The year is 2115. Humanity stands upon a knife edge.
In the end, who do we have to blame but who and what we are? For as long as man has drawn breath we have been fascinated by the stars, the limitless potential of space and what lies beyond our own tiny pocket of the universe. We sought to unlock the secrets that our souls cried out must be hidden within the trackless dark. Unfortunately, we succeeded.
In 2048 we unlocked the first of those secrets, a way to step between the empty spaces of the universe. It was heralded as the breakthrough that would bring forth a new age for humanity, one of exploration and wonder with the bars of Einstein's Cage broken and cast asunder. In 2055, with the first ships of our people ranging out across the stars, we brought forth another secret, a complex marvel of bioengineering that would allow for real-time modifications of genetics in ways we could not even imagine. Many resisted this secret, for in it they saw the extinction of humanity as a species. They were even right, but the potential was thought to outweigh the costs. Such was the dictate of science, and with these two secrets in hand we forged the wings that would see us through space to new homes and endless possibility. We created guardians, great beings of power and protective intelligence that could guard the worlds that we had found, and that would soon be ours.
Was it arrogance, that belief? Or was it simply the innocent hand of a child reaching towards the light. In the end, the truth is of little import. For ten years later we discovered a third secret of the void, the most terrifying of all. We were not alone. Eight ships came from the black, cloaked in light and silence. Some saw in them our future, for in the construction of the ships we were able to identify some properties similar to our own creations, if advanced scores of generations. Other saw potential profit, for surely there would be things we could trade with the masters of the craft. Somehow only a handful of isolated holdouts, in no position to actually do anything, saw the third possibility.
That the ships held no future, and that their masters had no wish for us to profit. The true currency of those silent ships was one thing and one thing alone: oppression.
The guardians we had made, great dragons which swam the void and could shape it in ways we had never been able to replicate, were fearless and magnificent in their defence. Perhaps they surprised our attackers in their power, in fact. For though our guardians fell, but they did not fall alone, and something in our souls felt their sacrifice in a way deeper than reason.
Two of the eight ships fell to our protectors, a number we now know was not unprecedented but also not without purpose. To those of the ships, who demanded the name Shiplords, a race that simply died was worth nothing. One that fought, that could raise hands against them but not prevail, those were worth something. After breaking our guardians, the six ships advanced upon Mars, where their weapons set the great works we had built upon that planet to ash. Only then did they turn to Earth, and when our fear was at its height they finally spoke.
Theirs was a simple message, really. Although it would be better called an ultimatum. One we could not deny, no matter how hard we wished to.
On the day the ships came, humanity's numbers had grown to a thriving twelve billion. After the Burning of Mars, and the destruction of any other habitat in the system, Earth alone held ten billion terrified souls. When the ships left a week later, barely three remained, ninety percent of them children. The Shiplords demanded almost every man and woman over the age of seventeen, for what purpose we still do not know. They did not destroy the technology that sustained our civilisation, but for all that had been made to study the Void, and they left behind enough adults to care for the billions of children left behind. Most chilling of all, their manner made it clear that they were not without practice in committing the atrocity they inflicted upon us.
Seven billion lives, the Shiplords' price for our continued existence.
Yet with us, with humanity, they erred. For as their ships turned from our planet and leapt into void once more, holds heavy with the living heart of our race, the remnants of our guardians fell back into the cradle of humanity. And those pieces filled the imprint that their sacrifice had carved upon our souls with power.
Many had been the restrictions handed down by the Shiplords on pain of extinction, most underlined of all that the biological secrets we had unlocked were never to be used again. But what our guardians gave us what not a product of those secrets, instead something so much higher above in the hierarchy of the void. Knowledge that was by any measure centuries of undisturbed research beyond our grasp, but for one thing. When we had made our guardians, we had made them aware. They had been our friends, brothers and sisters in arms, and hundreds of our own flesh and blood had died with them in the defence of Sol. And though their weapons had been lethal beyond measure, it had been their minds which gave our race survival. And it had been the last act of those brilliant minds, a sacrifice of self, mingled with the fallen blood and souls of our own, that gave us the Potentials.
In the years since your kind rose from the sacrifice of the greatest guardians humanity has ever known, we have striven to understand the nature of their power. And though certain things remain unclear, much is known.
Within you, like every Potential, lies a fragment of the power that our guardians cast into the Void in the hopes that it would find us. A shard of energy that allows us to see in all things a shadow of the limitless potential they hold and to bring it forth with time and Practice. That is the name of the gift you were given, what fragmented records of old void research called reality physics. But you, like all your fellow Potentials, are limited. For not even the well of power that the dragons of your world unlocked with their sacrifice is enough to give you the truly limitless power they sought to grant humanity. The imprint in your soul is not full, yet even half empty it can work miracles. It simply needs the proper focus.
The focus of a Potential is something that cannot be changed, it forms the basis of a person's being, their own personal potential. It affects what they see in an object, what they can make of it and what they make of the world itself. In simple terms it is an ideal, one that can be given with a single word and the truest expression of their Practiced soul. The first Potentials woke from the elders that had been forced to watch as their entire world was taken from them, left behind to see to that the children of that world did not fall. It was a hard duty, and sadly one that had few opportunities for expressions of peace.
Vengeance, Protection, Justice, even Death. Those were but a few of the aspects of the first. They had seen their world die, and in their pain found their purpose as weapons. A bare handful of those chosen awoke to less violent aspects, their rage tempered by the sad wisdom that all worlds fall. They had seen their own fall to create the one the Shiplords took, and so their ideals were quite different. Knowledge and Mending were the most common of their aspects, for they saw past the pain and sought to heal its source. To build again on ground swept clean. It might not have been religious, but time bore out the truth of their wisdom. They were the builders of the world you know today, who taught the children of the last world all they knew. They were the teachers of the Second Awakening and from their care the seeds of humanity rose to bloom anew.
Slowly humanity recovered, with the rage of the First Awoken balanced by their own elders, hewing carefully to the Directives left by the Shiplords at least in word. We had little need now for the biological marvels that had characterised our first attempts to reach toward the stars, but the Directives had become our way to remember the magnificent beings that had given everything to protect us. Beings who in sacrifice had given to us the chance to chart our own future. A bare chance, perhaps, but a chance nonetheless.
Potentials of Knowledge and Science delved into the mysteries of the universe, seeking to discover more of our own powers, but also more of our enemy, and they found much. The Shiplords styled themselves the toll of the void, and they accepted few equals but those who could demand equality by power. When a young race found its way to the first of many secrets, the Shiplords would exact a cost. What cost depended on the ability of the race to endure the Shiplords' coming. Too little resistance would bring extinction, but too much was often just as terrible. They were a vast power within the galaxy, among the highest of those who chose to still remain involved. Yet for all their strengths, there were weaknesses too. Those of the First Awoken flocked to this knowledge, using it to create weapons that they finally knew would be able to break and bind Shiplords' and their technology. Those eldest did not agree with such work, but they let it be done and it was good that they did.
Ten years ago, a pattern was identified within the Shiplords, that shook humanity to the core. The Shiplords did not take one price, but many. They would leave a race to rebuild, to grow anew, and then when they could be sure that there would be enough to merit the trip they would return and strip a world anew. What they used the older kin of the many worlds like our own remains impossible to say for sure, although some among the Potentials of Knowledge have guesses. Few know them, however, and all who do pray they are wrong.
You stand among the Potentials today, at the head of a human race united like never before in its history. If the calculations are right, the Shiplords will return in bare months, and humanity will be plunged into a war that can only have two outcomes; freedom or death. Some say that they are one and the same. You might even agree.
