Right at the end of last week there were a lot of things people were still investigating. So post your questions on the forum and I will answer them.

If any of you need any other information/ gear to plan your run, post what you do and I will reply with what happens. If there is anything secret you are doing just email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will reply by email.

Oh and can someone put up a short recap for Rich so he knows what is going on.

Cheers,

Sridat

Yes, astral sight cost is tailored to my game. 0.25 points for astral sight.

Hi Sridat,

Hopefully a quick question. Below you mention Astral Perception is reduced to 0.25, but in both the books I have (standard 4ed and 20 anniversary ed) it's listed as 1. Is this right or is the cost tailored to your game?

Cheers,
Rich

Have now added my contacts into the bottom of my previous background post (to remain in keeping with the established format). Almost there...

Rich

C.A.D. / (SIN Jon Donfries)

CAD was born to a normal wageslave family, his father was a low level line manager in a heavy manufacturing plant near Glasgow and his mother was a secretary in the organisation as well. CAD was educated in a corporate schooling facility, and while he showed an aptitude for the matrix and tech he received average grades as CAD spent as much time hacking school nodes and tagging BBS boards.

CAD did not get a Corp scholarship at the end of school but was offered a position in the Military as soldier of the matrix. CAD underwent extensive training and augmentation while in the Military and had participated in a number of missions supporting Military interests. It was on one of these mission where they had to go across borders they were shot down out of the sky, and a broken CAD managed to get himself back to British territory, after dodging opposition scouts and dealing with a lot of physical and mental damage. The Military rehabilitated him as well as rebuilding him.

During the rebuild phase CAD had been given Rec Leave, and on Rec Leave he had organised to have a full scan to spec all the equipment he had in his system. The scan went deep and came back with an unrecognised peice of equipment in his system. CAD went AWOL from the Military when they did not volunteer the information about what the implant was for. Fearing a cortex bomb of some other scanners type situation CAD headed off to the London sprawl to lose himself.

The first few months CAD ran the streets fast and loose, a cocktail and drugs and adrenalin fueling frantic biz, with CAD trying to get the nuyen up for extensive plastic surgery, to pay other hackers to erase pieces of his SIN history and to get up some start up capital for equipment and stop himself thinking about the bomb that would go off in his head at any moment. CAD has managed to create a fake SIN he does biz under.

After this frantic period CAD started to worry about being identified as a Military hacker due to the way he was trained to react in certain matrix situations. CAD aquired an Info Broker to act as his agent, vetting his exposure to the greater world and organising the drip of biz that has come his way to support his low profile. CAD tries and throws this off by doing unpredictable things during runs to show a less drilled way of hacking, the only exception is during CyberCombat where his Military training comes to the fore and is easily recognised.

With all these requirements for privacy he has not isolated himself entirely. He normally runs multiple identities and handles across the matrix and involved in social networking and matrix clubbing. He is a regular user of the Shadowlands BBS, he posts regularly about Sinthcore music, a variety of places about Matrix gaming, Tech pages, SIM sites and Cricket pages. He tries to protect his identity here by using a variety of comms he has appropriated from one place or another. He has built a custom Comm, which I an interest to him. This is only used on the most important runs and when the most grunt will be needed for a job.

Recently CAD has had to change his modus operandi for a group he had done some work with. The group was professional enough to demand a meet with the hacker. CAD had his info broker and fixer running gotos on the lot of them, and the results he got back were they were professional, and also quiet. The payday the jobs promised was impressive as well so he started to dedicate some of his time to work generated by this interesting group of reprobates. He is a little hesitant in social situations without the matrix as he has shied away from them for a long time, although he has no qualms in putting in his 2 nuyen when planning occurs, as these tasks are reminiscent of military planning sessions he is comfortable with.

CAD is around 5’9” and 80kg. He has a physique that passes military standards. His features are bland, a blandness that only thousands of nuyen could have purchased, with light brown hair which is cut to a short roman style and light brown eyes and light stubble. He dresses in comfortable sports style clothing just in case he ever has to shift, and can be found in military style fatigues on a run. He runs a great coat most of the time, which is armour lined.

