Chapter 1: Preview

Game Run: Week 1, Day 1 - Week 2, Day 1
Calendar Dates: December 10 - December 31

Quick Navigation
The Nine
The Company
Leithians
True Leithians
Westies
Resistance
RAC

Since each faction will have an impact on each other, it's highly recommended that you stay privy to the movements of all factions--even those your character isn't involved with!

The Nine

Rumors circulate that the matriarch of Land Derrish has fallen ill following attendance to Land Hyponia's blessing ceremony. Amidst rising political tensions and potential in-fighting in the Nine, the frantic search for an heir to Derrish begins.

Some houses seek out the services of criminals to secure the future heir without tipping their hands, following leads that the child may still be in utero within the safety of a surrogacy cloister. Their aim, ultimately, is to strike backroom deals and further their political position in days to come. Other houses use more legitimate channels, letting their support be known, requesting official, open warrants for the retrieval of the heir and sizable payouts for the team or teams responsible for completing the mission.

But not all intentions are so honorable, if any of them truly are. Of the remaining eight, half would see the heir and surrogate dead, effectively forfeiting the ancestral lands under Derrish control. Doing so would put whichever house can mobilize a private force quickly enough to seize control in a position of power that outranks all others within the remaining eight houses.

Every effort is being taken to keep this information a secret, but like most secrets within high society, it spreads through the RAC and Criminal Underworld like wildfire. For some, it's potential disaster: the last time the Nines were incomplete, the Quad was plunged into one of the bloodiest wars in history. For others, it's the chance for a payday--when the streets run red, the pocket book gets heavy.

The company

In response to increased civil disobedience--or that's what they're saying--Company enforcers are out in fuller force than ever, performing ID checks at gun point at random hours of the day whether someone is outdoors or not. Tension is high within Company ranks, rumors of the growing instability among the Nine sparking dissent among an already divided body.

"We need to send a message," says a staff directive, "Loud and clear."

And so a message they send. Beginning on Week 1, Day 2, a heat wave advisory will have Westies indoor bound and last for several hours. The following day, violent storm clouds--picking up toxins off the Badlands--will bring three days of black rain storms. While there will be brief interludes between the showers, the Company is using these storms for public execution, dragging some of their worst offenders and charged rebels into Old Town's public square and bolting them down to let the acidic rains finish the job. Any attempt to interfere in this will land you a place beside them and certain, excruciating death.

If your supplies run out during this time period, you'll find yourself forced to make do--unless, of course, you happen to know of a way to move through Old Town without ever seeing the sky.

Leithians

Leith is coming to the end of its harvest season and seasonal worker visas will soon expire. While for most workers this is a welcomed chance to return to their homes and loved ones, there are several who would rather overstay their welcome--and some corrupt officials who are willing to let that happen.

Killjoys and Company enforcers will be relying on Leithian intel to root out these 'high risk targets' and confirm their biometric implants match their visa paperwork. Should discrepancies be found, they'll be issued an order of arrest, and depending on the party, it may or may not entail live capture.

True Leithians

Claimant Day is less than a month away. That worries a lot of people, but perhaps no one is more worried than the True Leithians, those individuals who fear--and some rightfully so--that their lands will become part of the offerings to the seventh generation Westies once their genetic history is processed.

So they devise a plan. On week 1, day 5, a small, well-armed group of True Leithians attacks the Family Registry Bureau on Westerley and compromises the identity of hundreds of families. Some of the terrorists will escape off planet before detection, while others will flee into the nooks and crannies of Old Town and the Undercity Tunnels.

Enforcers will be tasked with killing them, Killjoys with capturing them alive or dead, and criminals--well, they'll do their own thing, but most are likely to want to fence the goods, for a forged genetic identity document can be worth hundreds of thousands of joy to the right buyer.

Westies

Citizens of Westerley are in for a rough ride for the next few days. Between increased Company aggression, black rains, Leithian terrorism, and the impending harvest week celebration, tensions are high and business is slow. Most Westies will be confined to their homes for the duration of the rains, but those in the know--or just desperate enough--will delve into the underbelly of Old Town and find themselves amidst hostile scavengers and even more hostile neighbors.

The trouble will not end there, however. The True Leithian attack will result in some families, at least temporarily, losing their rights to claim land on Leith through no fault of their own, their genetic identities stolen from the very agency charged with keeping track of them. If they can scrounge up the joy, they might be able to convince a Killjoy to pursue their case personally, or they might just go after the thieves themselves.

Resistance

Following the Company executions--some of which took out true Resistance leaders, but many of which punished those who simply dared to speak without fear--a power vacuum opens up in this already disparate organization. Emboldened by the cover provided by the black rains, remaining key members begin to congregate beneath Old Town, leaving small, seemingly nondescript marks on the wall and sending out their agents to spread dissent among the agitated masses in the dirty confines of the Undercity Tunnels.

Some speak of bunkers, designed long ago in the initial construction of Old Town, that might hold the potential for disconnected safehouses for this struggling rebellion. But in a power vacuum often emerges the worst traits of humanity--will these would be revolutionaries survive their own power hunger? Or will the rebellion turn in on itself before it can learn to stand?

Reclamation apprehension COALITION

Ever neutral, the RAC will not be directly involved in any faction movement, but will be utilized as a third party for each of the above factions' needs provided they have the right money and power to get a warrant cleared. RAC agents can expect to stay busy in the coming days-whether they're hunting to save an heir, retrieving items in the black rains, searching for visa jumpers, or pursuing True Leithian terrorists, their work load will be exceptionally high.

While it's never required to work with the Company, both factions will find it beneficial to work in stride for some assignments--ultimately, they're answering to the same masters.

For now.

Chapter 1: Preview

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