You are:
[] First Awoken – You were fully grown when the old world fell, one of the fraction of those your age who were left behind to shepherd the billions of children suddenly without parents. Your Aspect burns with righteous fury, born of the pain of a world torn from your grasp just as you were beginning to make it your own. Perhaps you had a partner in the old world, maybe even children, and if you did the pain of their loss only made your will stronger. You are older now, grown fully into the power of your Aspect, but also wary of the Shiplords. For all you have learned and all the weapons that you and your fellows have forged in preparation to fight them, you remember how easily they cast down what were humanity's greatest protectors. Yet you are the legacy of those protectors, and it is not in you to surrender another human life without a fight. (Most limited selection of Aspects, most skill in using them. You will be on the front lines when the Shiplords arrive.)
[] Second Awakening – You were only a child when the Shiplords came and took your family away, young enough that the wounds of that separation left few scars. You might remember a parent, or an older sibling now lost to you forever. For the most part, however, that memory gives you focus and clarity. Your Aspect is most likely to be related to such things, for your Awakening was among those most gifted in Knowledge. Your power is not that of the First, it is harder to leverage in immediate action. But the work of you and your fellows is the only reason that humanity knows that the Shiplords would return, and of their few weaknesses. With your help, they are almost ready. (Limited, but not as completely as a First Awoken. You are skilled in your power, but not as much as the First, and few of this Awakening would be able to stand in the heart of battle and emerge intact.)
[] Third Awakened – You have no memory of the Shiplord invasion, all you know of it is what has been taught in school by your elders. This world of empty cities and gleaming weapons pointed towards the sky is the only one you have ever known. You recite the Directives beside your fellows, but the dedication is historical to you, not the fiery-eyed memory of the First and Second. You are new still to your powers, and the Aspects of the Third are as yet without a coherent direction, drawn from a wellspring of new growth untouched by the horrors of loss. That will change soon enough, you know, but even now the threat of the Shiplord's return is hard to actually understand. Your entire life has been spent preparing for it, but now that it is upon you none could fault any nervousness that might cling to your heart. (Least skilled, but you are almost entirely free to choose your Aspect. Unlikely to be on the front line to begin with, but if your Aspect is suited to it you will almost certainly find yourself there given time.)
So, this is something that came out of my being on holiday and having read The Practice Effect shortly before leaving. I've never run a quest in my life, and I'm only slowly working out how I'm going to do this in regards to mechanics, but I can say this. This is not going to be a mechanically complex quest, I can guarantee that right now.
There are a bunch of other choices involved in the setup for this, so I'm going to use that as much as I can to work out how much mechanics I want to use here, given that the PC will be capable of outright reality warping. For those who know the source material I'm pulling from, your abilities are around that of a Krenegee assisted human where it comes to your Aspect. The more time you've had to work with your powers, the more you're able to reach into things and pull what you need out, but you're more aware of your limits, too. Awareness of limits may be a double edged sword.
As an original setting, there is a lot about the world of the Practice War that you won't know on entering. Although I have done my best to explain those things in-story and through the Compendium, there will always be questions that I have failed to answer or simply missed. If you have a question, and you cannot find the answer in the Compendium, please ask.
Equally however, there are things that humanity and the characters present within the quest do not know themselves. As such, whilst I will strive to answer questions fully, sometimes the full answer will be "You don't know, and you know nobody that does."
Martial: 8+2+2+4+2 = 18 (Though you still rely deeply on your Unison Platform in true battle, your skill as a tactician has increased steadily, mostly thanks to the Two Twenty Three. You may not quite be a master of that art, but you are steadily closing that distance.)
Diplomacy: 18+2+2+2+1+2+4 = 33 (You built the Circles and acted as a capable leader for the Prologue project. You've also started to delve into the esoteric side of your Focus, granting your natural charisma a truly supernatural edge.)
Stewardship: 16+2+2+2 = 22 (There is no such thing as 'broken'. That statement underpins everything you do in this arena, and thanks to your Focus it often pays considerable dividends.)
Intrigue: 12+2 = 14 (You're not really suited to wheeler-dealing or politics, but you had to have some successful interaction with EGOV before you ended up in charge of it. Running what is for all intents and purposes a military operation has given some insight to the situation as well.)
Learning: 16+2+2+2+4 = 26 (You soaked up your lessons as a child like a sponge, and Mary has ensured that your knowledge base never had the chance to degrade. You are not a prodigy like her, but you do well enough.)
Practice: 16+2+2+2+2+4+2+2+2+2 = 36 (Your skill as a Potential rivals some of the First, and you're one of the only Potentials alive who is able to sense the strange patterns that you can now feel and hear woven through the very fabric of the world that surrounds you.)
Traits: Child of the Second Secret: You were born before the Week of Sorrows, and so benefit from the basic bioengineering package that almost all children were modified with before birth. +2 Martial
Heart of Circles: As a child you fought to restore the peace that you were so lucky to have with your family to others, leading to the founding of the first of your Circles. +2 Diplomacy
- Your time spent as an adult founding more Circles across the world won you praise from many quarters, and was the first time you felt the taste of more exotic Practice. +2 Diplomacy, +2 Practice
A Practiced Form: Like all Potentials, the natural application of Practice to your body through actions have granted you some arguably supernatural advantages. In your case, you heal swiftly and are incredibly hard to kill. +2 Martial, significant increase to survival chance if attacked personally
Childhood Tutor: She might not have been an adult, but your friendship with Mary meant that you never once failed to ace your exams, if not perhaps as spectacularly as she would. +2 Learning
Singer: You have a fine and melodious voice, which has a way of putting people at ease. +2 Diplomacy - You've spent time improving your voice, and have begun to delve in the complexities of its use. +1 Diplomacy
Project Prologue: You worked as a leader for the Prologue project, and were a major part of the first Practiced Miracle. +2 Learning, +2 Practice
Restorer of the Old World: You spent a decade rebuilding the cities of the world before the Week of Sorrows, becoming as one with your Focus and doing all you could to restore a world that many thought lost. +2 Stewardship, +2 Practice
Touching the Forgotten: Time spent working with Mary kept you up to date with some of the less complex scientific advancements of the times, and also gave you the opportunity to delve into the far stranger side of your Focus. +2 Learning, +2 Practice
Untapped Depths: You took a plasma lance to chest, ablated as it was by a body in front of you, and lived through the power of your Potential. Something has been shaken loose by that experience, and you now know that there is far more to discover about what you are capable of. +4 Practice
Speaker of Practice: You've taken your first step into a world suddenly much bigger than it was before. Although it still isn't reliable, or even properly understood, your ability to work Practice with words rather than action is something exciting as it is strange.
- Knower of Words: As part of your teaching Vega how to reliably weave Practice into her words, you've worked with Mary to learn a great deal about some of the underlying theory of Practice. Not as much as your Spoken Miracle gave her, but far more than you had before. +4 Learning, +2 Practice -- Healer's Edge: Learning to speak was anything but easy. Finding a way to replicate its use in battle as you'd , against the very nature of your focus, was the work of over a decade. You will never like doing so, but you have found that way.