Why Shadowrun?

CAD runs the shadows as he has to keep moving, and being a shadowrunner gives him the opportunity to earn money to maintain his low profile, the experience to know how to control his matrix datatrail, the equipment to do this and also provides him with opportunities to meet specialised beings with the knowledge which may help him identify what has been placed in his system.

Contacts

Rik Morantz - Info Broker L5/C3
Rik is the main gatekeeper for CAD’s services and acts as his booking agent in most situations. Rik and CAD have mutually beneficial relationship; Rik acts as a buffer between CAD and the world and gets a hefty booking fee for his services. CAD has also helped Rik out of some sticky situations, being the gun that helped him out of a rub out hit, or clearing debts and appropriating him funds for other needs. As Rik is an Info Broker his main source of business is selling on information to a large web of Media, Corp and Shadow contacts

Shadowlands BBS L2/C4 (Group)
The Shadowland BBS is the place where the shadow community goes to discuss everything and anything related to the shadows. Who's frelling who over, who's planning what projects, what's going on in the Sixth World and how runners can make money off of this. Shadowland is content driven and is meticulously maintained to keep discussions on-topic. Any connection that either that goes off-topic, advertises their services, or surpasses the megapulse ratio of 2.5/1 text/comment has their access rerouted to Shadowcell, an open forum. ((FastJack implies that the Shadowland BBS has been destroyed since the Crash 2.0. There is some evidence that some portion of the Shadowland BBS has survived as evidenced by FastJack's initial post introducing the 4th edition core book.)) CAD is a regular user of this forum and is known by the handle of CtrlBreak.

Dr Feelgood - CyberDoc L2/C2
Ah the good Doc has always come in handy when CAD has needed to be stitched up, needed new equipment or a service on the existing hardware. The Dr has access to some low level shadow equipment but sometimes CAD has had to source it in other places for the DR to install. Dr Feelgood knows about the implant but has not been able to deduce its true function, and is wary about mucking with it in case it explodes due to his intrusion.

Nik the Greek - Fixer L3/C3
Nik is a mid level fixer who operates mainly in the London area. Nik has connections over the world though, and is expert at locating all kinds of Tech and black market items. Nik has also brokered deals with others techies who have diagnostic equipment to ID what is inside CAD. The relationship between Nik and CAD is mainly one way, with CAD paying Nik for any consumables or information required, but Nik is grateful for the business CAD brings his way. Nik knows CAD has some premium spec equipment but is not very aware of CAD’s capabilities.

PollyPanda - Blogger L3/C3
CAD has crossed paths in multiple places with PollyPanda on various boards and chatrooms, they speak and PM often but have never met in the flesh, CAD is not even certain of the sex of PollyPanda, who’s avatar appears online as a clockwork Panda. They met officially at an exclusive matrix club that they both had managed to hack into and PollyPanda knows CAD by the handle of EscF1. It was there they realised they had a mutual interest in things like music, games and the shadows. PollyPanda posts on many sites and loves being the font of knowledge, dropping obscurities or delivering information scoops. CAD has passed on certain information he has discovered on runs for Polly to break, as well as using PollyPanda as a conduit to leak other stories to the relevant communities. PollyPanda is well connected so can be a good source of information about what is happening around the matrix and in their mutual interest areas

Eloise Petra Lafayette ("Pepper")

They say I was born in the back of the old Hermes, and that the convoy never even slowed down to give Mama a break. I can believe that. That was 2059. I don't know the date: Papa in his wisdom decided when he got to ten children (and I was number 13), that it would be easier for us all to just celebrate on the same day. That idea kinda caught on with some of the other families in the Community. Papa was like that, a trendsetter, a leader, a man that the Community looked up to, and I can kind of respect him for that. For all the violence (some would say murder), womanising (some would say rape) and theft (some would say borrowing), he could lead the Community. You'd think being the child a man like that would have its advantages. Well, for my 14 brothers it did, but for me, I was just another girl. Look pretty. Marry early. Clean the home, cook the food, bear the children, raise the children. I wanted him to notice me so badly. Just a girl.

