multiple possible states then collapsing them together. This is extremely destructive and capable of removing an entity from this state of reality altogether. Technically, it’s probably in some other timeline, somewhere. Maybe that’s permanent, maybe it isn’t. The only data the Union currently has on the device’s effects come from biometrics taken from Lt. Hawkins’ pet cat, Whismerhill, when it was unfortunately hit with the device during an early test. Thanks to Whismerhill’s chip, technicians gleaned a wealth of data from this terrible accident. Each standard shot from the QuStion Mark uses one point of Primal Energy to activate a Prime 3 Procedure. The user makes a Dexterity + Energy Weapons check, dealing two levels of aggravated damage per success at difficulty 6. The effect is brutal, but is coincidental anywhere energy weapons are a generally accepted part of the consensus. For an additional three points of Primal Energy, the gun fires a supercharged shot utilizing a Primal Energy 5 or Time 5 Procedure. With three successes at difficulty 9, this vulgar effect removes the target from existence entirely. There are traces of temporal distortion in the effect’s signature. This may mean the target is destroyed permanently, or that it could pop back at some inconvenient moment. More testing needed.

Status and the Construct The traits of a Chantry or Construct represent communal resources that are open to the membership to use. The Storyteller may wish to control access to these resources by calling for a Charisma + Status or Manipulation + Status roll when attempting to access the communal resources. The difficulty for members in good standing making routine requests could be as low as 4. For members that have aggravated their superiors (or in the case of superstitionists, their elders) or are asking for resource intensive aid, the difficulty may go as high as 9. On a failure, the elders simply refuse the aid. This is another of many reasons it pays to remain in the good graces of one’s elders.

Trait

Power Pool Cost

Effect

Allies

2 points per dot

One consor, Extraordinary citizen, spirit, EDE, or other exceptional ally per dot.

Arcane/Cloaking

2 points per dot

Imposes penalties (-1 per dot) on the dice pools of those trying to find or investigate the location.

Backup

2 points per dot

Additional unAwakened personnel that the group can call upon for aid, following the normal guidelines for Backup (Mage (Mage 20 p. 306).

Cult/Sympathizers

2 points per dot

These are personnel trained and able to assist with large works, such as rituals or complex expressions of Enlightened science. This functions as described (and with the same limitations) as the Cult background (Mage (Mage 20 p. 310).

Enhancement

4 points per dot

The maximum level of Enhancement the facility can install.

Elders/Management 2 points per dot

The power level and number of leaders of the Construct/Chantry (see p.xx).

Integrated Effects

2 points per dot

Anchored spells or effects within the Construct/Chantry (see p.xx).

Library

2 points per dot

This communal resource, accessible to all members of the Construct/ Chantry, functions as the Library Background (Mage (Mage 20 p. 318).

Node

3 points per dot

The surplus Tass or energy remaining each week after the costs of maintaining the Construct or Chantry are paid. This Quintessence is accessible to members, at the discretion of the Construct or Chantry leadership.

Reality Zone

5 points per dot

The strength of the Reality Zone anchored to the Chantry/Construct (see p. xx). This trait cannot be higher than the Chantry/Construct’s rating.

Requisitions

4 points per dot

The maximum level of Requisition that can be processed on site, locally, in a Union Construct. The immediate storehouse, as it were. This does not limit an individual Technocrat’s access to personal Requisitions, but if personal Requisitions exceed Construct availability, the agent must either wait for the requested materials to arrive or pick them up from a secure location.

Resources

3 points per dot

The ready cash and accessible assets that the Chantry/Construct can utilize. Individual members may request access to these funds from leadership.

Retainers

2 points per dot

These are the folks that manage the day-to-day operations of the Chantry/Construct, such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. They are not combatants, nor are they particularly helpful beyond their basic function.

Spies

2 points per dot

The Chantry/Construct has access to a network of informants as described in the Spies Background (Mage (Mage 20 p. 325).

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Construct and Chantry Creation Mage 20th Anniversary Edition includes the Chantry/Construct Background, which provides characters the option to buy into an established base of operations. This also allows willworkers operating outside the auspices of the Technocratic Union to spend points on building their own Chantry. These systems provide options for players and Storytellers to build Constructs and Chantries utilizing the point pools provided with the Chantry/ Construct Background (Mage 20 p. 308-309). For reference the point pool categories for the Chantry/ Construct Background are: Secure Squat/Safehouse

10-20 point pool

Small Sanctuary/Auxiliary Office

21-30 point pool

Mystic Chantry/Enlightened Construct

30-70 point pool

Stronghold

71-100 point pool

Power Center 101+ point pool Points spent in the Chantry/Construct Background can represent membership in an established Chantry or Construct or provide pool points for creating one’s own Chantry or Construct.