Founder of the 223: Creating and leading the Two Twenty Three with Vega has been an experience unlike anything else you've been part of. It has expanded your knowledge in ways you're not quite sure you like, sometimes, but people don't always get what they like. +4 Martial, +2 Intrigue
The Promised Future: Knowing what the Shiplords use at least some of their Tributary biomass for is a terrible burden, but it has not broken you. In this, as all things, you remember the words Vega reminded you of. Justice, freedom and peace. For those, you would bear the weight of the universe. +4 Diplomacy, +2 Stewardship
Envoy of Humanity: When Second Contact came, you answered the call that Adri placed at your feet without hesitation, and surpassed all expectations. In a month, you took the most important potential allies in human history from unknown hopefuls to tentative friends. +2 Diplomacy
A Song of Bonds: After humanity fell, something was forged from the ashes to take the place of what failed you. Now, deep contemplation and study has led you to that new creation, a melody so encompassing that it is a tangible presence. In this, lies the truth of Purify, and perhaps much more. +2 Practice, ???
Risen Focus: Your Focus now lies far closer to the surface of your soul, changing both the reality of what you can do, and what your body truly is. Bringing your Focus closer to physical reality has made you stronger, more capable, and yet also far more what you were from the beginning. A Mender. +2 Practice, ???, ???
Unison Platform (Ace): The experience of the Second Battle of Sol has given the Two Twenty Three an edge that's hard to properly express. You didn't fly with them in the void battle, but you did face a Shiplord in personal combat and live. That, combined with the far more intense training since has brought you to leading edge of the Unisonbound. There are few indeed who can match you in this.
Inventory: Concert Set: This detached headset was something you made in the Institute, one of your first Practiced creations. You wanted a way to be heard more clearly, and to put your words into people's hearts. You thought you'd lost it during your time founding the rest of the Circles, but it had been invaluable pursuing that task.
- Now integrated with Sidra, the set grants you skill on par with Vega's at navigating and bolstering social harmony. It also has allowed you to key more precisely into the Harmonial connections between the Two Twenty Three, and without it you may well have failed to help Kalilah realise her synchronisation. +2 Diplomacy, +2 Practice, ???
Multi-tooI: A leftover from your time rebuilding the broken cities of Earth, this is probably one of the most Practiced items you ever created. A decade spent using it to channel your Focus into physical change has turned the basic device into a sleek thing of almost dizzying utility. Now time, and integration with Sidra, has recovered your knowledge of the Artefact. +2 Stewardship
- Integration with your Unison Platform, and the intelligence behind it, has given you access to depths of combination that a human mind simply could not follow, and you've had the time to test them. It is still fundamentally a tool of Mending, but that definition has stretched a little now. Into Creation. +2 Martial, major boost to certain uses of Amanda's Practice.
Void Crystal: Even now neither you nor Mary are sure how you created this, or what it's meant to do. A seemingly featureless black-body crystal, its remained completely impervious to analysis, classification, or physical damage. Mary kept it ever since you created it with her after your first decade as a Restorer, now it's yours.
Unison Platform: The physical housing of the Unison Platform, and Siddhartha's electronic home. Physical contact with this device is required to extend your Aegis, and utilise the Platform's other functions.
Mender's Eye: Your latest Artefact, what started as something much simpler grew into a device capable of piercing the veil of Shiplord subversion, and much more.
- Now integrated with Sidra, the Eye adds a layer of perceptual depth to your world that you can't quite believe you'd been missing, and its presence in your Aegis can't be discounted from your greater awareness of the ties and bonds that hold humanity together.
Hero Units are any member of the cast that is willing to directly support you. They may be assigned to specific tasks, applying their full stat bonus, or left unassigned. In some cases, leaving a Hero Unit unassigned can allow them to activate on specific actions within their speciality. Equally, doing so theoretically gives them more time for their own work, or to simply de-stress. As all characters in the Practice War are still human, this is something you may need to balance going forward. I will give you warnings of this and Amanda is unlikely to not notice the effects if they start building up. What you do at that point is, in the end, your choice. But stress can have consequences, as was seen towards the end of Amanda's Presidency. Be aware of this if characters appear to be grinding themselves down. If you don't pay attention, there will be consequences.
Contacts are the sort of people that Amanda knows, often quite well, but that she can't ask for help from directly like Hero Units. This doesn't include her family, but is more appropriate to specific contacts within the Circles, human government, and her Heartcircle. After Second Contact, this list has grown to include a handful of those representatives. They will remain on this list after the Contact Fleet leaves for home, but will be inaccessible at that point. Most contacts are accessible through use of Minor or Personal actions, depending on what you need them for. These are the people who drive the world around Amanda that she knows of, but more specifically that the story has paid attention to and may do so again.
Family is self-evident. Amanda's blood family could be rolled into the Contacts list, but interacting with them is covered under a single action. They're less likely to have directive effect on the quest, but they form the backbone of Amanda's support network. In some ways, they're more than everyone else on this list.
A light-skinned example of humanity, with the faint elegance of a Martian birth, Mary is your closest friend and a true member of your family. Tall and slender, she wears her brown hair up most of the time, as befits a laboratory environment. Rarely without a set of AR glasses, the green eyes behind them hide a deep sadness and pain for her past. She dresses rather conservatively, but has begun to pick up a little of your flair in clothing after several years of living together.
Martial: 9+2+1+2 = 14 (Utterly average, Mary's intellect has never been one to take well to conflict.)
Diplomacy: 14+3+2 = 19 (More than just average, time with the Circles has helped hone her shuttered talent with others into a spark)
Stewardship: 14+2+2 = 18 (There's a reason that you pursued the construction of the VI that became Iris. For all her brilliance, Mary's talents as an organiser lag heavily behind her understanding of science. She does well enough, yes, but she needed more than that.)
Intrigue: 11+2+2 = 15 (Years spent hiding herself from the world taught your friend the usefulness of subterfuge. You can still read her like a book, as she can you, but to others it can be harder.)
Learning: 20+2+2+4+7+1 =36 (Your friend always possessed a powerful analytic mind, with a grasp for the sciences that often left you grasping at dust. Following the Metaconcert event, she now stands without peer or equal among the children of Sol.)
Traits: Child of the Second Secret: Born before the Week of Sorrows, Mary benefitted from the same basic bioengineering package as you. +2 Martial
Prologue: A complex set of nano-based enhancements and other upgrades, the standard nanite set grants a wide array of benefits, and once that was enough on its own. With the discovery of the Sixth Secret, however, things have changed. +1 Martial
- Ministerial Enhancement Package: Another part of the modular Sixth Secret systems that have become so much a part of life with the continuing Third Revolution, the Ministerial systems extend multi-tasking again, and are the baseline for the prototype network interface system pioneered during the arrival of the Contact Fleet. +2 Diplomacy, +2 Intrigue
- Prototype Neural Network Link: A very recent development, the neural interface created by this system is still in final testing. Enough has been done for it to be safely installed in those who can benefit the most from it, however. Getting onto that list was trivial for Mary. +3 Learning reduced to +1 Learning due to native score, +2 Stewardship
- Nanomaterial Defence Skin: Designed and built with the same techniques as Iris' Avatar upgrades, the NDS forms a layer of active Sixth Secret nanites around Mary's body. Although primarily defensive in purpose, the system is quite capable of forming weaponry as required. It's also equipped with a Fifth Secret based flight system to match that of her daughters'. +2 Martial, major increase to survival chance if attacked.