Mama understood, she knew the frustration, and why I always ended up sneaking after my brothers into the latest nameless, featureless town that didn't want us. Papa beat her for not stopping me. And he beat my eldest brother, Aramis, for not sending me home (although he tried). Aramis was my hero, he was all Papa was but without his weaknesses. If he had lived longer, he would have changed everything for the better. He taught me how to scrap, along with Renard (brother number 12), how to fight like the men in the Community fought, stripped to the waist and bare knuckled (although this embarrassed them when I hit puberty). And they respected me, respected my talent. Aramis said I was the best fighter in our family, except Papa and him. I took pride in that, to be good at something other than being seen and not heard.

I remember crying when Mama told me who I would marry. I wanted to stay with her. But that was the way of things, and it was not a choice. I was twelve then. Cordel, my husband, was not a looker nor the brightest of men, but his family had influence. He seemed pleasant, until we were wed. I try to forget those days, the violence and humiliation. The stillbirth. I still remember my son's face. Never forget. I barely survived the delivery, and it ruined me. Cordel blamed me and I blamed myself. I welcomed the beatings. Until after six months, Cordel decided that he needed a new breeding mare and the kindest thing would be to put me out of my misery. When we reached a town, his brothers carried me into it and beat me, to make it look like locals. I “had form”, after all. Aramis found me, I remember his voice, but I was too broken to speak or move, or even see him. I heard Papa's voice then too, and it was Papa that told him to leave me there. I imagine it was to save him the embarrassment. And while they left, I know it was Aramis that sent Remy to find me. I know because Remy told me.

Remy was a small time crook, and while he did like to take advantage of people, he was not really bad to the core. He nursed me in the back of his van as we went south. It was a week before I could see, a month before I could move, two months before I could eat and drink without help, six months before I could sit up in bed, nine months before I took some painful, hesitant steps. Remy said that the money for the docs and the drugs came from my brother, but Aramis never had that much. I owe Remy more than I can say, and he asked nothing in return. By the time we reached Marseilles, I was well enough to start regaining my fitness, and soon I was looking out for Remy, making sure his many ill-advised ventures didn't leave me an early inheritance. Of course, he quickly found a good use for my talents in the pits. It was harmless stuff, rigging bets and so on. It was around this time that I Awakened, and soon I was so far clear of the local competition that I could put most of them down without causing permanent damage. Unfortunately, I came to the attention of talent spotters. They gave me chance to say goodbye to Remy at least, and I understand they gave him a generous “finders fee”. Meanwhile I received assurance that Remy would come to no harm.

I was passed to “La Confrérie” (original, huh?) and they saw to my training and employment thereafter. I was treated well, to be fair. They put my body back to the way it was before I was beaten almost to death, and then they improved it. They gave me access to trainers and sparring partners from around the world. They honed me, and I loved it. Then came my first fight. The crowd was small, maybe fifty around that pit. “Quality assurance” or some such. We fought masked like gladiators; which was explained off as “reducing bias”, and I was too stupid to question. My opponent was good. He was big and quick. I recognised some of my trainers in him, and something else, but again I was too focused on the fight to think. We went at each other for so long; they kept us going with stims. I was in a bad way and was so pumped full of narcs by the end I couldn't even remember why I was there. When I finally, finally got the chance to finish it, I didn't even hesitate. And when I stood there then, wavering over his body I realised what I had become, and I felt not a shred of regret. This was what I was made for. Not cleaning and cooking and looking pretty. Frak you Papa, frak you Cordel. The power was intoxicating and the force of it ripped out of my lungs into that pit, pummelling the ears of the fifty. My bloodied hands ripped the mask from my dead, broken foe. Aramis.