The benefits offered at each rating are: X No place to call home. • One pool point or membership in a rating 1 Secure Squat/Safehouse. •• Two pool points or membership in a rating 2 Small Sanctuary/Auxiliary Office. ••• Three pool points or membership in a rating 3 Mystic Chantry or Enlightened Construct. •••• Four pool points or membership in a rating 4 Stronghold. ••••• Five pool points or membership in a rating 5 Power Center.

Construct vs. Laboratory

It may be challenging at first glance to differentiate the benefits of a Construct versus those achieved through the Laboratory Background. Both provide access to a location and materials that assist the mage in performing their works. The largest difference between a Construct and a Laboratory is scale. Laboratories may not exceed an area of 500 square feet, whereas Constructs can occupy a much larger physical space. Laboratories are more focused as workspaces, whereas Constructs often serve as living quarters in addition to workspaces.

The Creation Process Using creation point pool expenditures allows the players and Storyteller to work together to customize the strengths and weaknesses of the Construct and breathe life into it. These guidelines not only determine the resources the Construct can bring to bear, but also the other occupants of the location. This transforms the party’s Construct from a simple backdrop into a living, breathing, and reactive element of the story.

Economics of Construction: Point Costs

To build a Construct the Storyteller must purchase traits with creation pool points. The table below defines several elements of the physical and metaphysical aspects of the Construct. Those elements not defined through creation pool purchases remain the discretion of the Storyteller to define or adjudicate. The purpose of this system is to build a solid skeleton for the troupe to flesh out through gameplay.

Disputed Data: Personal Constructs Mage 20th Anniversary Edition indicates that agents of the Technocratic Union cannot build their own Constructs as the Union frowns upon such displays of individuality. At the Storyteller’s option, Technocrats in good standing may purchase a number of dots in the Construct Background up to the Technocrat’s number of dots in the Status Background. In effect, a Technocrat trusted and respected enough by Control can command access to private resources. Of course, private is a relative term in the Technocracy. Like any other privilege granted to operatives of the Union, Control can revoke access to a private Construct if the agent’s conduct presents a threat to the Technocracy or is deemed unmutual. 88

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The Storyteller may choose to build the Construct independently, keeping the capabilities and limitations of the base of operations a secret from the players and revealing those elements over the course of the Chronicle. Alternatively, the process of building the Construct can be a group exercise in which the players and the Storyteller work together to create a setting suitable for the group’s needs and desires. Finally, the Storyteller may allocate a portion of the creation point pool to spend separately from the group construction session. This can be a useful means of ensuring the players have an active hand in defining their Construct while giving the Storyteller latitude to build in a few surprises for later in the Chronicle.

Backgrounds: The Construct Framework Constructs and Chantries provide security, safety, and resources. As with Mage characters, these traits are represented with Background points, which may be purchased with creation pool points. These Backgrounds determine the resources available to the Construct (or Chantry). A Construct may access any number of available Backgrounds, but it may not raise any individual Background to a rating higher than twice the Construct’s rating. Characters joining a Construct through purchase of the Background belong to a Construct of that rating. Characters buying their Construct as a group with build points use the highest Chantry/Construct Background rating among the group to determine the Construct Rating.

New Traits

The following traits help flesh out and measure the capabilities of a Construct or Chantry. They function like Backgrounds and may be purchased with creation pool points.

Elders/Management This Trait represents the number of elder personnel or management staff at the Chantry or Construct, as well as their relative power. Having a high rating in this Trait is a double-edged sword, as powerful allies are often accompanied by powerful enemies. The Storyteller may choose to point the enemies of the party’s elders against the party as a means of indirect attack. Assume each elder gained through this Trait has one enemy of comparable power. X Apparently you are in charge • One superior who is a Black Suit/Disciple, or the equivalent. •• Two superiors who are Black Suits/ Disciples, or the equivalent. ••• Three superiors. One is a Gray Suit/Adept and the others are Black Suits/Disciples, or the equivalent. •••• Four superiors. Two are Gray Suits/Adepts and the others are Black Suits/Disciples, or the equivalent.

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•••••

••••• •

••••• •• ••••• •••

••••• ••••

••••• •••••

Five superiors. Three are Gray Suits/Adepts and the others are Black Suits/Disciples, or the equivalent. Five superiors. Four are Gray Suits/Adepts and the other is a Black Suit/Disciple, or the equivalent. Six superiors. All are Gray Suits/Adepts or the equivalent. Six superiors. One is a White Suit/Master and the others are Gray Suits/Adepts or the equivalent. Six superiors. Two are White Suits/Masters and the others are Gray Suits/Adepts or the equivalent. Six superiors. Three are White Suits/ Masters and the others are Gray Suits/ Adepts or the equivalent.