Legacy of Discovery: The only daughter of the man who unlocked the First Secret, Mary inherited his intelligence and drive in full. +2 Stewardship, +2 Learning. - Void Prodigy: Decades of studying the abilities of yourself and other Potentials have expanded the world of your friend across whole new continents of possibility. +4 Learning
A Scarred Past: Transported from Mars to Earth before the Burning by the genius of her father, Mary was able to watch as her entire family were burnt to ashes millions of kilometers away. She buried the pain of this experience for years, beneath layers of fear, focus and self-loathing, until you were able to help free her of them. +2 Intrigue, +2 Learning
Of The Circle: Brought into the Circles at the very beginning, Mary was the hardest to convince of all the children you asked. For all that suspicion, she quickly grew to be a deeply integral part of the First Circle. And learnt a great deal about herself and others in the process. There's a reason that there are still 'interest pieces' on your relationship, after all. +3 Diplomacy
Daughter of Secrets: Mary's understanding of the Secrets is second to none, and she is one of a bare handful of humanity capable of pursuing study into the field of Reality Physics. As the lines between the sciences warp and bend, Mary is a rare example of one capable of tracing them still, allowing for rapid study of topics even when they seem entirely disconnected. +15 to Secret based research.
Sister of Truth: There is science, and there is the truth that it uncovers. Mary has spent decades learning to tell the difference, and can apply this ability to salvage work gone wrong. Her own or, far more often, that of others. Reroll 1 failed Learning based action per turn.
Touched By Word: The Metaconcert event is one that you've struggled to fully understand every since it happened, but it's made Mary even more your best hope for doing so. A Word spoken by two Potentials was cast into her soul, and the results gifted her with something incredible. A memory of the Dragons' great sacrifice, and a rudimentary understanding of what they created. +7 Learning
Relationship: Family
Martial: 7+4+12 = 23 (With her shell fully upgraded into much more than just a means to interact with physical reality, Iris has come as close to the combat prowess of a Unisonbound as it is possible for human technology to create. You can't say you're entirely happy about that, but she's an adult now. And this was her choice.)
Diplomacy: 14+5+2+3 = 24 (With time and experience, Iris has refined the social algorithms that she was initially given by Vision. Although not a match for you, few are. And she's more than simply competent.)
Stewardship: 22+2 = 24 (Iris was designed for as a processing and support VI, and much of that capacity has transferred over to her new existence as a sentient being. There is still considerable room for these abilities to grow.)
Intrigue: 12+2+2+2+2+2 = 22 (As with her ability to interact, Iris has also refined the other half of the algorithms, granting both more advanced capabilities, but also far greater control over them. With the Third Battle of Sol approaching, she now stands ready to face the Shiplords in her first home, and with all the skill available to her)
Learning: 28+3+2 = 33 (Like any child, and she has been and still remains nothing less, Iris has grown. From a baseline that touched the very edge of normal human capacity, she's learnt to use her integral systems as the parts of her that they are. She's even started to build on them, something that fills Mary and you with pride.)
Traits: Artificial Intelligence: A true Infomorph, Iris is capable of feats inside Network environments that only Vision can truly keep up with. +20 to Network related actions Child of Terra: Human or no, Iris is as much a child of Earth as any other child born to humanity. The mechanism of her existence matters little, and she knows that now. The belief has given her the confidence to grow and connect with others emotionally like every child needs to. With those, and with time, she's learnt not just about humanity, but how to become one. +5 Diplomacy, +2 Intrigue, +3 Learning Mothered by the Heart: Every child has parents. Yours were taken from you, along with billions more. Since then, none have been allowed to suffer the same fate until Iris did, for longer than she ever should have. But now she has you, and Mary, and so much more. +3 Diplomacy, +2 Intrigue Incarnate: One of the greatest things that Iris lacked an Infomorph was the ability to experience the world as fully as a human. In 2115, after three years, that changed. No longer a creature of pure thought and code, she now has a body of her own. Even if feeling everything all at once was a little too much at first. - Avatar: The Avatar upgrades bring Iris' incarnate form up to even higher standards than they already were. Now almost entirely nanobased, her upgraded shell contains a slew of upgrades. Skipping the more cosmetic enhancements, a Fifth Secret flight system has been integrated and the shell is quite capable of flash-forging military grade combat systems if necessary. +4 Martial, +2 Diplomacy, +2 Intrigue -- Caliburn: The sword to the Avatar upgrade's shield, this swathe of modifications have elevated Iris' shell to as close to an Aegis as it is possible for human technology to reach, utilising several systems that pioneered by Iris herself. She is not a match for a Unisonbound, but she comes far closer than any human could. +12 Martial, +2 Intrigue, +2 Learning
Echo of Nabu: The result of code found in the depths of the Olympus College infosphere, Iris has integrated the remnants of one of the pre-Sorrows intelligences used by humanity to oversee and process their research. This gave her complete access to the College databases, but has also subtly changed her. +10 to Network based actions, +2 Intrigue
Relationship: Daughter
Vega is often said to be a study in contradictions, and so it's been ever since childhood. A soft face, with warm, hazel eyes shot thought with tiny sparks of bright power. Her dark hair falls freely to below the shoulder, and yet the curls have never been once been awry in all the time you've known her. She dresses simply, but there is an elegance to her movements all at odds with how she often seems less than focused on the reality around her.
Martial: 12+2+4 = 18 (From simple beginnings, Vega has learnt the lessons of battle in ways that none were quite sure she could, and without weakness or failure.)
Diplomacy: 20+2 = 22 (A product of the Golden Generation, and a Harmonial too, gifted with words was an apt description. The only problem was her lack of confidence in using them.)
Stewardship: 17 (Effective, and highly so, but less than a master of the art. She did run a Ministry for over a decade, though, and handily by all accounts.)
Intrigue: 16+2= 18 (Slippery with the truth, perhaps. But Vega's true gift was in reading those around her. There's a reason that Vega's often acted as a stopgap against your own stupidity.)
Learning: 21 (Well educated, as befitted one of her generation, but as with most Harmonials her knowledge is less applicable than some might believe. There's no doubting her intelligence, but how it applies itself is often haphazard.
Practice: 18+1+2+2+4 = 27 (Vega was gifted with a strong start in Practice, but it took her a long time to begin to work past that.
Traits: Child of the Second Secret: Although she was born after the Week of Sorrows, Vega gained the benefits of the same basic bioengineering package as you from her parents. +2 Martial
Proven Miracle: The Miracle of Skylark was more than proof that Vega was right about what she could do. It validated her entire existence, in a way that's hard to understand. From that, she gained more than skill in Practice, she gained confidence that what she thought was possible truly was. And that Miracles could be, even in the face of extinction. +1 Practice, increased chance of harmonising Miracles.
Maker of the Unison: The Unison Platforms were Vega's before they were yours, Kagiso the first of them, and the most incredible for being some so utterly new. She became a friend, advisor, and an example of the wonders Practice could create in a way no other Miracle had matched. +2 Diplomacy, +2 Practice
Founder of the 223: Creating and leading the Two Twenty Three with Vega has been an experience unlike anything else you've been part of. It has expanded your knowledge in ways you're not quite sure you like, sometimes, but people don't always get what they like. +4 Martial, +2 Intrigue
Speaker of Practice: Vega, like you did years before, has taken her first steps into an entirely new world of possibilities. Although it remains irregular, she now shares your ability to work Practice with words rather than actions.
The Harmonic Record: A semi-autonomous data archive suffused with Harmonial Practice in search of answers to what Vega and those like her can truly do. Knowledge, given form, without it the Harmonic Circle very well might never have existed. Grants bonuses to teaching Harmonials
Ring of Harmony: The Harmonic Circle that Vega created was more than a teaching exercise, and taken together with the Restoration of Mytikas, she has come far in understanding her own gifts of Practice. +4 Practice
Unison Platform (Ace): Vega's skill in working with her platform has only grown in the decade since the Second battle of Sol, and as ever, she remains at the leading edge of the group. What she can do with her Practice with Kagiso's help can often appear to be nothing short of magic, and this skill has extended far further than it ever had before.