I understand this is standard practice; blackmail basically. They find your deepest shame and hold you with it. Of course there's also the bindings, the armed guards, the Watchers, the drug addiction et cetera, but shame adds another level of hold. Imagine how your mother would feel, what your brothers would think, what your father would do. There's nothing out there for you now. Of course, they misjudged me. That the bindings could only hold me so long, that the guards and the Watchers were gnats to be brushed aside, the drugs could be resisted for a while at least, and that Mama thought I was dead and Papa would have been the person to tell her that. I bided my time, watching, waiting, making friends when chances arose, garnering favours from guards with my barren body, learning to control the drugs. For five years, I carried on fighting for La Confrérie, winning when I was told, losing when I was told, and all the time hoping that in the latter they would rebuild me. And at last I got my chance.

I was to lose the fight. There was a lot of money resting on it, but my employers had no reason to think I would do anything other than follow orders. I took a beating, but tempered it and when the signal came to fall, I feigned fatigue and opened my guard. Smug bastard, walked right into it. In the uproar and confusion the guards came for me, but they had been betrayed by their own “brother” (Benoit, who had also placed a nice bet on my winning and had a vehicle warming outside). Their tasers held no charge, their pistols carried blanks, and they were dead before it registered in their tiny brains. I regret that I couldn't reduce the numbers of La Confrérie further that night, but I know that I caused them a humiliation and financial loss that they would carry for a long time. I regret also that I had to kill Benoit; I made him happy one last time before doing so. Then I took the money, and disappeared.

The money was enough for me to stay discreetly out of sight for a couple of years, during which time I changed my features and planned my onward journey. A little patience and a couple of years later I made my move to London. Against all odds I found that my brother Renard lives here, having made his break from the Community after my “death”. I share my accommodation and occasionally my life with him. I live modestly and discreetly. I still train, and I still fight from time to time for money, if I can do so without raising my profile too much. I train others as well, to give the weak strength, to give focus to those without direction, to give choice to those who think they have none. When money falls short, I Run, and this keeps my classes going. But I'd be lying if I told you that's the reason that I Run. I Run because the people I Run with respect me, because they appreciate my calling, and because despite their failings I like them. And I Run for me, to find the perfect moment that only occurs when life clashes against life; the thread in the tapestry that binds the whole together, the “sacred geometry of chance”. I put my life on the line that I might live.

Contacts

(Ratings in the format Loyalty/Connection)

Renaud Cote (formerly Lafayette), ork mechanic/rigger/sibling (6/2)

Faithful Renaud, my brother and flatshare. Renaud works a backstreet garage with his partner Jess, mostly repairing vehicles that should have been retired years ago. In the little spare time he has, he races bikes. He's pretty good, but like me he does it for the love more than the nuyen. Nevertheless, his constant tinkering means our crumby two bed flat could easily be mistaken for a chopshop. Renaud doesn't stay in touch with our family, but knows how to find them if he wanted to.

Andy "Bunny" Warren, human fixer (1/2)

Bunny's the guy that fixes me up with quick earners when the need arises. We used to hang out a lot when I first arrived in town, but less since I got myself a regular space on a team. I try to meet up with him occasionally though, because he's a useful guy to know and a lot of fun on a Friday night.

Joseph "Regular Joe" Coughlin, dwarf gym owner (3/3)

Joe owns the gym where I train and run classes. He's a good guy, runs elastic accounts for his regulars unless he lost too much at the pits last night. He's also my main guy on the London fight scene - he knows all the news and fixtures, legit and otherwise, and has got me a few good gigs. Of course, he's hooked into low level organised crime which is a mixed blessing. The local Big lives right across the road from his gym, which is makes for a nice quiet street.

Marielle "Momma" Chavy, troll “hostellier” (4/2)

Momma runs a shelter for all the poor shmucks that arrive in London without a single friend or nuyen, or often word of English. She also facilitates a lot of them arriving. Momma has some scruples, she doesn't sell to organised crime, she doesn't inflate immigration fees, and she genuinely tries to give these people a new start. Not long ago, I was one of them. We're still friends and occasional sparring partners. I sometimes help her out if one of her new starters attracts unwanted attention, or looks like they might create reputational issues.

