N1gh7m4r3

N1gh7m4r3

A Shadow of the Matrix
Player	Benny
Metatype	E-Ghost
Street Cred	0
Notoriety	0
Public Awareness	0
Titles and Awards	0
CDP	0
D.O.B.	03.29.2043
Age	43
Folder	Nightmare
Priority	Metatype - C Attributes - A Magic/Resonance - E Skills - B Resources - D
Ascensions Unlocked	0
Ascensions Completed	None!

Character Information

Aspect	Information	Related Run(s)
John Riley	N1gh7m4r3 is one of the rarer E-Ghosts that remembers some of his past. Things before the crash are still fragmented, but he remembers being human. He's still getting used to his digital existence.	N/A
Subtle Tactics	He prefers a light touch. Cybercombat is messy, but sometimes required. He's not afraid to fight, but would rather avoid it if he can.	N/A
It's all Ares' Fault	He was doing some work for Ares when he died. Later on he realized that he was sent in as a disposable asset, and it still doesn't sit well with him.	N/A

Nightmare is an E-Ghost with insatiable curiosity about the Matrix. He pokes and prods wherever he can find something cool. His talents are on the subtle side of hacking, but he is capable of cybercombat if needed. He prefers to sneak around first.

His deck resides in a rented slot at the Seasource Archives. His cover is that he is an online school tutor, specializing in the Matrix and mathematics. He gets plenty of human interaction, and he pays the staff to have a spot and keep his deck in working order.

He holds Ares responsible for what happened to him. He was first and foremost a Matrix specialist, but was also a fit capable individual. He had planned for a future as a mercenary. Too late he realized that they used him. He still deals with Ares professionally, but that's where the relationship ends.

Background

Shadowrunners have been pushing themselves to the limit since before we can remember. Not only physically, but also mentally. As the Matrix came to be, it became a new stage for advancement. The Megacorps were first to exploit this. Then the public made their own way onto the Matrix.

John Riley was at the bleeding edge of Matrix development. A crazy smart kid from Atlanta, he got on early with Ares Macrotechnology as a freelancer testing out technology for them. What he saw as a golden opportunity was really Ares using and abusing a deniable asset. The Matrix was just as deadly back then as it is now. And we knew much less about it.

John had always been curious about the Matrix. There are things in the deepest parts of it that we have still yet to explore. His curiosity brought him face to face with oblivion, and cursed him to his current existence. Once, back in 2064, when he was all of 19 years old, he was digging through cyberspace in Europe. Ares was testing a new hot sim interface system and it helped out quite a bit. He was messing around with the old military infrastructures there. Many of them were interconnected. A bit of urban exploring coupled with Matrix digging. The old, icy, brutalist-styled hosts gave way and revealed their secrets. Old military secrets, assets, technology breakthroughs. But a path caught his attention. A frosty, winding road into a darkness. It led to a host in a submarine facility in Sweden. It was well hidden and non-descript. The kind of place that said "Don't mind me, just a normal host here!" Which means it was anything but. He decided to take a dive.

It was the morning of November 2nd, and a day that is seared into John's mind. He slipped in the host easily and inside saw it for what it was. Most of the world knew who Winternight was. Few knew what they were. John inadvertently hacked his way into Valhalla itself. How, he still has no idea. But he was there perhaps minutes, just long enough to fire off a message back to Ares, before he saw oblivion. At 9:31 EST, he ceased to exist. His last images of his old life were of fire, ice, and the end of the world itself. Ragnarök, as Winternight claimed it was. A serpent, and darkness, and pain. More pain than he ever felt. A pain that penetrated his body, mind, and soul. He fell into darkness for what felt like eternity...