Relationship: Friend
Martial: 9 (She has records within her database of combat, but no real understanding of how to put that into practice)
Diplomacy: 12+2+2 = 16 (Vision is competent at simulating a human conversational interface, but the manner of her form and some of what she's casually capable of can make that a hard facade to maintain.)
Stewardship: 16+1 = 17 (A program designed to collect, analyze and collate data. Of course she's good at this.)
Intrigue: 28+2 = 30 (Vision was designed to see things. She does so extremely well.)
Learning: 19+6 = 25 (As the platform and being that parsed the vast majority of the Elder First's discoveries whilst she was active, she has a deep reservoir of knowledge, which as now been properly updated.)
Traits: Artificial Intelligence: A true artificial intelligence, Vision is capable of feats inside Network environments, as fitting for a being who has only ever existed within them. +20 to Network related actions
Eldest's Insight: Designed to translate and work with the complex strands of Practice that form a Thoughtcast, it is arguable that Vision knows more about Project Insight than Phoebe herself. The value of this knowledge in rebuilding all that has been lost is likely to be incalculable.
The Invisible Aegis: During the Second Battle of Sol, Vision's ability to multitask across the entire Network proved incalculably valuable. She was everywhere at once, utilising the links she'd sunk deep into the Network to block every charge and counter every strike made by the Shiplord AIs. Humanity's secrets are theirs to hold, and she will protect them unto death. +2 Intrigue, +2 Diplomacy, +1 Stewardship
Archive of Terra: Having delved fully into the collected knowledge of humanity, Vision's capabilities as a scholar are now fully recognisable. She is no Mary, and Practice continues to elude her ability to effectively understand, but there's more to human science than that. In those fields, she proves to be a powerful force of progress. +6 Learning, ???
Echo of Nabu: The result of code found in the depths of the Olympus College infosphere, Vision has integrated the remnants of one of the pre-Sorrows intelligences used by humanity to oversee and process their research. This gave her complete access to the College databases, but has also subtly changed her. +10 to Network based actions, +2 Diplomacy
Relationship: Colleague
Martial: 32+2+4+2+5+3 = 48 (Kalilah is arguably the single most dangerous Potential in existence, although her expertise lies in personal combat, not strategy)
Diplomacy: 12 (She never had much use for words, but being part of the Two Twenty Three has helped with that a little.)
Stewardship: 12+2 = 14 (She lives, that is enough.)
Intrigue: 8 (Kalilah does not thrive in the shadows. She never has, for her light burns too brightly for them.)
Learning: 14 (She's definitely smarter than she appears, but she's never spoken of her old profession. And you've never asked.)
Practice: 25+4+2+4+4 = 39 (Fully grown into her power, in some ways more than any other. She lacks your finesse, for she has never needed it, but what she can do within her Focus is nothing short of terrifying.)
Traits: First Awoken: Among the first Potentials to Awaken, she has had fifty years to practice and refine her craft and prepare for the war to come. +2 Martial, +4 Practice
The Lance: The most powerful weapon on mass to energy basis in the star system. Bar none. Integration into Asi has only made it stronger. +4 Martial, +2 Practice
The Long War: For Kalilah, and many like her, the war with the Shiplord never ended. Where others built weapons and crafted designs and stratagems to defeat them, she sought to create in herself a weapon without peer. She knows Practice in some ways better than even you, and far more of war. +2 Martial, +4 Practice
Destroyer: She has tested herself against the works of the Shiplords, and they have fallen before her. In space and in person, none of her enemies have survived. If she has her way, none ever will. +5 Martial, increased damage
Unison Platform (Ace): Kalilah and Asi as a unit were always uniquely well suited to each other, more so than almost any other synchronisation on record, despite the complications that arose in the process. You doubt she will ever be a true match to Vega or you in the ability to extend the reach of her Focus. But where that Focus is concerned, she is utterly without peer.
Sword of Practice: By her hands, shall worlds be broken. By her will, shall vengeance be wrought upon those who took her world from her. By her power, she shall see it done. +3 Martial, +4 Practice
Relationship: Heartcircle
Martial: 14+2 = 16 (A childhood spent fighting for her life after everything she knew was snatched away by the Sorrows shaped a mind of cold precision to a sharpness so fine that it would often cut itself. Not a novice, but she has no desire to master war. It would cost her too much)
Diplomacy: 12-4+4+2 = 14 (Since she the Sorrows, Phoebe barely interacted with her classmates, and there was no Circle in her Institute to draw her out. In time she learnt to overcome the barriers she placed around herself, but it was always the work of necessity. Until Nightfalls, at least.)
Stewardship: 14-2+2+2 = 16 (Generally capable, her place as a leader for Insight was responsible for honing her skills as an administrator.)
Intrigue: 18+2 = 20 (Making it appear that everything was fine even when it wasn't was something Phoebe had always been good at. After the Sorrows, it became her only defence from a world gone mad. Few have ever pierced the cloak she wraps around her sorrow, but for those sensitive enough, it's easy to see.)
Learning: 17+4+2 =23 (Gifted with a mind a match to your own, Phoebe has followed a very focused path in her studies since Awakening as a Potential. She isn't your equal in general knowledge, but where it comes to Insight, she has few peers.)
Practice: 19+4+2+2 = 27 (The strength of a mind drawn in around itself lent well to Phoebe's Focus when she Awakened, and she's grown stronger in its use ever since, rising with Vega's help from the pain of Nightfalls even more so.)
Traits: Child of the Second Secret: Born before the Week of Sorrows, Phoebe benefitted from the same basic bioengineering package as you. +2 Martial
A Mind of Ice and Steel: Phoebe lost everything in the Sorrows. Family, wealth, home, all burned out beneath her feet leaving her with nothing and no one. In response, her mind turned in on itself, searching deeper and deeper for clarity that could free her from the pain. +4 Learning, +4 Practice - Lost to the World: She spent much of her early life after the Sorrows knowing better the cool hands of synthetic tutors, the most common staff in the Institutes. It sharpened her mind, but it also lost her much of her humanity. +2 Intrigue, +2 Learning, +2 Practice, -4 Diplomacy, -2 Stewardship - Found by Miracle: Not all of it, though. She'll never be one well suited to friends, but as the world flowered, she was found by one of the true miracles that flowed into the world between the Elder's passing and the Third's waking. Reaching out to find a path, she found one among many others. +4 Diplomacy
Seeker of Insight: That path was Insight, even though she'd never imagined being so much a part of it. For all that she will try to hide it, without Phoebe, Project Insight would never have existed. And from leading it, she learnt much. +4 Stewardship
The Reforged: And never more than in the aftermath of the event that almost shattered her world a second. The consequences of Nightfalls were catastrophic for Insight, and Phoebe herself. Yet she endured and, with Vega's help, rebuilt not just herself but the project that had become alike to a second family. +2 Diplomacy, +2 Practice
Martial: 11+1 = 12 (Mandatory self-defence training and constant practice as part of being a Minister after Kingslayer has given her competence, but she's no soldier.)
Diplomacy: 17+2+4 =23 (She always had the sparks of charisma, and time made them stronger. Your taking a hand in things has fanned them into a steady flame, that handily won a systemwide election.)
Stewardship: 17+3+2+2+2+4 =30 (Although her greatest passion remains design and creation, Adriana's skills as an administrator have grown by leaps in the years since she took the position of leading the Home Office. A true mistress of the art.)
Intrigue: 11+2 = 13 (Shading the truth has never been easy for Adriana, a product of a generation of children that had never known the pain of the Sorrows.)