Archie "One Aye" Brown, elf forger/programmer (4/3)

Archie is a freelance hacker and forger. I met the guy through Momma and he's done a lot of clearing up behind me personally. I don't know where Archie came from or what he thinks is following him, but he's paranoid as hell. I seem to be inside his miniscule circle of trust however, for which I'm grateful.

Mike "Squealer" Taylor, human law enforcement (1/2)

Squealer is a bent rozzer. He's been back office since greasing two unarmed kids and winging his partner in the same incident down in Putney. I want to beat the frak out of this guy every time I meet him, but he's pretty handy for the inside line and diverting resources away from where they should be.

"Stinky Pete", human sanitation officer (2/1)

I don't even know Pete's real name, but I guess it's not Pete. Pete works the sewers. There's frakking miles of stinking tunnels down there and he knows them all. That's key knowledge if you need to get somewhere discreetly, or disappear off the streets vitement. Likes to talk does Pete, and I don't think it matters too much whether you're listening. Good job considering half the company Momma sends his way doesn't speak English.

Alexandr "Smiles" Kadyrov, dwarf entrepreneur (1/3)

Smiles arrived in London around the same time that I did, we certainly helped each other out in the early days. He's a real family guy. Well, I say that: he sends regular packages home to support his wife and kids, and he arranges for male family members to come and help with his various business enterprises. The guy must own seventy or more properties, a few specialist shops but mostly low grade accommodation. Some of the local talent tried to slow his expansion or levy insurance premiums from him, but soon gave up, for two reasons: all his gaffs are carefully spread along no-man's lands and disputed territories and he's real good at playing folk off against each other; and also he's the most ruthless motherfrakker I've ever known. All I'll say is, if I needed a place to hide low in a hurry, I'd go to Smiles, but I wouldn't be late with the rent.


Barry “Shaker” Jones, human driver/haulier (1/1)

Shaker runs is a freelance driver. Trucks, vans, buses, that kind of thing. Anything big enough to have a few cavities that can be covered with false panels. He does some work for Momma, but that's just the short bit over the water from France/Belgium/Denmark/Norway/Poland etc. Don't start a conversation about Wales with Shaker, unless you've got a couple of hours to kill.

“Uncle Mo”, ork barkeeper (1/3)

Uncle Mo owns “Mo's”, my most frequented water hole. Mo is Momma's brother-in-law, although he doesn't really get involved in her business. Aside from being a hell of a good listener, Mo is well plugged into the Goblin scene. Apparently he used to be some kind of equal rights activist back in the day, and still stays in touch with a surprising number of heavyweight thinkers and doers from that time.

Amelie DuCheyne, elf businesswoman (2/2)

Amelie came into London in the same crate as me. Nice girl, ambitious. Got herself a shiny new identity courtesy of Archie and slipped straight into a fast track job with Saeder-Krupp. I don't think she has much of a social life these days, but when opportunity allows we meet up for a night in the clubs.

Thanks for the game Sridat and the help getting CAD online.

I will post stats and backstory and contacts here later

Uno Webster

History
Uno is born Albert Webster 42 years ago, one of the first dwarves. When it became clear that the condition was not curable, the family "invested" in his education, sending him out of sight in Switzerland. Deformed, surrounded by a bunch of rich snotty kids, Uno was pushed at investing in his likability, playing with school politics.

Till the magic manifested at 16... and he found himself kicked around the courtyard for having charmed all the girls in the classroom. And then out of the school for enjoying a couple of them.

Dad answer on the phone was "Here is some money freak, now disappear. Do it for your poor mother".

Angast filled, Albert flew east, with the plan to learn the adept arts from Hong-li, a buddist monk that destiny had filled with adept power.

Three years later, after failing the thousandth zen question (something about how to listen to colors) but having learned a lot about how to focus his migic power, Uno (new name, old boy) was kicked out again. "Your heart has the color of Chernobyl" said the master.