But he awoke. Fragmented, disassociated, pieces of his former self. He awoke in a distant frozen tundra. There was no sun, and the wind howled. He stood and realized that this was not right. This was not real. He was, in many ways, not real. He picked up the pieces of himself and put everything back together. He recalled his last memories. Fire. Pain. Winternight. He began to remember himself as John, and slowly realized what might have happened. He has so many questions, but could at least function now. He realized that he is now of the Matrix. John Riley no longer exists. He is something... different. What it is, he will find out. As he reaches out mentally he can feel the new wireless Matrix. It is as if he can access data faster than ever before. It becomes second nature to him. He begins learning about the present. It is July, 2086. Decades have passed.

The being formerly known as John Riley heads towards home. The familiar lines of data streams are still there, but they are faster and smoother than before. His home of Atlanta is now a digital cityscape. He begins to reintegrate himself to society. To rebuild his life now on the Matrix. He wonders to himself... He was a good hacker before. What can he become now?

Goals

• Integrate back into society. He is still a person, Confined to the Matrix or not. In some ways he is even more free.

• Become a better hacker. He's good. But he can be better.

• Expand his professional network. He has no physical presence. Maybe he can get a drone, but good allies are good to have.

Narrative Significant Qualities

Positive

Data Anomaly - A good hacker knows how to hide. But now that his relationship with the Matrix is so strong? He's even better at it.

Depth Augmentations - Logic 4, Willpower 3

Hello World!(3) - John Riley was, and in many ways still is a real person.

Instinctive Hack - Actions done at the speed of thought

Lucky - Cause he just is. Imagine the circumstances that had to happen to arrive at this point?

Munge - N1gh7m4r3 doesn't know where these predatory instincts came from, but sating them feels really really good.

Ninja Vanish - Exit, stage left

Photographic Memory - Enhanced mental capacity

Silence is Golden - Noise is so...noisy. It would be nice if it just went away.

Speed Reading - Bigger brain = better at tasks.

Trust Data, Not Lore - He no longer has a gut to trust it's feelings, so he ignores them completely.

Negative

Curiosity Killed the Cat - It got him killed in 2064...

Down the Rabbit Hole - The side effect of all this information in your face is that it all looks interesting.

Lack of Focus - See the above quality.

PSC Thrill Seeker - Again, got him killed in 2064... We see a pattern emerging.

Prejudiced - He holds Ares responsible for his current situation. And he will never forgive them.

Records on File - Ares holds data about his real self. Some might even have an idea he is actually dead.

SINner - He carries a CAS SIN still. After all, his death wasn't actually reported. And they don't care as long as you pay taxes.

Social Stress - He has issues with Ares, and by proxy KE. It shows.

Run History

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Affiliations

Contacts

Contact	Connection	Loyalty	Archetype	Profession	Aspects	Chips
Mrs. Frost	5	2	Fixer(N,K,A,G)	Head Librarian	Hard to Impress, Take a look, it's in a book, Friends in high places., "You're as cold as ice", "I heard from a little bird..." : Info Broker, "Knowledge is Power" : Blackmail, "Another fine addition for my collection."	Even
Michael Stilton	1	1	Custom (A, G, K, N)	Courier	Motorcycle Courier, Futurist	Even

Organizations

Faction Reputation

Faction	Reputation
Faction	Reputation Value

Matrix Search Table

Threshold	Result
1	A loner that frequents Matrix bars and message boards, always listening to rumors and gossip.
3	Some say he's like a Matrix explorer. Diving in and out of deeper and deeper holes.
6	Oddl, he seems at home in the Matrix, even more so than Technomancers...

Shadow Community Table

Threshold	Result
1	Dependable hacker. Never meets in person.
3	Several theories follow him around. The most common is that he is a basement dwelling decker who just never leaves home. But you'd think noise and distance make that hard...
5	Some people suspect he is not normal. A Sprite, and advanced program, or something more.

Enemies

Grid Overwatch Division	GOD is always there, always watching. An oppressive shadow cast over his own.
ARES	They told him working for a Corp was a bad idea. The allures of the challenge, the rewards, they were too much. Look where it got him.

Assensing Table

Sure, go ahead.

SINs

• Real CAS - John Riley