Learning: 16+3+2 = 21 (Similar in some ways to Phoebe, Adriana's knowledge base is deeply focused around her passions. Always smart, new technology has given her entirely new ways to use her mind.)
Traits: Prologue: A complex set of nano-based enhancements and other upgrades, the standard nanite set grants a wide array of benefits, and once that was enough on its own. With the discovery of the Sixth Secret, however, things have changed. +1 Martial
- Ministerial Enhancement Package: Another part of the modular Sixth Secret systems that have become so much a part of life with the continuing Third Revolution, the Ministerial systems extend multi-tasking again, and are the baseline for the prototype network interface system pioneered during the arrival of the Contact Fleet. +2 Diplomacy, +2 Intrigue
- Prototype Neural Network Link: A very recent development, the neural interface created by this system is still in its testing phases. Enough has been done for it to be safely installed for Ministers, however, and so Lina has gained the ability to access the world around her in a very new and different way. +3 Learning, +2 Stewardship Natural Architect: Gifted at birth with an intuitive gift for how pieces could come together to form a much larger whole, much of Adri's initial rise to prominence was the result of effective use of what this made her capable of. +3 Stewardship - The Diligent Student: Talent will take you to good. Practice will take you to master. Words to live by, even if some of the meaning has changed since the first Potentials woke to their Foci. Adri didn't rely on the natural brilliance of her mind, she worked hard to improve it. +2 Stewardship, +2 Learning
Virtual Assistant: VI technology wasn't new when Adriana became interested in it, but what she went on to do with it would herald the coming of a new world. She catalysed a quantum leap in virtual intelligence systems, that with the Sixth Secret, have opened the door to the final revolution of humanity's existence. +2 Stewardship
Worldbuilder: Adriana's Ministership saw the creation of the first megastructures humanity has ever built, building upon old designs in creating the necessary infrastructure to entirely new ones to serve a grander purpose. Mercury is now sufficiently converted for construction projects and others just as vast now lie ahead. She won't be found wanting. +4 Stewardship, significant bonus to construction projects
Future's Promise: Some critics would say that you gave Adri many of the tools that she used to become President, connections and words in the right ears. Some critics are incapable of giving Adriana the credit she deserves. You might have served to connect her to the Circles, but it was her heart that won them. +4 Diplomacy, significant bonus to Third Revolution actions
Petite, and almost elfin in the delicacy of her features, Lina earned her title in the hardest school of all, combat against the Shiplord Tribute Fleets. Tens of thousands she sacrificed on the altar of survival, and she emerged from that action greatly changed, but no less committed to the course ahead. Under her eyes of steely blue, the FSN has been forged into a sword and shield in one, that will stand between humanity and the coming darkness in the war to come. She wears her pale-blonde hair short, easier to control, so she says. Rarely out of uniform, on those uncommon occasions where it is unsuitable, she chooses clothing of a military cut or the colours of the Fleet.
Martial: 19+1+4+2+4 = 30 (A consummate strategist and tactician, Lina has proven herself against Shiplords and grown all the greater for it. The first human to defeat a Shiplord fleet in battle, she's dedicated herself to preparing for the next one. And the one after that.)
Diplomacy: 12+2+3 = 17 (Leading a soon to be interstellar navy isn't just about knowing when to call which orders. Lina's nurtured the spark of defiant charisma that she was born with into something that can make men and women hold their posts against even the worst horrors.)
Stewardship: 15+2+2 = 19 (A leader needs presence and personality, but an understanding of logistics is just as important for the campaigns Lina and her staff can see in humanity's future. She might not be a wizard in the field, but she's learning. And quickly.)
Intrigue: 17+2+2 = 21 (The Second Battle of Sol relied entirely on a vast trap for the Tribute Fleet, and knowing how to set those is more than just a matter of tactics. Lina was always an unconventional strategist, and her ability to inject complex deception into her plans is perhaps the best example of that talent.)
Learning: 15+3 = 18 (Lina's knowledge base is of a very focused sort, and was never a true speciality. She understands how the technology of her warships functions, how it can be leveraged, but doesn't need a great deal more than that to do her job.)
Traits: Child of the Second Secret: Born before the Week of Sorrows, Lina benefitted from the same basic bioengineering package as you. +2 Martial Prologue: A complex set of nano-based enhancements and other upgrades, the standard nanite set grants a wide array of benefits, and once that was enough on its own. With the discovery of the Sixth Secret, however, things have changed. +1 Martial - Military Enhancement Package: Similar in many ways to Nilean Sanctity modules, the direct enhancement package applied to every member of humanity's military is extremely potent. Perceptual dilation, enhanced multitasking capabilities, and far more, the MEP was a key part of Lina's success in defeating the Shiplords at the Second Battle of Sol. +4 Martial, +2 Intrigue
- Ministerial Enhancement Package: Another part of the modular Sixth Secret systems that have become so much a part of life with the continuing Third Revolution, the Ministerial systems extend multi-tasking again, and are the baseline for the prototype network interface system pioneered during the arrival of the Contact Fleet. +2 Diplomacy, +2 Intrigue
- Prototype Neural Network Link: A very recent development, the neural interface created by this system is still in its testing phases. Enough has been done for it to be safely installed for Ministers, however, and so Lina has gained the ability to access the world around her in a very new and different way. +3 Learning, +2 Stewardship
Void Mistress: Winning the Second Battle of Sol required more than martial skill, it required the ability to sacrifice, and deceive, and to do so in a format that humanity had never learned to fight in. Lina didn't just succeed in this task, she excelled, and in her example is seen hope that humanity may one day take back the stars from Shiplord tyranny. +2 Martial, +2 Intrigue, significant bonus to space combat rolls
Master and Commander: In the years following the Second Battle of Sol, Lina dedicated herself to the task of forging the sword she'd wielded against the Shiplords anew. Six years later, she's succeeded. The process taught her a great deal, about the Secrets, how they could be used in war, and how to bring military might together with words against a terrifying enemy. That skill she credits, in at least some small part, to you. +4 Martial, +3 Diplomacy
Relationship: Colleague
Kazuki was a contemporary of Amanda Hawk, and in a different world, the two might have forged a career together. As she put it herself once; if she'd had a hand in piecing the world's heart back together, he'd been one of the few who taught it to sing again. A fiercely passionate musician, his music found fertile ground in the golden years of Miracles before the discovery of the Pattern. When that was found, he shelved his focus on those things to take up the position of Secretary of State. Many among the World Congress questioned the judgement of placing a celebrity in that role, but there was more to the appointment than that. Amanda had spoken truly in naming Kazuki part of the world's music. With his help, she was able to bring it together, uniting humanity behind her in a way never before seen in human history. Even then, some doubted the effectiveness of simple moral unity, until the details of Purify were made public.
Stepping down at the end of the Hawk Presidency, Kazuki took a year off before returning to the music that he loved. The world had changed since his last performances, but the philosophies that underlay his music had only grown stronger. He made his return alongside several more recently popular acts, and here his experience in the State Department showed. Since then, he's started to coordinate performances on a system-wide level, helping up-and-coming groups access larger audiences, even performing alongside them sometimes as a supporting act. His passion is still music, but now he knows the full fragility of humanity, spelled out by the UPI report. He doesn't know if the circumstances that led to Purify can be replicated. But that's no reason not to try.