Time to get back.
...
Three days washing dishes in Bejing. One week cheating street gamblers. One month selling luck-charms on the street. One ticket to London. Three days cleaning kitchens, two weeks managing a pub, one marriage with the pub owner, one divorce, half a pub worth of money, some holidays, the startup of a the "Dragon smile" disco in South London.
...
Uno is contacted by RunaCorp, a small, focused corporation who's business is "finding, storing and reselling information". Secret-mongers.
They offered Uno a new job, sure that his talents were "fit fo the job". A new job and a lot of money. Uno is still wondering how he was selected.

8 years of work: "Fixing" jobs for RunaCorp, solving problems, pulling strings and favours.
Falling in love.
Having basically a lot of fun, killing the job headaces under a constant flow of alcool.
Then, three years ago, RunaCorp board disappeared. All of them. Legal chaos for the ownership of the company, the job fell to pieces. The network of customers working with Uno falling apart.

Meanwhile a divorce. Margareth still believes Uno betrayed her...it was only work!

Then, one day, sitting at his old desk, the choice. The grunt workers were still there, and the Shadows still had the need for someone running around. Uno restarded playing the fixer...for himself. It is more difficult. He has to pull his ass up from the chair and get more involved. Customers are more problems than money. But. But. Sometimes at night, drinking the last glass before bed, he grins with satisfaction. Dad, master, colleagues, wife...they all will see what a dwarf can do!


Contacts
Margareth (Lone Star Manager Ex-wife L3-P4)
Deeply convinced her ex-husband is a tool bound to damnation, Margareth can't avoid worring for him. She knows that every time she saves his ass is simply putting herself in a worse situation for the future, but she cannot help it. Maybe he will remember her birthday this year.

Hong-el (Adept Master in Japan L1-P4)
Hong is Uno master. A taciturn elf hidden on the top of a fucking mountain, he has manifested himself through visions and stupid zen letters over the last year, babbling of Uno need to "find his way". He is an expert in magic lore and old artifacts. He has got an iPhone7, a present from Uno for Christmas.

Charline (Secretary L4-P2)
According the Margareth, Charline is the only reason Uno is not dead yet.
She pays taxes, call the laundry, fix appontiments. Uno hired her from the "Dragon Smile" staff after she was wounded in a brawl. Not as talent as her boss but more oriented at problem solving, she hope to get a kick to a new career from him in due time.

Wolfie (CyberDoc L3-P3)
Wolfie is an old schoolmate of Uno, and they re-met when Uno was restarting his life in London. They share a passion for alcool and cooperated on a bunch of dodgy operations. Wolfi installed himself all Uno's Bioware, and hates his Gremlin.


Mr Johnson (Mr Johnson L2-P4)
One of the many Mr Johnsons, this one was one of the best customer of RunaCorp and still keeps Uno number on fast dial.

Barton (Bar owner quiet room, shelter L2-P1)
Barton was hired by Uno at the foundation of the "Dragon's Smile", and was sold 90% of the venue from Uno at cheap money when the workload at RunaCorp became too heavy. He likes having Uno around when he brings rich customer. He hates having Uno around when he hides wounded Smooth Ds in the backroom.

RunaCorp (L2-P3)
The old RunaCorp team is still there, waiting for the skeleton of the corp to be acquired by someone else. Uno plays on this confusion greased with favours to get free hacking/information support. He likes the guys, and would love to hire all of them in some future investment.

Shadowrunning

Uno Shadowruns because someone has to, and he appreciates the thrill.
His lifestyle cannot subsist without shadow money.
He is also in a position in which he cannot switch off. He has pulled and made many favours to "leverage" Runacorp assets, and the exit strategy would be complex to implement.

He is proud of working with the Shades (on one day or the other he will tell Smooth D that he invented the name while drunk, the first evening they met ant the Dragon's Smile).
Good reliable guys that simply need someone to explain their point of view before the bullets kick in. And the Oni, the Oni is fun to deal with (and his sister!). Stephen is a wonderful contact: he can fix the P&L charts while they discuss the next job, what a fantastic guy.