Integrated Effects Many Constructs and Chantries incorporate integrated effects to help with security, aid in communication, or simply make life easier. Any integrated effect is considered coincidental as long as the effect does not leave the premises, and the location has at least one dot invested in Reality Zone. Each dot in this Trait provides points that can be spent to purchase effects. Each point allows for the purchase of one Sphere level. For example, a Mind 2 effect that calms everyone entering the Chantry would cost 2 points. A Forces 3 / Prime 2 / Life 1 / Matter 1 / Time 4 fireball triggered when a vampire enters the building and targeting the HE would cost 11 points. These effects use the Chantry/ Construct rating as Arete/Enlightenment, which limits access to the Sphere ratings that can be employed normally. A Chantry or Construct may have as many different effects as the members wish to purchase with the available point pool. Each effect requires 1 point of Quintessence per week to maintain, which can be provided by the members of the Chantry/Construct, or drawn from the Node rating, if purchased. X No integrated effects. • Four points. •• Eight points. ••• Fifteen points. •••• Twenty points. ••••• Twenty-Five points. ••••• • Thirty-Five points. ••••• •• Forty-Five points. ••••• ••• Fifty-Five points. ••••• •••• Seventy points. ••••• ••••• Ninety points.

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Reality Zone This determines the strength of the Reality Zone established throughout the Chantry/Construct. Even a single dot of this Trait makes all spells and effects within the owner’s paradigm coincidental, and those of incompatible paradigms vulgar. X Your Chantry/Construct adheres to the local norms of Reality. • Your Enlightened Science/magick is coincidental here. •• Effects created according to your paradigm receive a -1 difficulty. ••• Effects created according to your paradigm receive a -1 difficulty. Vulgar effects suffer a +1 difficulty. •••• Effects created according to your paradigm receive a -2 difficulty. Vulgar effects suffer a +2 difficulty. ••••• Effects created according to your paradigm receive a -3 difficulty. Vulgar effects suffer a +3 difficulty.

Terranorming: A How-to Guide for the Can-Do Symposium

The battle over reality has gone on for centuries, but only the Technocrats have managed to perfect the science of deliberately restructuring dominant belief in a region. That science is called Terranorming and a standard Terranorming campaign is done in six steps: Declaration: an area of interest is specified and a desired Thoughtspace is declared. The area of interest is simply the geographical or demographic boundary that will be changed. The desired Thoughtspace is the activity or paradigm that will become more accepted at the end of terranorming. A more narrowly tailored declaration is much more likely to succeed, but there is often competition among Managers to pull off the most impressive Terranorming campaigns. Some example declarations include: • Make nootropic drugs acceptable and beneficial in the eyes of all college students at a university where otherwise smart pills don’t seem to work. • Cause widespread GMO acceptance in the area surrounding a Progenitor research farm, which has been dealing with Paradox manifestations in the form of ravenous insects. • Dissuade a neighborhood that the “superhero” protecting Chinatown is not the avatar of beloved monk, Ji Gong, but an unstable vigilante.

Terranorming Beyond the Union While the Technocracy is the only faction that has quantified the process of Terranorming, mages of any faction can carry out these steps. In truth, they have been doing so throughout human history without realizing it. An isolated group of MURDs practicing their magick in a remote village, with access to a Node, achieves these steps as a matter of course without any deliberate effort. The steps laid out here merely represent the Union’s accepted processes for Terranorming. Of course, should the Union successfully Terranorm a significant portion of the Front Lines, the more formal process of Terranorming may become required for further shifts in the dominant Thoughtspace, though given the recent wave of anti-science rhetoric among the Masses, this seems unlikely in the foreseeable future.

• Further the Technocratic paradigm across America (this one has had varied success). Recon: Identify deviations from the desired Thoughtspace in the chosen area. This may be reality-deviant activity, firmly established folkways, urban legends, or the overwhelming love for a local hero. These deviations need to directly oppose the desired Thoughtspace. A charismatic faith healer’s presence will not disrupt a terranorming project meant to convince a neighborhood that witches don’t exist, but it may interfere with a vaccination drive. Repriming: The chosen area needs to be supplied with a Venture or Node of sufficient scale to cover it (Mage 20 p. 527) so Terranorming a block requires a 1pt Venture or a 1pt Node dedicated to it, whereas Terranorming an industry would require a 3pt Venture or 3pt Node dedicated to it. This influx of Primal Energy “softens” reality but is also detectable by certain RDs. Receiving the clearances to access sufficient Primal Energy for such an undertaking can be challenging in resource-deprived areas. Clearing: The area must have the offending deviations removed. This usually involves a thorough sweep for Reality Deviants and their sympathizers, and may tie to changes in school curriculum, demolition or renovation of offending community institutions, or the neutralization of entities, such as MURDs or EDEs, that could interfere with the Clearing. Holding: The area must be held free of deviations for a period of time that scales with the size of the Venture. 1 point