Marcus was one of the first set of Third Awakened to find their Foci, and part of a very limited number of that Awakening that learnt to turn their Focus inwards. With one of Gateways, Marcus became a living key to systems set in front of him. He concentrated on the Network during his training, constructing a Practiced Artefact that allowed him to enter it and fully apply his nature there. Although Minister for Security during the run-up to the Second Battle of Sol, he pioneered several major advancements in Practice theory around his frankly exemplary work securing Sol from Shiplord intrusion. More than any other member of the Hawk government, Marcus placed himself in direct, mortal danger more times than he's ever been willing to admit. He brought down the Shiplord subnet, and years later broke into the networks of a Tribute Fleet with Vision's help. Without what they found there, the Second Battle of Sol could have gone very differently. It was brilliant work, all of it, but it solidified in his mind that Ministerial position wasn't for him.
He remained with the Ministry of Security when Adriana Thera took the Presidency, but not as Minister, a situation that suited him far better. His skills as a leader and administrator had come far since his early years, but with what his Focus could do, he couldn't see himself ever being outside the line of fire in major conflict points. That wasn't a good position for a Minister, at least not for his Ministry. Today, he works with Vision and a team of specialists to prepare Sol for the next attack. He won't be satisfied until the Network's protections will stop him. Neither he nor Vision know if that's even possible, but they're not the type to give up.
Part of the last wave of Third Awakened, Mir finished his training as a Potential during the Hawk Presidency. Awakened to a Focus of Peace, his limits in a time of war were painfully clear from the very beginning. Trained as a Maker, he helped supply the FSN with the parts it needed to complete First Fleet on schedule. After the Second Battle of Sol, he made the jump to the Rebirth Institute, the psychological support organisation that rose from the Circles in the wake of that conflict. His Focus was far better suited there, but he still found it difficult to apply. He was competent, yes, but as time wore on he recognised that he wasn't content. This drove the choice that would bring him into a much more visible part of the world.
In early 2120 he underwent synchronisation trials for the two hundred and twenty second Unison Platform and succeeded in linking to the Platform. The synchronisation itself was largely unremarkable, but the results certainly weren't. All Unisonbound experience a 'widening' oftheir Focus after synchronisation, but Mir's was greater than any recorded. His Focus had been the Peace of a young man and that had limited him more than anyone around him had been able to understand. On completing synchronisation with Sakina, the breadth of that Focus exploded far beyond the limits of his training. The Peace that was always so much a part of his self, poured into something so much more, that he's still grappling with two years later.
Although quick to smile and deeply content in his new role, Mir remains unsure about his placement in the Heartcircle he was chosen to. Some of this is his past; the effect that the leaders of that group had on his life is hard to understate. The rest is more complicated.
Part of the Second Awakening, Elil is no great example of an Insight Focused, like Phoebe or Veda. Yet he remains a deeply valued member of your Heartcircle, with a way of looking at the world that allows him to separate himself from the passions of the other Foci present. Where Mending and Harmony could clash with Destruction, Elil soothes the passage between you, finding ways to bring those Foci together. He has been a steadfast ally, and in the last battle was the architect of discovering the truth of the final weapon deployed against you by the Shiplords. A valued comrade in battle, and a friend.
Almost forty years your junior, that Lea possesses a Focus of Mending is quite remarkable given the manner of the Third's choices. It is not Mending in the same manner as yourself, however. Lea exemplifies the ideal that all things break, and to be truly restored, they must. She stood at the heart of the action that unleashed Purify upon the Shiplords in the Second Battle of Sol, and though she has recovered from the trauma of that experience, the battle changed her. In battle, she acts as the primary Mender for your Heartcircle, with your own focus being upon Speaking and more advanced Practice manipulation. Since her inclusion into your Heartcircle, Lea has been a steady point in your life pushing you to exist less in the abstract. That has been worth far more than most would think, but those who know you understand.
The first friendly alien that humanity ever saw. Kendl is the Emissary of the Nilean Community among the Contact Fleet and the overall leader of the fleet's diplomats. Hundreds of years old, Kendl has seen races rise and fall against the Shiplord tests, and known that there was nothing her species could do about it. Officially a diplomat, her reactions in key situations speak to a level of personal skill and combat proficiency that no diplomat would ever have. For as long as she doesn't use those skills, the Diplomatic Corps will not allow anyone to push, but what she can do has been burning a hole in the Ministry of Security's team of Concordia ever since Second Contact. That event saw her changed by a Spoken Word, something she was only able to come to grips with with the help of the woman who inflicted it. Tasked as humanity's envoy to the Contact Fleet, Amanda did more to help along the process of reaching a proper negotiating table than any could. She counts Kendl as a friend, and this feeling is thought to be reciprocated with a high degree of certainty. Exactly where friendship with a member of another species might lead, no one's quite sure.
Observer Lorelli is perhaps the most difficult of the entire Contact Fleet's diplomats, and not just due to the human looks that have now been confirmed to be the result of nanoscuplt. A moderating influence on the Fleet's internal diplomatic politics, she suggested the social affairs that opened a window into the strange new peoples who'd come to humanity's doorstep. Not that it didn't do the reverse, either. Lorelli was a favourite of the press, and proved very capable of handling them. Her connection with Amanda Hawk stems from a similar source as that with Emissary Merizan, but what Envoy Hawk did for the Marionette Observer was vastly more important on a geopolitical level. After agreeing to take part in a process known as the Reverie, Amanda successfully connected to the racial memory complex of the Marionettes, the first alien in the history of their species to do so. The final implications of this connection are unlikely to be known until Lorelli can return home, but the memory she shared was important enough that the two have kept in intermittent contact ever since Amanda left Concordia in the final months of 2121.
Name: Harold Hawk Age: 73, Juno's twin. Description: Broad-shouldered, with light and slightly thin hair, worn short. Well-built and quite tall. Wears a pair of AR glasses, that allows for casual interface with more advanced parts of the Network than the virtual panels that have become the most common interface point. Personality: Calm and methodical, Harry was the strongest rock of the Hawk family after their parents were taken during the Week of Sorrows. An avid supporter of the 3rd Revolution, for a variety of reasons. History: He and Juno took on the roles of their lost parents in many ways, and they were the ones that taught Amanda to let go of the pain of that loss. They remained a major part of their sibling's lives, if in slightly different ways to those they'd expected. He was part of the First Heart, and remains a respected member of the Circles. His speciality is software design and development, and he's a second stage tester for 3rd Revolution technology for the Home Office. Family: Married with two children.
Name: Juno Age: 73, Harold's twin. Description: The tallest member of the family, with a few inches on Harry, Juno is a pale girl with dark hair and freckles that bring out her green eyes. She's rarely seen without an interface device for the VI companion that she's had since before the Week of Sorrows. Personality: Quiet even as a child, Juno was changed in some ways by the Week of Sorrows that only became obvious in later life. A perfectionist almost to a fault, she's not sure how she feels about the 3rd Revolution as Harry describes it, but is content to see how things change. As long as it doesn't cost too much for too little return. History: Juno was responsible for the Hawks' ability to survive on their own after the Week of Sorrows, a result of a natural talent for administration and her control of the family's VI. A rare possession in the pre-Sorrows world, Auntie Vi was the family's primary means of accessing care in the months that followed. Before Amanda ventured out into their Institute in her tentative quest to create her first Circle, the Hawk name was already known due to her older sister's work in helping others with their caretaker VIs. She pursued an education in economic theory, and holds a mid-level position in the Home Office's Department for Economic Development. Family: Triad partnership. No children of her own.