Background

Stephen Chow and his identical twin brother, Yun-Fat, were born in West London 35 years ago to middle class parents. Stephen had a perfectly average upbringing and decided to follow in his mothers footsteps and become an accountant. Meanwhile his brother began to fall in with a bad crowd. Yun-Fat started with petty crime, joined a gang and graduated to becoming a minor member of the London branch of the Triads. At this point Stephen had left university with a degree and started working for one of the big four accountancy firms.

Years passed and Stephen lost track of his brother. They hadn’t spoken for years. One evening nine years ago, Stephen received a visit from four Triad enforcers who made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Yun-Fat had become a hit-man for the Triads and he had disappeared whilst infiltrating a rival gang with a view to killing its leader. Stephen was required to take his brothers place and finish the job. If he didn’t then his parents would meet an unfortunate accident. Stephen reluctantly agreed.

Whilst Stephen carried out the job, he found out he had a real talent for killing people. At the end of the evening the rival gang leader and six of her body guards were dead. Stephen felt more alive at that point than he had at any other time during his life. It was certainly more exciting than balancing the books. He decided to become a Triad assassin.

Over the years Stephen became a very proficient killer. He acquired a reputation for always getting the job done with no unrelated civilian deaths. He worked his way up the Triad organisational structure. He maintained the appearance of a mild mannered accountant which tended to assist with catching his victims unawares. He was careful to ensure that his extensive body modifications were all disguised so that they didn’t alter his appearance.

Reason for shadow running

Two years ago Stephen was instructed to kill a night club manager in Chinatown to make an example of him as he had refused to pay protection money. Backstage at the nightclub Stephen was about to kill the manager when he was surprised by his two bodyguards. A fire-fight broke out and in the confusion a night club singer, Sally Yeh, was hit and seriously injured. Stephen finished the job and managed to save the singer by getting her to hospital. Unfortunately as a result of her injuries Sally was blinded. Due to some unknown condition, Sally was unable to be fitted with ordinary replacement eyes; she needs custom vat grown eyes which are extremely expensive.

Stephen felt guilty for causing Sally’s injuries and began to take freelance shadow run jobs in order to pay for sally’s operation. He has also paid for extensive modifications to Sally’s home. Sally is unaware that her benefactor is the one who is responsible for her injury.

This is excellent work Ralph. It should work out quite well. I will give you 2 points of street cred for free.

Now I need the back stories from the others. (Hint hint)

Here's my character's background and contact information. Comments welcome. Last paragraph on how we know each other and what we've done needs fleshing out! No points awarded for spotting references I have stolen.

Smooth D

History
Smooth D was born 30 years ago in the experimental society of the Nu-Brixton commune. When the land on which it stood was forcibly repossessed to build a municipal recycling centre, Smooth was orphaned amidst the violence. He grew up on the hard streets of South East London, trusting only his older brother T-Dog.

They rapidly became a power to be reckoned with, and T-Dog eventually assumed control of the powerful Turnbull AC Boyz street gang, a position he holds to this day. Smooth assisted his brother as they “retired” the former gang chief, and acted as an enforcer for his will. He is remembered in this milieu, mostly well, but sometimes less fondly: he remains on the Kill-On-Sight list of smaller rival gang the SE10 Orphans.

However, Smooth was not satisfied with the mazes of concrete hab-blocks and hightowers that constituted his home turf. From an early age he was inspired by the glamour and lifestyle of trid and vox stars, and wanted to be part of the buzz of the Biz that is Show. By hanging around film crews and agents, and with the aid of the occasional veiled threat, he managed to get walk-on and extra roles in various gangster movies and rock videos. He even got a speaking part in Scorksese’s epic “South of the River”. He appears intermittently for two minutes as part of a group of henchmen, in the pivotal scene where the troubled hero throws off his conscience and descends into rage-fuelled revenge. When ordered to kill a particular minor character, Smooth utters his well-acted, emotive single line “Yes, boss”.