one month

2 points

six months

3 points

two years

4 points

ten years

5 points

fifty years

The holding period is reset if there is a widely known deviation from the desired Thoughtspace that persists for more than a number of weeks equal to the size of the Venture being terranormed. So, an operation to shift the Thoughtspace of a city can withstand known exploits by a group of MURDs that persist for no more than two weeks before the Holding clock starts over. The key here is “known.” If the RDs punching holes in the Technocratic paradigm lay low for too long, the Terranorming campaign may succeed. Consider any activities large enough to see coverage in a popular newspaper, TV show, or YouTube channel, or to merit the attentions of a public speaker, elected official or appropriately scaled gossip network to qualify as a “known deviation.” Capping: An event is held to “seal” the new reality. This could be a block party, a city-wide science fair, a community work project, the completion of a monument, the launching of a major TV station, a wildly successful book tour, or any other event that showcases the new paradigm and that spans the area (geographic or demographic) of the Terranorming attempt. Once capping is completed, Primal Energy no longer needs to be supplied and the Venture, Node, or other Primal Energy source is freed up. Effects that were formerly vulgar that conform to the new Thoughtspace are now considered coincidental. Terranorming can be resource-intensive, which is why targets are often selective. The 20th century is marked by the Technocracy learning that it’s almost impossible to Terranorm a nation and not nearly as effective as changing the Thoughtspace in its 10 major markets.

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“You’ll do it because it must be done. You’ll do it because no one else can.” - Borys Scherbina, Chernobyl, (2019) The following missions have been low-level but persistent Union concerns for some time. Though currently rated low priority, they nevertheless have the potential to grow hot quickly. Should you find yourself supervising a team of newly recruited operatives, or wishing to evaluate a certain operative’s performance, consider assigning one of the following missions. Be advised: though these missions are rated low-level, they do entail some level of contact with MURDS or even Reality Deviants. Supervise carefully and stay aware of the potential for unforeseen consequences.

Mission One: Hope

Humanity wallows in despair on a global level. They see little joy on the horizon, and they prefer indulging in escapism through mass media and mindless consumerism. They’ve forgotten the joy of building something for the next generation — of choosing hope. The Challenge Fate Foundation has one answer: Mars. The 1969 Moon Landing changed the world in profound and lasting ways. A spaceship putting human feet on the Red Planet would similarly unite and inspire nine billion humans.

Setup Some forward-thinking humans have already begun, which requires Technocracy involvement to keep civilians away from the parts of space the Union would prefer they not learn about just yet. But the Union do

not enjoy sole control over the project. Mission: Mars has attracted the attention of several members of the Disparate Alliance, including the Children of Knowledge, Wu Lung, and even a brilliant Orphan or two. Complicating matters is the fact that no single nation, not even a superpower, has the necessary wealth. Thus, an international coalition formed under the direction of the Challenge Fate Foundation, headquartered in Antarctica. Several other CMURDS have hooked onto the project via their home governments, including the Ngoma and several Knights Templar.

Involving the Agents Challenge Fate cannot simply kick these MURDS off the team. Political concerns keep the Disparates around, and operatives have quickly discovered that the CMURDS have some valuable contributions to make after all. For better or worse, everyone finds themselves stuck working together. Tensions constantly flare, as Technocratic arrogance constantly butts against Disparate self-reliance.

What Happens Next To solve these issues, Challenge Fate has formed a goodwill team, comprised of operatives and Disparates. This team interfaces with every aspect of the project, troubleshooting and handholding in equal measure to keep the mission on-track. The chosen team must tackle the various obstacles of a successful Mars mission, including: Chapter Five: Mission Statements

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• Mortal attention. Though the Union and their MURD allies lead the endeavor, Mission: Mars cannot succeed without the cooperation of hundreds, if not thousands, of mortals. All highly educated, they can easily spot the physical discrepancies wrought by Enlightened Science. Yet without such contributions, the project remains likely to fail. When operatives feel a given mortal scientist might be wandering too close to the truth, they call upon the team to fix the problem.

consciousnesses into creatures while they’re still in a cloning vat is highly effective. Unfortunately, the patterns used were Victors. Their combat instincts combined poorly with the unpredictable influence of the EDEs and, long story short, there are six hybrid Victors loose in Ultima Thule. The visiting research team is dead, and the permanent staff are injured or up to their eyeballs in Paradox from desperate defensive actions, and they’ve sent out an urgent distress call.

• Costs. Designing, building and launching a Mars-capable ship, not to mention training the astronauts, requires mind-boggling amounts of money. Each entity agreeing to contribute wants something in exchange for their stake in the project. The joint goodwill team must carefully thread these negotiations and avoid upsetting the global balance of power.

