Shadowrun
Shadowrun General => General Discussion => Topic started by: RowanTheFox on <08-06-16/1403:00>
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An elf who was forced into a hibernation in the fourth world, suddenly wakes up in the sixth world. Much like the backstory of Rick Lang in Crimson. Don't really plan on doing anything with this myself, but I'll let you guys play with the idea a bit for funzies.
Imagine the culture shock!
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Not just culture shock; the evolution of language over thousands of years? They might be able to speak to a dragon or Immortal Elf. Maybe. Depends on the dialects and differences.
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between the language, culture and technology shock, it would be amazing if the person didn't go insane!
On the other hand, the stories they could tell.....
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Hibernation wouldn't really cut it. Hibernation doesn't stop aging, after all. There are only four types of beings that survived from the 4th world: Dragons, Immortal Elves, Infected, and Spirits. The first two are right out, so forget about them for now.
Infected - like Crimson, you're dealing with Type I Infected. If you're wanting to do Elf, then it would be a Banshee, unless something SERIOUSLY crazy (like 'early novel writers played fast and loose with the game rules' crazy) happened.
Spirit - Either the spirit is in the shape of an elf, or is Inhabiting the elf. Either way, not an elf.
Otherwise, you have to come up with a DAMN good reason why he hasn't aged in thousands of years.
Either way, you'll have to come up with some reason why the 'elf' hasn't shown up before now. Honestly, just stick to 'magical weirdness'. Something like an Alchera where time decided to stop, so that it has LITERALLY only been a couple seconds for him. (This would also solve the 'aging' issue.) There are plenty of events in recent history that could have shook the alchera loose and unstuck time: Big D's death, the Comet, Aztlan's magical pollution, the artifact hunt, the closing of the Watergate Rift, and more. Could be fallout from a dragon-battle.
You're going to have to decide just how long he's been in the modern world. If you want him to be even slightly functional, I'd say one of the earlier events, especially the Comet, would be an excellent choice. That'll have given him enough time to piece together enough about this modern world that he can actually survive without heavy assistance. There are only two languages that have survived since the 4th world (Sperethiel and Or'zet), and only one of those has been continually spoken (though not openly), but it still would have signs of drift. Even dealing with native Sperethiel speakers, your elf would be like someone speaking Old English to people in Times Square today.
Which brings up the next point. Someone like this WOULD have been heard about quickly unless someone else snapped them up and hushed it up. Crimson had only slept for a little while, not thousands of years, IIRC. So pick one of the big players. You're most likely talking about a Dragon, or one of the IEs. Honestly, you're going to be stuck being one of their agents. Take the 'Friends in High Places' quality, and go wild. Your GM will love you.
Now, where do you want to be found? If you're wanting to include Earthdawn material in your backstory, then you're looking at somewhere in Europe, since that's where Earthdawn happened. And an Elf would most likely have been from somewhere near the Blood Wood (You'd know it as Chernobyl). You could even take the Changeling quality and grab the Thorns, if you wanted. But that would make you a rather unfortunate reminder of the past to most IEs, so keep that in mind.
I keep bringing up patrons, because without a patron who has helped to educate them on the modern world, your elf would likely have been locked in an asylum if they were lucky, or a megacorp research program, if they weren't. Your patron may have even had you extracted from one of those places. Why would the big players do something like that? Well, aside from you being a wonderful brag piece to show off to their friends as being a unique part of their collection, you would also know a LOT about the 4th world, information that the big players have purposefully NOT spread. And they are not keen on that info spreading without their 'guidance'.
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Hibernation wouldn't really cut it. Hibernation doesn't stop aging, after all. There are only four types of beings that survived from the 4th world: Dragons, Immortal Elves, Infected, and Spirits. The first two are right out, so forget about them for now.
Infected - like Crimson, you're dealing with Type I Infected. If you're wanting to do Elf, then it would be a Banshee, unless something SERIOUSLY crazy (like 'early novel writers played fast and loose with the game rules' crazy) happened.
Spirit - Either the spirit is in the shape of an elf, or is Inhabiting the elf. Either way, not an elf.
Otherwise, you have to come up with a DAMN good reason why he hasn't aged in thousands of years.
Either way, you'll have to come up with some reason why the 'elf' hasn't shown up before now. Honestly, just stick to 'magical weirdness'. Something like an Alchera where time decided to stop, so that it has LITERALLY only been a couple seconds for him. (This would also solve the 'aging' issue.) There are plenty of events in recent history that could have shook the alchera loose and unstuck time: Big D's death, the Comet, Aztlan's magical pollution, the artifact hunt, the closing of the Watergate Rift, and more. Could be fallout from a dragon-battle.
You're going to have to decide just how long he's been in the modern world. If you want him to be even slightly functional, I'd say one of the earlier events, especially the Comet, would be an excellent choice. That'll have given him enough time to piece together enough about this modern world that he can actually survive without heavy assistance. There are only two languages that have survived since the 4th world (Sperethiel and Or'zet), and only one of those has been continually spoken (though not openly), but it still would have signs of drift. Even dealing with native Sperethiel speakers, your elf would be like someone speaking Old English to people in Times Square today.