Smooth was fully aware that his actorly range was limited, but he had already found a better way to move in the glitzy circles he craved: by being himself. By emphasising his real-life tough-guy image, and dropping heavy hints about Bad Things in his past, he managed to get work as a location manager, street-gang language consultant, roadie and general fixer. This lead to work directly body-guarding for the kind of star who wants everyone to know that they are important enough to have a bodyguard. He is an obvious part of any entourage: a big ork in a suit tailored to appear straining to fit his muscles. Most of this work is with the kind of C-list celebs who disappear within months, but he has managed to gain some good contacts, and sometimes gets to work with major names such as “Karl Kombatmage” star Terri Patrick.

For quiet moments, he always carries the latest copy of SlebNewsNow. Fixated by the entertainment world, he spends time not at work by buffing his skills and muscles, and keeping track of as much celebrity news, pop and trid as he can consume.

Contacts
Gerry Mankowic (Top Showbiz Agent 4-4)
This hardbitten no-nonsense publicist and agent knows that Smooth does a good job, projects the right image, and keeps his mouth shut. This makes Smooth a very valued contractor, in this infamously loose-tongued industry.

Zach Elfron (Rising Trid Star 5-3)
While working with this mega-popular Elfin teen-idol, Smooth both saved Zach’s life from a crazed fan, and discovered that he is in fact an Elf-Poser – and has not disclosed this fact. These facts have both endeared Smooth to the star, and ensured a reasonable income stream for his occasional work and continued silence.

Sonny Lang (Limo Driver 3-2)
A troll, occasional bodyguard, and owner of a small limo business, Sonny has worked with Smooth a number of times, and is happy to rent him his flashy cars or sometimes even lend one gratis.

Trix Tengen (Gossip Reporter 2-4)
This journalist is always keen to get the story, and pays to be on-the-scene earlier than anyone else. She has been provided with a number of tip-offs by Smooth, usually with the consent of press-hungry stars.

T-Dog (Street-Gang Leader 6-4)
Smooth’s brother, T-Dog is a power on the streets of South London. They remain close, and while T-Dog is not as fixated by celebrity as Smooth, he appreciates Smooth’s ability to attract stars to his annual charity drives.

Charlie X (Drug Dealer 2-3)
A dirty rat bastard that Smooth knows from way back. He uses him to supply illegal recreational substances for his star clientele.

Vince Vandal (Vox Rocker 4-4)
The lead singer of The Dahlens, a massive Goblin Rock group with great crossover appeal into the mass pop market (albums include “Pistol Whip”, “Dragon Damage” and “We Piss Up Your Wall”). Vince has not forgotten his old friends from the mean streets, and helped give Smooth a leg-up by recruiting him as a roadie and splatter (like a bouncer, but harder).

Shadowrunning
With his gang background, Smooth easily slips into the dodgy, dirty and deadly underbelly of society, and has been doing “jobs” for whoever will pay ever since he had the skills to be usefully employed therein. In the present, this gains him credibility with the stars who value an aura of danger, and also enables him to better protect his clients by less than legal means. An autobiographical book or screenplay, “My Life on the Dark Side” remains an ongoing project, severely hampered by him not really wanting to incriminate himself by writing down his crimes.

He became part of the team known as The Shades through knowing Fabio’s character in a way we discussed in the pub but I can’t now remember. Simon’s character also may know Smooth through his “Tax advice to the Stars” sideline.

Also quick note on our schedule. We will not be playing on Thursday the 28/4 as not enough people can make it.

Yup, Ralph's character has been remade with 320 points and the priority system I used.

Also I am using the 20th edition core rule book which has some of the adept powers costed differently For example in the revised edition Improved Reflexes 1.2.3 is 1.5/2.5/4 magic. Which for your build would mean that Improved Reflexes 2 only costs 2.5 magic. See if you can get your hands on a copy of the 20th anniversary revised rulebook and build your character from there. Otherwise you are welcome to borrow mine.

I thought we only had 320 points to spend (then Sridat's 1/2/3 system for contacts/resources/edge)?

I like the back story. Its quite amusing. There are a few thinmg that you need to survive as a shadowrunner but we will cover that tomorrow when we go through character creation as a group