Involving the Agents

• Fuel requirements. The weight of food, water, air, and other supplies needed to reach and return from Mars is literally astronomical. Not even hyperfusion can do it. The team must figure out how to combine Enlightened Science with mortal science to create the right type of fuel. • Personnel. Without a doubt, the final crew will include a combination of operatives and CMURDS, perhaps even the goodwill team itself. They can certainly handle any problems cropping up during mission prep. Once launched, however, all mortal eyes lock into the craft. The astronauts must act carefully, including overt applications of Enlightened Science.

Resolution Success means a globally-changed paradigm, and new frontiers open for human exploration. The emphasis on scientific achievement may draw humanity even further away from relying on superstition. Perhaps they might even be ready to understand what waits for them beyond their own mundane reality. Failure, of course, is not an option.

Mission Two: The Miracle of Creation

In the isolated research station of Ultima Thule, experimental bioengineered life forms playing host to EDEs have escaped containment. The research team did what they could to slow the Hybrids down, but the creatures are loose and heading for civilization. More information on Ultima Thule and its staff is located on p. xx. Use Victor statistics (Mage 20 p. xx) for the Hybrids.

Setup A visiting research team introduced EDEs into vat grown life forms, instead of animal subjects. Splicing nascent alien 94

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Where the characters come from has a huge impact on how this story unfolds. Void Engineer trainees might be on an exercise within a mile of the base. The temporal distortion in effect around Ultima Thule means a team beyond that mile range receives the distress signal when the Storyteller decides they do. Operatives from another Antarctic Construct (see Guide to the Technocracy p. xx) could arrive in hours or days, and those from further afield — South Africa, Argentina, or Australia, for example — could take weeks.

What Happens Next Operatives coming to Ultima Thule have to contend with the climate and environment around the station. Correspondence Procedures can’t bring characters closer than a day’s travel away, and the weather can be lethal.

Time is of the Essence If the amalgam arrives quickly (Storyteller’s discretion), they find Hannah Fredrikson and Lacy Cheung outside, trying to adapt one of the Wormhole Generators (p. xx) to create a forcefield around the Construct’s immediate vicinity. The rest of the staff are sealed in one of the pods, with Dr. Grant trying to stabilize Lilian Okoye, whose Paradox backlashed as a weapon malfunction that caused massive, aggravated damage. Dr. Berg is off-site: this is her assigned vacation period. If the characters arrive later, the staff, permanent and visiting, are all dead. Only Dr. Berg’s body is unaccounted for, though a records’ search reveals she is supposedly enjoying a well-earned break in Cape Town.

Hybrid Threat The frustrated rage of EDEs bound into organisms against their will, combined with the predator instincts of the Victors, mean the Hybrids single-mindedly hunt everything living on the station, from lab animals to Operatives, until there is nothing left alive. They are quiet, acrobatic, and adept at camouflage. They’re also capable of shifting form to mimic specific creatures: lab animals, staff members they’ve stealthily killed, or — if the characters don’t know she’s off the station — Dr. Berg. Two Hybrids stalk the exterior of the Construct picking off lone or distracted operatives (e.g. trying to adapt the Wormhole Generator). The others roam the pods.

By default, this scenario is survival horror. The agents succeed if they discover the Hybrids’ capabilities (including shapeshifting), survive ambushes and deal with the Hybrids’ systematic predations, including cutting power and picking off stragglers. For an action scenario, let the characters play with the Void Engineers’ armory. There might even be an Alanson hardsuit on offer. To really terrify the characters, have the Hybrids find this hypertech first.

The Hybrids’ Next Steps Once the permanent staff are all dead, and/or a couple of hours after the characters arrive, a radio message comes through from Lacy Cheung’s long-distance girlfriend. This alerts the Hybrids to a nearby source of life, and they strike out across the snow to reach it.

Resolution Mission success requires the agents kill or contain all the Hybrids before they leave Ultima Thule. The Technocracy rewards them with more missions like this. After all, they’ve proven themselves capable. If the Hybrids get to another station, the amalgam has another chance to stop them. Otherwise, they reach the mainland where they (a) prey on the Masses and (b) find ways to reproduce. The agents responsible for this disaster can expect serious disciplinary measures.

Mission Three: Progress is a Process

The Arcology X Project’s Amalgam tracks a missing shipment vital to the Construct’s Node. In the process, they learn an apparent Therianthropic Entity hacker attacked the Arcology. The decades-long battle for the Node between the Dragons and the TEs self-designated, Glass Walkers, has reignited. Or has it?

Setup It’s not a complete shock to the Amalgam when missing IoT sensors for monitoring their Node turn up in the deceptively sloppy Captain Li’s office, though blatant theft seems out of character. In reality, Jack Fenrir, a wolf-obsessed Virtual Adept, hacked two AROs and switched their locations, causing the shipment to be misdelivered. The Agents have their work cut out for them: Retrieve the shipment, secure the Web, and punish the hacker without triggering a new war with the werewolves.