Name: Alden Age: 70 Description: Almost a carbon copy of his older brother, Alden has a slimmer build that makes him seem even taller and the same eyes as his most famous sister. Personality: Very affected by the twins as a child, few get to see the warmth that lurks beneath the regimented exterior he presents to the world. That exterior won him promotion within the FSN, but also held him back from some decisions he still wishes he'd taken before the Second Battle of Sol. History: Served as the XO on a Tower-class during the Second Battle of Sol. Suspects that Amanda may have pulled a string or two to ensure he was on one of those ships before the battle. Slated for command of one of the next-generation capital ships, his service against the Tribute Fleet won him a promotion to a task force commander. Family: Married after one of his partners was killed during the Second Battle of Sol. Four children.
Name: Georgie Age: 67 Description: Very short, and with a middling build, but her personality more than makes up for it. Personality: Incessantly active, and always ready with laughter and a smile. She hates her name, but is grudgingly accepting of the nickname given to her by Amelie. She can't deny that it fits. History: Georgie was the first of the Hawk family to smile after the Week of Sorrows, and has a way of searching for silver linings in all but the worst things. She trained as an engineer at the Institute, and was involved in the development of several out-system Orbitals. Lived on the Icarus Orbital until shortly after the Second Battle of Sol, is now involved in FSN reconstruction projects. Well-loved by the Circles that she's been part of in her time. Arguably the most travelled of the family. Family: Three children, one long-'suffering' husband. The occasional addition.
Name: Jordan Age: 64 Description: Auburn hair, grey/blue eyes. Slim with some light muscle. Personality: Precise but extremely mischievous, Jordan is without a doubt the most capable of intrigue and sneakiness within your family. His capability to see into the truth of things and then bend them creatively to beneficial purposes left him bouncing between various roles for History: Currently involved in the Diplomatic Corps in a support role. Well suited to it from learning from Juno growing up. It's a different type of administration, but he's no less gifted for it. In truth, however, he functions as part of the Ministry of Security apparatus built into the Diplomatic Corps to secure its members and watch for infiltration or subversion attempts. Family: Unmarried, no children.
Name: Amelie Age: 61 Description: Blessed with suntouched skin, Amelie has dirty blonde hair and warm, blue eyes that are almost a perfect match for her much more famous sister's. Slimly built and of middling height, she used to joke that if she put on high heels and dyed her hair she could act as a body double for Mandy. Personality: Perpetually cheerful, Amelie has followed in 'Mandy's footsteps in many ways, not least in her desire to help others be happy. She might not be a Potential, but she makes up for that 'lack' with a fiercely human tenacity. History: Probably the most deeply affected by Amanda's Awakening as a Potential and what followed, Amelie pursued a mixed education in conservation and psychology. She loves nature, and can often be found out in its depths, trying to find one of the rare species that pre-Sorrows records talk about for herself. The Home Office has her on record as a Conservation Specialist and pays her way on these expeditions. A current member of the First Heart, she's deeply involved with the Rebirth Institute and is a full-time counsellor in the organisation. Family: Seven children between three partner. Quaternary partnership of four pairs.
The mechanics of this quest are split across three related sections: Major Actions, Minor Actions and Personal Actions. All follow the same rules for rolling: d100 + Personal + Modifiers. There are some differences in play in how they function and what they can do, however.
Research Actions allow you to pursue development across fields of your choice with a speed and accuracy rivalling that of relevant Ministries. This research can run the gamut from the study of Secrets, to general material/biological/etc. science, to Practice techniques, to the archaeological work that is going through the Elder Vault. In certain areas, your ability to move through research is actually faster than the Ministries, due to the collective intelligence of Arcadia's scientists.
Major Actions cover broad sweeps of society or knowledge, and involve Amanda acting personally on the macro scale. Investigating the Elder's Vault or direct support for the Third Revolution would be valid uses of a Major Action. These actions have the capacity to alter human society on the same level as government action. Major Actions branch into a selection of choices in a sub-turn, similar to how Altered Humanity's action system works. The direction of these options are listed below the Major Action. [CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE}
Minor Actions are, as the name implies, smaller than Major, but the difference is primarily in focus. These actions would be the ones you'd use for reconnecting with and guiding particular parts of the Circles, training with the Unisonbound, and more focused research; a section instead of the entire sphere. If combined with governmental priorities, these can create 10 + 5 = 20 results like Hero Actions in the old system.
Personal Actions remain what they were. Extremely focused actions that will primarily affect you more than anything else. Spending time with Mary, making time for your siblings, personal focus on Words or on trying to sense the links between things. These can have some effect on the world around you, but it'll be much less powerful then even Minor actions.
Notes
Synergy can exist between all action types, and governmental priorities.
Write-ins are entirely acceptable for all Action types, but the Write-in option will not be listed for Major Actions. If you have a suggestion, tag me, and I'll work up a set of associated choices.
A Note On Write-In Votes
Due to the often extremely open choices presented in character focused sections in the quest, two-stage voting will often be used in events where one option has not swept the board. In this event, a temporary threadmark will be created after the voting has mostly solidified, and a second vote will be called (often a Ranked one of some variant) to produce the winner.
Given how vote tallies inflate the word count of a post, this should appear through your alerts if you're subscribed to the thread. This will never be used for Turn votes, and will only be used for character focused ones when there is no clear winner.
Probably...not. We're talking things that can be the heart of a person, really. Gateways potentially could be, which could lead to some very interesting manipulation of circuitry and other things as the Practice Effect is extremely conceptual. As a note, humanity got portal technology in 2049 in this history. It's one of the things that the Shiplords banned in their Directives. Given that you're going to declare war on them and you know they're coming back now, however, you might not care about that.
Interesting idea, actually.
Also, thinking of giving a choice on timeline. I've pitched this as a year from war thing, but equally I could run it as a somewhat more organisational quest from the time that humanity worked out the Shiplords were coming back. If people are interested I can open that decision in the next update.
Most likely you'd be looking at at First Awoken for that, which has some interesting side-effects. But yes, you could. Hate or Vengeance would both work for a First Awoken.
Or a Third Awoken, but you'd need to pitch some damn strong reasoning for it to work. Not impossible though.
Again not really something I see being the core of a person, I'm afraid. It's lacking in emotional context.
To elaborate a bit on what a Focus is, it's a deeply integral part of who you were before you became a Potential and will remain so indefinitely. It lets you access the limited power that sits within the imprint of your soul, insufficient currently to fill it. Think of it as a lens perhaps, or maybe a funnel. But whilst it lets you access that power, and shape the world using it, by its very nature it also limits what you can do - at least that's the theory. A First Awoken with a Focus of Wrath, for example, is a truly exceptional crafter of weapons and other things that could be considered expressions of their Focus.
An example of what I mean by exceptional would be that they can take a cutlery knife and turn it into a blade that can sever atomic bonds. Not instantly, the point of the Practice Effect is that even the miracles possible with it take time and that nothing truly beats hard work. But the hard work of a Potential is infinitely more extended in scope compared to a 'normal' human. A human would need tools, technology, laboratories and generators and all the trappings of the hyper-advanced science that the Shiplords banned in the Directives to do something like that.
Going to leave this open for the next eight to ten hours then I'll call it and start on the next update. I do believe First Awoken is winning 4 to 2 to 2 currently.
Attachment could work, yes, but it is very much the focus of a Third Awakened. The first part suggestion is somewhat unlikely to work, Practice has issues working on people, but it could give you some insight into the manner of such attachments on an emotional level.
Stability could suit Second or Third, although an argument that could be made for First, but it's a hard one to quantify. It would probably be focused on part of what that means, although with some ability to grow (directions and limitations on that dictated by if you're First, Second or Third). A lot of ways that could go, in the end.
