Alkali

Alkali

Made Maid Mage Man
The One Who Knows Not Faith
Discord	@sleevey.
Reddit	[1]
Metatype	Human
Street Cred	0
Notoriety	0
Public Awareness	0
CDP	20
D.O.B.	22/12/2060
Age	25
Folder	[2]
Priority	Metatype - C Attributes - C Magic/Resonance - A Skills - C Resources - E
#Max IGs/Ascension	2

Character Information

Summary

Alkali is a maid mage. A made maid mage. Magically, he's essentially mediocre, his arcane toolbox still in the process of being filled. He can do wards and watchers and a few basic spells with no clear specialty. He does, however, have the ability to call up force 7 spirits. That helps. He works for the Choson Ring when he isn't running, making sure their nerds don't all get killed by spirits. In his free time, he's looking for God.

Goals

Find God within the metaplanes or on Earth

Attain a higher degree of independence (either within the Choson Ring or outside of it)

Make MONEY and attain magical strength

Heal Hye-Jin

Live long enough to achieve the above

Background

Micah has been an outsider for his entire life ... but he was not always an outsider alone.

He has a memory in his head, the first clear memory maybe or perhaps just the most important one. He sees it in third person, the scene described to him more clearly than he actually remembers it.

A little Korean girl holding hands with a white kid, a toddler, with a silver crucifix around his little neck. They're walking down the street, smoke and screams billowing out of a building behind them. Both of them are covered in blood.

Later, Micah would understand what happened that day, the Kenran-Kai making a move to snuff out the Jo-Pok Gang that lived in the tenement and, not knowing the full details of its membership, decided to cover their bases by simply killing anyone vaguely Korean-looking within the building, including Hye-Jin's parents. Many of the residents objected to the slaughter and made an attempt to fight back or protect themselves or their neighbors. They, too, were killed all the same. Presumably, Micah's parents died in the crossfire.

That was where they were found, covered in dust and blood, in the aftermath of a massacre. Two kids, one older than the other, that the universe had slighted. As if in some act of cosmic karma, the community decided to tip the scale back. They would take the children in.

The SINless of Seattle lack such niceties as a proper foster care system. To say their upbringing was not easy would be a celestial understatement. Some weeks they had the joys of as much soyloaf as they could eat and four walls and a roof. Others, they were street rats again. Of note, a good amount of their foster families had ties to the Jo-Pok gangs or the Choson Ring outright, feeling mildly responsible for the incident that made the two orphans. The only thing consistent was that they had one another. Though not related by blood, any attempt to separate the siblings was futile. Hye-Jin, several years older than Micah, did her best to look out for her younger brother.

This was more or less how they grew up, however their days on the street would soon be over. Micah, on a whim, was tested for awakened potential. Like a miracle, his blood held great potential for the arcane. Hye-Jin and Micah had found their ticket out of the gutter.

As the older sibling, Hye-Jin wanted to see her little brother succeed. She would give up anything for that and so decided to use her fledgling connections in the Choson Ring to negotiate a pair of provisional work SINs for the both of them, with the intention of using them to let Micah fulfil his dream of going to school to study magic. Again, the karmic scales tilted in their favor and the temporary SINs were permitted, with the usual caveats that it may be waved at any time for any reason, should they fail to maintain work.

Micah was a teenager at this point and Hye-Jin in her early 20s. They had some meager savings accrued but ultimately, not enough for even a year of schooling. Their SINs gave them the right to work and nothing else, everything else would have to be clawed for.

But there was a time before the clawing began in earnest. Hye-Jin worked only a single job and Micah attended school full-time. He made friends. They went out to eat. Bought nice clothes (for street rats, at least). Micah learned a little about himself and his identity, now that he had the financial breathing room to facilitate a sense of comfort in his presentation. Hye-Jin was working for a maid-themed cleaning service (one facilitated by the Choson Ring) and took ill one day, so Micah decided to try and cover her shifts. He showed up and they threw a uniform at him. The job was drudgery but the something about the outfit ... it clicked. Everything made sense. It was just comfortable for him, he liked feeling pretty. He liked the swish. He found something else too, after he looked into the crucifix that he had carried since childhood. Partly eager at the possibility of being an awakened with a tradition and partly at the thought of unconditional, divine love, Micah joined a local church and converted to Catholicism. Hye-Jin didn't follow along and he never tried to make her. The two of them were different, taking different paths in the world and that was okay.

They went on like that for a little while. The overworked Korean maid and her weird nerdy little brother that wore dresses and prayed to God. Everything was okay.

Then they ran out of money and everything went to hell.

School wasn't cheap. If Micah had been a full mage then and there, he might have been allowed a scholarship of some sort, but as a meager spark no such thing was afforded. Hye-Jin quit the maid gig in order to work 18 hours shifts in a plascrete box filled with chemical fumes. Micah picked up her old job and, when that still wasn't enough money, picked up a side gig as well. His identity, once something joyful to him, was repurposed into a tool beneath the crushing wheels of capital. People would pay good money to see someone like him in a different context altogether. It brought him no pleasure and he wasn't particularly good at it ... but the bar was very low.