Involving the Agents Agents in logistics or security receive an alert that the shipment was delivered, but no one’s seen it. With the millions of sensors and automated guidance system in Sejong City and the Arcology, shipping mistakes simply don’t happen, triggering Chapter Five: Mission Statements

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suspicion. Web-focused agents learn of the incident while checking security logs.

What Happens Next Given the importance of the sensors to controlling the Node, retrieving the sensors is the Amalgam’s top priority.

Retrieval Retracing the sensors’ path is easy since it was under Earth Dragon surveillance. However, it takes a little grease or light hacking to get access to the records. Once the agents find the shipment, they must convince Captain Li to part with it. Li outranks the agents, so browbeating the Grey Suit is pointless, as is appealing to his better nature; he’s a spymaster and has more use for monitoring devices than moral arguments. Proving that the shipment was misdelivered intrigues him, but he needs to know how it happened before he releases the shipment. For Li’s game statistics, use those of a Black Dagger (Technocracy Reloaded, p. XX).

The Digital Web Simple Web investigation reveals the AROs for Arcology X’s shipping/receiving dock and Sejong’s Surveillance and Control were switched, but learning how takes more legwork. Inconsistences in the AROs’ logs give the agents an approximate time for the hack. Cross-referencing that with monitoring programs reveals the intruder: a werewolf or a hacker with a well-crafted werewolf icon.

Deals with Wolves Identifying and dealing with the intruder is the final step. Earth Dragon surveillance highlights Seo Nari, the last known survivor of the pack that lived in the Arcology’s Node. She’s been living in the surrounding woods, harboring a hell of a grudge against the Technocratic Union. She had nothing to do with the hack, so confronting her won’t get the agents much. For her stats, use Murderous Werewolf (Gods and Monsters, p. 66). Looking for a werewolf-themed hacker turns up Jack Fenrir, a Virtual Adept currently staying in the Valhalla Hotel in Sejong. Believing himself to be Loki’s wolf-son, Fenrir sought out the city for its technology level and the hotel’s name. The AROs were simply targets of opportunity. For his stats, use Awakened Hacktivist (Mage 20, p. 628).

Resolution Attacking Seo Nari raises tensions with TEs, creating future troubles for the Amalgam. Likewise, attacking Fenrir upsets the Adepts, although it benefits Seo since his actions smeared her pack’s reputation. It won’t undo decades of conflict, but it’s a start. Failing to secure at least half of the sensors earns a reprimand (Technocracy Reloaded, p. XX). Not uncovering or reporting the Web intrusion leaves a Digital security hole for someone to exploit. If future investigation determines that an agent learned of the hack and failed to report it, the agent is placed under surveillance. 96

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Mission Four: Cats in the Dox Box

The Amalgam is dispatched to the Amazon Basin Damage Control, colloquially known as the Dox Box, in a request to assist in slowing down slash and burn industrialists. When they arrive, they realize that these aren’t just regular mercenaries, but horrifically mutated monstrosities bent on destruction — on top of that, there is a rage-fueled contingent of Therianthropic Entities hellbent on destroying them, and they don’t really see a difference between the Amalgam and the mutants. This scenario is brutally violent and dangerous, and also one in which the players can pursue some of the most Vulgar Procedures to manage the opposition.

Setup Young and Smith, Incorporated has recently upped its interest in farmland in the Amazon Basin. To make land readily available for soy farming, they deployed independent contractors to burn down the jungle. The contractors and mercenaries are Fomori and are actively engaged in corrupting the land so that it spreads sickness as well. These aggressive actions have agitated the locally dominant TEs, of the Felidae variety, self-designated: Balam. These vicious werecats engage in guerrilla tactics and are actively hostile to anyone they consider to be encroaching on their territory.

Involving the Characters The Amalgam assigned to this duty might be drawn from another part of the world, or specifically be associated with ABDC (thematic if they are primarily Iteration X and Progenitors) so does not have a choice in the assignment. The Dox Box might be an exciting venture for experimental technomancers (“This is a perfect opportunity to field test the latest Cybertooth Tiger Model!”) or those with an obvious death wish. The premise is straightforward, but the Amalgam’s methods may yield wildly different results.

What Happens Next At the direction of Primary Investigator Carvalho, the Amalgam is sent on a trek into the deep jungle to investigate one of the mercenary camps responsible for the latest bouts of arson. • Attempts to intimidate or reason with the mercenaries are fruitless. They are on a mindless mission of absolute destruction and respond to such overtures with violence. • This conflict is brutal, violent, and dangerous, but the Amalgam comes out with a win. • The mercenaries are mutants. They battle the characters with horrific bone-and-flesh appendages, start fires with their minds, and explode upon death.

