The Ntwrk, a Shadowrun Technopath (A to Z, N)

Now we swing back to Shadowrun.  There do not seem to be a lot of systems which allow characters to have the ability to link up with the computer network but he could work in any of those too.  The ability to innately connect with computers is a core to his identity and style.

The Ntwrk returned from his preferred realm, the realm of thought and ideas, to the heavy and depressing world that some called ‘real’.  “I have set the cameras of a staggered loop, we have five minutes, then it will loop again.  It should be nearly undetectable the first time.  But we should not give them time to look at it again.”

“Noted,” said Swagger.  “Move people.”

Slice opened the door with the efficient, and surprisingly quiet, use of a monofilament chainsaw.  “Clear,” he said.  We followed.

Yonder lead the way, NarcoJet ready.  He looked around a corner and then made two quiet shots followed by a soft thump from down the corridor.  “Worker, not a guard,” he whispered.

We moved forward, Swagger dropped a neutral-colored plastic cloth over the unfortunate worker to make him less visible. The narojet would keep them out until we were long gone.

I felt the comforting hum of the matrix network as we moved forward.  “We had best hope that no one was tracking or expecting that worker.”

“So, keep moving people,” said Swagger.  “We are still on schedule.”

The Ntwrk, a Shadowrun Technopath

Quote: Yes, of course I can do it.  But are you sure that is all you want done?  You are paying for my time.

The Matrix architecture is fascinating here.  I wonder who designed it.

Description: The Ntwrk is of African-American descent, but he seems leeched of color as he spends the minimal amount of time outside that he can and subsists on a diet of Solent and energy drinks.  He has a datajack, cybereyes (appearing fully chromed for meets), and some other enhancements, while he intends to leave the body and brain behind, until then, he needs it to work at peak efficiency.

He wears the ubiquitous long coat and favors a fedora (he likes hats, it is about the only thing he will miss when he no longer has a body) with nondescript corporate clothing and waterproof boots.  He does not stand out for all his pallor, seeming to be just another overworked salariman on the streets of Seattle.

His Matrix icon at work is just a generic city icon but when he is free of such restrains, it appears as a glowing silver orb cycling through all the nearby data as reflections on its surface.

Background: There was a time from before he could hear the Matrix but it was so long ago, it seems like something from an old TriD or a dream, for as long as he can clearly recall, the Matrix has been talking to him.

He finds it hard to remember, hard to even imagine, what life would be like without that constant sense of connection.  When it is cut off, accidentally by areas with poor reception or deliberately by something like a Faraday cage, it is deeply disorienting.  He considers himself more a creature of the Matrix than one of the laughingly called “real world” but, annoyingly, the physical body must be maintained to keep the link to the Matrix . . . at least for now.  Someday he would transcend the need for a biological brain and exist only as a mind in the Matrix.  But someday was not now and these days, he still had to eat.

His ability to manipulate the Matrix made it easy to get through school; it was all Matrix-based learning after all.  He absorbed the data and spat out what was needed by the system to get good grades.  It was not exactly cheating but close.

Using his good grades and better hacking skills, he got a low-level programming job with the MetroPlex government, it covers his basic expenses and makes few demands.  But he came to realize that just working on open systems of the Matrix would not give him the knowledge he needed to transition to the perfect world of the Matrix.

But working in the shadows, there he could find the answers to some of the secrets, find the keys to transform from gross matter to perfected thought.  He does not mind that the people he works with consider him weird and unsettling, he thinks the same of them.  But as the Ntwrk, he is gaining insight to systems with unique architecture and gathering the pieces of the puzzle he needs to complete.

Presenting this Character: The Ntwrk is quiet and observant.  He tries to analyze the situation before giving an opinion.  He is exceptionally concerned with his physical safety, this body is all he has until he can make that jump to fully live in the Matrix and he is not going to let it get broken before he can do that.

The only time he will offer unsoliticted opinion and wax poetic is when talking of the Matrix, and he tries to restrain himself from doing so, but he assumes that he has been hired for his Matrix skills and he expects people to listen to his advice and he does to things in their area of expertise.

Not that he discusses it with anyone, but he prefers the term technopath to the more common technomancer as one who perceives technology, and the Matrix the highest expression of technology, on an intuitive level (technomancer implies divination by use of technology which is not really what the abilities do).  Not that he is going to argue with anyone over it, he just likes precision in definitions.

Who might know him and why: Anyone who hangs out in transhumanist chatrooms might have encountered the Ntwrk.  He is a seeker after knowledge, not a fanatic or a preacher; he is happy to talk with people who have interesting ideas and have seen odd things in the Matrix.

He also contributes to charities and other local groups that need their Matrix sites built or improved.  It is something useful to do that helps out and allows him to keep his programming skills up to snuff (goodness knows, his job does not).  It also lets he see corners of the Matrix he might not otherwise visit, so it is win-win all around.  So someone else who helps out might know him but probably only through the Matrix.

Of course, they could have worked with the Ntwrk on a run, but that is sort of a boring way to meet, but it works.

Plot Hooks: The Ntwrk has discovered that some corporation is trying to infiltrate and subvert the Matrix site of a charity he has been working with.  He thinks he knows why and asks the characters for help in exposing the corporation’s actions.

If one of the characters is a fellow technopath, the Ntwrk could act as a mentor and guide.

Notes: This character was part of my project for exploring character types I do not often play.  I never got around to finishing his character sheet as the mechanical side of Shadowrun character generation is a real chore.

Image from PublicDomainPictures.net and is in the Public Domain.