Intro To ShadowHaven IC

ShadowHaven is a term that encompasses the infrastructure to support shadow runners. The core of the ShadowHaven is a host that runs a software that helps fixers and johnsons manage the large roster of shadow runners in Seattle and worldwide. Shadow vendors, however, have found value in advertising their wares or setting up virtual storefronts. Runners have taken it as a place to share valuable data that keeps them alive. Further, the runners have established front companies to blend their operations into the world. The haven is defended by the deckers and technomancer runners, in addition to a free sprite called Hipster Machine, named for the record player its code was found on.

“I got a warning about a Johnson dealing with the theft of an experimental chemical from a dying runner. It is worth reading the threads, even if the poetry...needs work.” ~ Syzygy Ephemeral

“Also, do not trust the Crime Mall sushi 4 rolls for 1 nuyen deal, no matter how much they push the coupon code in your face.”~ Ends-the-Night

Joining the Haven

Joining the Haven is an exciting time for a runner. Typically, the pathway to becoming a legit shadow runner involves a long slog of low-level work or slowly gaining a network in order to get the recommendations. During this early career, the runner may gain the attention of a fixer who will start managing them and getting them fancier, but still low-level jobs. After some time doing grunt work for the corporations, their fixer along with 3 Johnsons will send their recommendations for the runner to join the ShadowHaven. These recommendations aren’t given lightly, as recommending too many low-quality runners will result in having your recommendations ignored.

Challenge App

Once an agent of the Haven - often called a minion - reviews your application package, they will set up a time for a physical meeting. At this meeting, you will be given a datachip with an application that allows a runner to connect to the ShadowHaven host. It is encrypted with a key on your assigned minion’s and your fixer’s apps. This application automates the process of using challenge coins, allowing to know that they are talking with a Haven verified fixer, runner, Johnson or vendor. The app also contains a one-time pad listing transponder frequencies to be used in case the ShadowHaven host is offline. Members can choose not to reveal their status to others. That is, revealing ShadowHaven status requires a user consent.

“If someone besides you picks up your comlink, the application will self-erase as it detects an unknown persona. While the matrix is weird, the persona system does make hiding criminal activity easier. You can also erase the program with a mental command or a button press.” ~ Sysop TANJ

The Social Environment of the Haven

The Runner Profile

After the challenge chip encryption meeting, the runner is able to walk into the ShadowHaven host. It at first seems like the marble lobby of a consulting company, but after speaking to the security that represents the login interface, the runner is able to pass into a neon filled haven for crime. If a runner walks into the long tunnels making up the Haven’s host, they could tap on any wall to bring up their runner profile.

“I understand having to trade gel rounds and SnS rounds, but start de-rezzing runners with APDS, I will dust your reputation score here.” ~ Awful Weight

“Yeah Dying Days. That reminds me, time for my daily drek on your profile.” ~No Compromise

“Slot off, you don’t know what you were dealing with. That wound was merely a flesh wound and you ended up in a DocWagon clinic with expenses paid. An APDS round to the shoulder is better than … ghost that place… I tried, okay. I’m a good shot, and no damage was done. I had to make it look like you died. You don’t understand. I didn’t have to go through the effort to save your hoop. I could have greased you and nothing would have happened. We don’t owe each other loyalty, keeping you alive was just professional courtesy. ” ~ Dying Days

“What?” ~ No Compromise

“Just a reminder, Compromise, demerits are also weighted based on the amount given out by the user. It is better to demerit people only when they truly do some slotted up drek." ~SysOp TANJ

The runner profile will list a message of the day, statistics about the Haven host and membership, news items filtered based on the runner’s preferences and likely jobs available for the runner to apply to, private messages, the number of replies to posts in the social areas of the Haven, and finally the runner’s Q-score.

Q-score is an in-character way to address a runner’s combined street cred, public awareness and notoriety. It is generated based off comments and reviews left by other runners, fixers, and johnsons. It will also take into account news stories from on the matrix about the shadow runner.

Chat Rooms

If one explores the tunnels of the ShadowHaven host, you’ll find a number of runner sculpted areas to hang out. Below is a selection of some of the more popular hangout areas.

E-wasted

Created by Quicksort, a decker who did bartending to pay for her computer science degree, e-wasted is known for its realistic simsense rending of popular drinks. Its dim, LED and neon light interior combined with a makeshift collection of famous circuit boards make it a fitting place to relax for most runners.

“Slot yeah, I just got the rendering of the Apollo Guidance Computer working. Come on down a try it out!” ~ Quicksort

Squatch Cave

Towards the rear of the hosts maze of Hallways and Q scores, the regular architecture gives way to 16 bit bricks of a golden hue, which eventually dump into a full oversized cave all animated in glowing cheerful sixteen bit iconography. Hanging around the cave are various portraits of different biomes, a desert, an ocean, etc, that Icons can enter if they prefer to good in a sixteen bit ocean or forest instead of a cave. Communication is two way from these "pockets" but the icons take on aspects of the pocket the are in. (In the forest you get a leaf in your hair, etc.)

The area is sculpted to prefer sixteen or 8 bit icons and retro stuff, and comes loaded with several couches and additional screens , a few retro arcade games with variable options, all jacked up by Chance, loading in info from the real world and a variety of runner trids, horizon streams and back channel matrix information on the local shadow happenings, as well as a foosball table, a ping pong table, and a pool table all in sixteen bit.

Posting Jobs to the Haven

When posting jobs to the ShadowHaven, johnsons will post their requests to the server. Fixers will then present their solution packages and verify the job. If the johnson likes a fixer’s solution package, they will pay the fixer’s finder fee to have the privilege of proposing their job to the selected runners.

“The fixer’s finder fee to handled in the background, don’t worry about it. Slick, eh?” ~ SysOp TANJ

The Johnson will then attempt to convince the runners to work for them in their post.