• Dimensional Scientists learn that these are EDEs that have possessed living beings. • In the next mission, Carvalho sends the Amalgam to an active arson, supporting the Amalgam with Requisitions of heavy weapons and/or Cybertooth Tigers. • Carvalho is unprepared to assist with Devices associated with Dimensional Science. The Amalgam must use their own resources for this. • This conflict takes place in the epic backdrop of a massive jungle fire as the mutant mercenaries battle the Amalgam. • Partway through the battle a collection of TEs attack (equal in numbers to the Amalgam) and while their primary targets are the mutants, they attack the Amalgam indiscriminately. They find Cybertooth Tigers particularly offensive making vicious war upon them. • These werejaguars are smart fighters and do not sacrifice themselves or fight a losing battle. They do what damage they can and then disperse into the jungle.

Resolution The Amalgam may choose to reason with the TEs and combine forces. This should be difficult as the TEs view the Amalgam as interlopers in their territory equally worthy of derision — but they can be reasoned with enough to recognize that the Fomori are their real enemies. Any such truce is temporary. The characters may instead choose to war on them equally, though this might have dire consequences for the Amalgam. Alternatively, they might choose to arrange confrontations between the Fomori and the Balam, assisting the TEs from a distance — but what fun is that?

Mission Five: This Equipment Has Not Been Tested

An MMDS weapons test left two dozen Tier 0 staff members and two Enlightened agents dead. Unbiased external investigators are needed to uncover the truth.

Setup Operatives Junior Nkosi and Lauren Donnelly led a field test of the “quantum cannon” colloquially named the QuStion Mark. Twenty-five Tier 0 assistants were on hand to observe, collate data, and manage menial tasks like driving to the outback test site and handling catering. It was not an unusually large test team by MMDS standards. An hour later, staff at MMDS saw a rapidly expanding dome of blue light out in the desert. After losing contact with the test team, a recovery team found a crater and a lot of dead bodies — blackened skeletons, all flesh evaporated.

Involving the Agents The obvious conclusion is that a dangerous weapon misfired, but Head of Testing, Alexis Carmody, suspects foul play, and has called in external investigators: the characters’ Amalgam.

What Happens Next The Amalgam investigate however the agents choose: they have full access to the test site, the forensic evidence, and MMDS staff. The characters’ active participation should significantly reduce the timelines below from over a week to two days or less.

Forensics A team of MMDS Progenitor employees examines the human remains. It’s not their specialty, and it takes three days to identify all the bodies and confirm that Donnelly is not among them. The computer equipment used at the test site is wrecked. Time Motion Managers’ data recovery takes a week. Recovered camera footage shows Donnelly activated another device that caused the violent explosion — a grenade version of the QuStion Mark. She was shielded from it, as was the gun they were testing. She left the area on foot and traveled south.

Site Investigation The explosion at the site included a release of quantum energy that baffles temporal procedures. “Cleaning” using MMDS’ Primal Energy consuming viruses takes several days, but eventually reveals the same as the camera footage (see Forensics). The Amalgam can track Donnelly to a campsite in the desert where she awaits extraction (see Resolution).

Staff interviews There are over a hundred staff at MMDS, and they’re all distressed and grieving. The Construct’s remaining Tier 0 operatives are planning a day of protest. It should not have been possible for so many of their lives to have been lost so casually. If the characters don’t defuse this, it delays forensic investigations by several days. Interviews build a picture of Nkosi as a friendly, competent operative, well-liked by everyone, and Donnelly as a woman who hated her job. She made repeated complaints about research with “no real world impact.” She joined the Technocracy to make the world better, not build a bigger gun. She’d been denied several transfers: her skillset was too useful in weapons development.

Resolution Agent Donnelly is leaving the Technocracy. She’s cut a deal with Dorothy McIntyre, an Etherite TAMURD from Perth: she’ll provide experimental MMDS tech in exchange for helping her disappear. The Amalgam arrives at Donnelly’s hiding place, a campsite in the shadow of a vast, red, rock formation out in the desert, at the same time as McIntyre. The Etherite is a short, fat, woman with a ‘dieselpunk’ aesthetic and paradigm, and a strong Australian accent. Chapter Five: Mission Statements

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McIntyre immediately assumes the presence of other Technocrats signifies a double-cross, Donnelly panics and uses the QuStion Mark, and the scenario probably devolves into a three-way firefight. McIntyre doesn’t know that Donnelly killed 25 people to make her escape, and if informed of this helps the Amalgam subdue her. McIntyre and Donnelly both have combat dice pools of 7, Arete 4, Forces 3, and Primal Energy 3. McIntyre has Matter 3 and Donnelly has Dimensional Science 3.

Mission Six: Wounds of War

The Amalgam must escort Special Agent Tess McLaughlin to a meeting with a local TAMURD for a delicate negotiation to establish TRO cooperation in the area.