Which brings up the next point. Someone like this WOULD have been heard about quickly unless someone else snapped them up and hushed it up. Crimson had only slept for a little while, not thousands of years, IIRC. So pick one of the big players. You're most likely talking about a Dragon, or one of the IEs. Honestly, you're going to be stuck being one of their agents. Take the 'Friends in High Places' quality, and go wild. Your GM will love you.
Now, where do you want to be found? If you're wanting to include Earthdawn material in your backstory, then you're looking at somewhere in Europe, since that's where Earthdawn happened. And an Elf would most likely have been from somewhere near the Blood Wood (You'd know it as Chernobyl). You could even take the Changeling quality and grab the Thorns, if you wanted. But that would make you a rather unfortunate reminder of the past to most IEs, so keep that in mind.
I keep bringing up patrons, because without a patron who has helped to educate them on the modern world, your elf would likely have been locked in an asylum if they were lucky, or a megacorp research program, if they weren't. Your patron may have even had you extracted from one of those places. Why would the big players do something like that? Well, aside from you being a wonderful brag piece to show off to their friends as being a unique part of their collection, you would also know a LOT about the 4th world, information that the big players have purposefully NOT spread. And they are not keen on that info spreading without their 'guidance'.
I discussed this further with a friend of mine and we pretty much came to the same conclusion. The elf was trapped in time by a magical experiment gone awry until something freed them (the comet would work), and they "woke up". We thought it'd be interesting if the elf wandered around lost, dazed, and horribly confused until they get arrested. Word of this odd elf spreads on Jackpoint like a wildfire, and it's not long before Frosty sees it and is like "Whoa, wait a minute..." and goes to bail the guy out using the excuse that he's off his meds and she will take him home to keep an eye on him.
Frosty realizes the poor fragger is speaking Sperethiel, but not a dialect she knows. So she calls in Harlequin, who RECOGNIZES the elf (the backstory behind this is still in progress), and momentarily bluescreens. He probably wouldn't want someone like that to fall into the Machiavellian machinations of the other immortals either. So, once he has adjusted to the sixth world, they go out into the world and fall into Shadowrunning pretty much immediately since they would obviously be SIN-less.
So, the elf has enough understanding of the sixth world to gt by, but there are still certain things that are a complete enigma. I've decided he is absolutely fascinated by photography.
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Sounding like a way for an SR player character to have active ED connections . . .
As an alternative to 'magical experiment gone awry' would you consider 'trapped in a metaplane'? Each have their own complications - just magical experiment vs, you know, Fith World . . . might be better for all concerned if the character was just not in Earth's manasphere all that time. And probably not subject to the passing of time . . .although who's been exploring metaplanes recently? Bit of a complication, maybe . . .
Um, if Frosty can hear about this weirdo, so can Nadia Daviar, Sheila Blatavska, Ehran the Scribe, Jenna NiFairra, and probably the worst of all - Alachia. To say nothing of the great dragons, free spirits and whatever's got its hand up Aztechnology's puppet-hole.
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Sounding like a way for an SR player character to have active ED connections . . .
As an alternative to 'magical experiment gone awry' would you consider 'trapped in a metaplane'? Each have their own complications - just magical experiment vs, you know, Fith World . . . might be better for all concerned if the character was just not in Earth's manasphere all that time. And probably not subject to the passing of time . . .although who's been exploring metaplanes recently? Bit of a complication, maybe . . .
Um, if Frosty can hear about this weirdo, so can Nadia Daviar, Sheila Blatavska, Ehran the Scribe, Jenna NiFairra, and probably the worst of all - Alachia. To say nothing of the great dragons, free spirits and whatever's got its hand up Aztechnology's puppet-hole.
Trapped in a metaplane would also work.
Your second point would make for an interesting mission. Help Frosty get the guy before the other immortals, a great dragon, or -shudders- Aztechnology can.
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Let's say he stole (or got in another way) the system to save your soul into a metaplane, a bit like dragons did (Ghostwalker for instance). Unfortunately his body didn't survive and he had to possess another body.
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On the Alchera note, I could justify Harlequin's interest in the guy by saying he had something to do with the incident? I've seen a lot about some "unknown tragedy" in Harley's past. If he fragged up way back in his younger years, caused an Alchera to form, and someone he cared about got caught in the fallout...Well, that kind of guilt would drive almost anyone over the edge.
Then the Alchera, as you put it, "shakes loose" and frees him. He wanders around in a strange new world, dazed and lost, before getting arrested for whatever bulldrek reason. Frosty bails him out, and is transporting him to the Chateau D'if when a team of Shadowrunners hired by Alachia attack them. Elf is gone, Frosty is hurt and being held hostage, and Harley is PISSED.
Oh, the fallout would be SPECTACULAR.
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Do you have a player in mind for this?
What would said player get out of playing the concept?