Set Up When the agents arrive at the meet, inside an abandoned, two-story warehouse on the corner of Fascination Street and 11th Avenue, the group is ambushed. The assassins target the Tradition mages exclusively, then work to escape.

Tess McLaughlin Tess uses the stats of a Black Dagger (see Technocracy Reloaded p. 191) with the changes below. Image: A silver-haired Caucasian woman in her mid-60s, Tess works out regularly and maintains an athletic physique. She dresses in gray pantsuits and black leather shoes polished to a reflective sheen. Roleplaying Notes: The state of the world weighs heavily on you, but you do your best to focus on saving the Masses from themselves rather than waste effort trying to figure out how things got this bad. While you do not particularly like any of the TAMURDs you must work with, you do respect them and the spirit of the TRO program. Focus: In a World of Gods and Monsters, Might is Right, and Tech Holds All Answers. Tess was once a Black Suit and still adheres to the common techniques and practices of her roots.

The Tradition Mages Adeptus Jamie McCallister bani Order of Hermes, House Bonisagus is the TAMURD envoy to the meeting. He is comparable in power and ability with Agent McLaughlin and is guarded by a group of four TAMURDs — use the stat blocks of the Urban Shamanic Musician (Mage 20 p. 626)

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Involving the Agents The Amalgam should protect as many TAMURDs as possible. Dead mages make for poor negotiations, and this incident could endanger all TROs in the region.

What Happens Next The conflict is determined by the nature of the assailants. Who benefits from derailing this alliance? There are several options to consider. • Marauders: A Conflux of Marauders (see Mage 20 p. 238) got wind of the meeting and decided to attack. Use the stat blocks for Pillory (Mage 20 p. 628) to represent the Marauders. There are a number of Marauders equal to the number of players in the Amalgam +1. After the attack, the Marauders scatter throughout the city. • Nephandi: Through spies and sycophants, the Fallen gained access to intel about this meeting. Seeing an opportunity to pit their enemies against one another, the Nephandi attack. This force is made up of a number of Widderslainte Cultists (Mage 20 p. 630) equal to the number of players in the Amalgam, led by an NWO Infiltrator (Mage 20 p. 631). After the attack the Nephandi flee into the sewers, returning to their underground temple. • Night-folk: There is a trash bar called the Thirst Trap (formerly Club Eat Me) located two blocks from the meet. A powerful Orphan, Ember, operates the club and maintains a group of genetically and surgically enhanced bouncers. She learned of the meeting by chance, as one of the bouncers noticed when the Union performed their initial security sweep of the area. Ember doesn’t have an agenda other than keeping the faction mages the hell away from her club. For the bouncers, use the Frankensteinian Monstrosity (see Gods and Monsters p. 87). A number of bouncers attack equal to half the number of players in the Amalgam, rounded up. After the attack, the bouncers return to the Thirst Trap. None of the assailants are willing to fight to the death except for the bouncers.

Resolution If the Amalgam is unable to prevent loss of life, they must track down the assailants to prevent open war with the Traditions. This could also turn into an escort mission, as the Amalgam works to deliver the remaining Tradition mages safely to their chantry in the face of ongoing attacks from the assailants.

A New Mission for a New World For five centuries the Ascension War has pitted the Enlightened against Reality Deviants. Bloodshed and horror from this conflict have nearly torn the world apart on a number of occasions. In the hopes of creating a safe environment and shepherding the Masses to Ascension, the Technocratic Union has used colonialism, conditioning, and violence to bring their vision of a unified Reality to fruition. At the dawn of the 21st Century it appeared as if victory was within the Union’s grasp, but Control failed to consider one major factor in the War for Reality: The Masses. Now as anti-science sentiment, climate change, misguided nationalism, and plague threaten the very fabric of Reality, the Union must swallow its pride and seek new alliances. Failure to meet this challenge ends with the Technocratic Union in a dominant role over a broken, dead world. The Technocracy has come to understand that humanity’s destruction is imminent. The Union lacks the tools to save humankind on its own. Thus, new alliances must be formed. The Operative’s Dossier includes: • Digital Web 3.0: New rules for accessing the Digital Web in the 21st Century, including the introduction of Augmented Reality. • Mission Statements: A collection of story hooks that can be dropped into an existing Chronicle or serve as the basis for an all new Technocracy story. • The Technomancer’s Toybox: A collection of Devices, Adjustments, and Procedures to aid the Agents of the Technocracy in saving Reality from imminent doom, as well as rules for building Constructs and incorporating Terranorming into your Mage 20th Anniversary Edition Chronicle. • Unlikely Allies: Guidelines for inter-faction play, incorporating mages of the Council of Nine, The Disparate Alliance, and the Unaligned in your Technocracy campaign.