You want a really out-there alchera? Part of Parlainth . . .
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I am liking the concept of the guy knowing Harley in his younger years, could even be a brother or cousin (giving it a bit of the FMA feeling), perhaps even who still remembers Young Harley having to use the OrcsyClean™ to deal with his elven acne. :P
The question though is what do you do with him afterwards? How much data are you wanting to introduce to the campaign?
Does he know all that much or was he pretty much an Average Joe for the most part back then?
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I am liking the concept of the guy knowing Harley in his younger years, could even be a brother or cousin (giving it a bit of the FMA feeling), perhaps even who still remembers Young Harley having to use the OrcsyClean™ to deal with his elven acne. :P
The question though is what do you do with him afterwards? How much data are you wanting to introduce to the campaign?
Does he know all that much or was he pretty much an Average Joe for the most part back then?
My friend and I decided it'd be awesome if the guy was Harley's little brother. He takes one look at Harley and gives him a big hug before saying, in Sperethiel, "Brother, I barely recognized you! Why are you painted like that?"
Meanwhile you can see half a dozen different emotions fight for dominance across Harley's face like an Elven blue screen of death.
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I also didn't have a player in mind for this. It was just a random idea that popped into my head, but actually playing this character would definitely be interesting.
Parlainth is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how he would have wound up there.
Since he would have been about 14-15 years old when he was trapped, he probably wouldn't be very powerful, but the only magic he would know is ED era stuff.
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Do you have a player in mind for this?
What would said player get out of playing the concept?
You want a really out-there alchera? Part of Parlainth . . .
Ooh, or the Alchera thrust him forward through time? One minute he's in Sereatha working on an experiment with his brother, and then BANG! He's suddenly in the middle of nowhere in the Ukraine countryside where Sereatha once stood, and it's several thousand years in the future.
Kinda like Alduin in Skyrim.
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Not just culture shock; the evolution of language over thousands of years? They might be able to speak to a dragon or Immortal Elf. Maybe. Depends on the dialects and differences.
He also wouldn't know that the Scourge was a thing that happened.
Sereatha? Gone.
Thera? Gone.
The Wyrm Wood? Gone, and he wouldn't know about the ritual of thorns either.
All of his friends? Gone.
He pops into the SR world with no idea what happened during his absence, and his only remaining loved one is completely batdrek insane. Everything he knew is either gone or has changed so much that it's barely recognizable.
Poor guy...
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And then there is the question of what he could actually DO....
With the mana levels so depressed from what he is used to, its arguable that any magical talent he has just doesn't work anymore, or causes so much strain to his system, he pops his own cork at the first spell he casts...
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And then there is the question of what he could actually DO....
With the mana levels so depressed from what he is used to, its arguable that any magical talent he has just doesn't work anymore, or causes so much strain to his system, he pops his own cork at the first spell he casts...
If he followed in his brother's footsteps before he was caught in the Alchera, he'd probably know his way around a sword. So, he'd probably act like more of a mystic adept than a full mage, simply because most of the spells he knows either don't work or cause too much drain.
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So, wrote this up on a whim...
“Hard at work again, I see.” A familiar voice from the pale-haired elf’s concentration. He carefully set down the glass vial and turned his head.
“Please, Caimbuel, I’m working on an extremely delicate experiment and I can’t afford any distractions.”
Caimbuel chuckled, his green eyes glittering with mischief. “Ah, but what else are big brothers for? Besides, all of your experiments are delicate.” He swooped in and swiped the vial from the workbench and eyed it closely. “What are you working on, anyway?”
“Please give that back! It’s extremely unstable!” He reached for the vial, but his older brother held it up out of reach.
“I will as soon as you tell me what it is.” Caimbuel laughed and pushed his sibling’s head to the side playfully.
“It’s an alchemical preparation that will allow the user to control time temporarily.” The young elf grumbled. “There, happy? Now give it back!”
“Pfft, you are being willfully stupid, Amryn. Everyone knows you can’t control time! Not even the Therans can pull that off!” He turned towards the corner and lifted his arm to throw the vial. “Stop wasting your time on foolish endeavors.”
“Wait, don’t!” Amryn reached for the vial, but it was too late. Caimbuel chucked the vial against the wall, shattering it.
A loud ripping sound was heard, and Amryn shoved his brother out of the way just before a massive explosion tore the building apart. Caimbuel was thrown back several feet, and landed on his back hard enough to knock the wind out of him. He was temporarily deafened by the sound and blinked to clear his vision.
“Amryn, are you alright?” He coughed. His eyes grew wide as the smoke cleared. The building had been reduced to rubble, and his little brother was nowhere in sight. He jumped to his feet and dug desperately through the shattered stones. “Amryn!”
Tears streamed down his face as two firm hands grabbed his arms and pulled him back. “He’s gone, Caimbuel!”
He fought against his father’s grip and screamed. “Amryn!”
His father hugged him tightly as he wept. “He’s gone.”
“This is my fault.” He choked on his words. “It’s all my fault…”