That was how they lived for a while. Cutting themselves to the quick for every credstick. Nuyen sacrificed to the altar of higher education in the name of some greater goal, some ascension out of poverty on the back of Micah's mind. He wasn't even a mage at that point. They grew distant and bitter. Who could blame them? Hye-Jin choked on chemical fumes and labored for an ungrateful brother. Micah sold everything he had for a dream that he didn't even recognize. Angry and exhausted and poor.

And then, one day, Hye-Jin collapsed.

The factory she worked in had been poisoning her. Both of them knew it, on some level. They had just hoped she could outlast the poison, long enough for Micah to finish school, lift them out of their conditions. They had hoped in vain and Hye-Jin had paid the price. Micah remembers looking down at her, looking down at her cough and spasm and then go still. He didn't do anything, his mind was so frayed by sleepless night after sleepless night. He just stood there. He didn't even cry. Just stared down at his dying sister and had the thought that God was not on earth, that the church he had worshipped in was an empty box and that he had wasted his life.

Hye-Jin did not die. Micah reached into the astral sea and pulled forth a servant to administer first aid. He contacted the members of the Choson Ring that facilitated both his legitimate and illegitimate sources of income and he told of them of his sisters condition and of his own newfound talent. He offered them a deal, that he would work for them, not as a maid or a callboy, but as a proper mage with a proper magical education. In exchange, they would take care of him and his sister. He appealed to the siblings long connection to the syndicate, as well as their implication in the death of their parents. He was quiet, nigh-emotionless for someone who's sister was barely stabilized by a newly conjured piece of the astral sea. Logical to a fault.

And they agreed.

That was years ago. In the time since, Micah has become made. A made maid mage. Sometimes spy, sometimes cleaner, oftentimes simple maintainer of wards and watchers, ensurer that no astral entities will track down the matrix-heavy syndicate. His sister is still on life-support, occasionally conscious but more often than not, comatose. Micah abandoned his church, abandoned his empty box, and looked elsewhere for God. However ... he hit a wall. God was nowhere to be found on earth, his magical prowess had plateaued and within the syndicate, he was still an outsider despite everything. And, worst of all, God was still silent.

That simply would not do.

Narrative Significant Qualities

Positive

Wise Beyond His Station (Common Sense, College Education): Alkali studied the arcane at college while still a spark. He showed great passion for the material, even while beleaguered beneath multiple jobs. Once awakened, he made sense of magic through the observable, the logical, the replicable. Those sensibilities will serve him well.

Occult Beyond His Years (Spirit Whisperer, Focused Concentration): Despite his lower magical capacity, Alkali is still a potent arcane force to be reckoned with. He can maintain low force spells without issue and the spirits that he calls forth, pieces of the astral sea, are more powerful and mysterious than they ought to be. Some of this, perhaps, is luck, but something must be said for his unique talents.

Criminal Beyond His Measure (Made Man): Alkali is not properly one of the Choson Ring, he speaks the language, sure, but he isn't Korean by blood and he certainly doesn't hack it on the matrix. However, good mages are in high demand and Alkali is the best mage available. For the price point. He has worked dutifully for them for years, ensuring no projecting mages snoop on the vulnerable nerds in hot-sim, suppling them with wards and watchers and occasionally, using his arcane talents to erase one problem or another. He may be an outsider but he has climbed as high as an outsider rightly can.

Negative

Weak Lungs and Weak Stomach (Asthma, Unsteady Hands): Physical frailness apparently runs in his family. His sister nearly died from overwork and its likely Alkali would have suffered a similar fate if he had not awakened. His lungs do not work properly and he relies upon an inhaler. He's also easily rattled, any aloof or distant demeanor is very easily shattered when his hands start shaking after a gunfight. Maybe he wasn't meant for this life.

The Many Flaws of the Faithless (Lack of Focus, Compulsive: Neat Freak): We are all shaped by our experiences. Alkali is no exception. He is neurotic with compulsive, cleaning tendencies and he is prone to flights of fancy, to getting lost within his own mind, pondering the nature of the divine.

Those That Are Sacrificed in Our Name, Amen (Dependent: Nuisance, Big Regret): Both qualities are keyed to the same thing, his hospitalized sister, Min Hye-Jin. The Choson Ring takes cares of the majority of her medical payments, however Micah still makes sure to bring her flowers and other gifts, as well read and talk to her. Even if she's rarely conscious to talk back.

Trivia

He has an AAT deficiency and early stage epideroid carcinoma, as well as chronic bronchitis. His lunged are FUCKED.

His favorite food is budae jigae. His sister made it often when they were kids, using whatever instant noodles and protein were on hand.

He is quietly a fan of the works of Doctor Q, with his favorite being Don't You Have Your Own Chalk???. He discovered the artist in university, at a low point in his life and it helped him get through some tough times.

His most cherished possession is his inhaler, which his sister gave him. It is bright pink and decorated with a number of cutesie stickers, clashing horribly with his entire aesthetic. He keeps it anyway.

Run History

Name	GM	Metaplot	Threat	Date of Run
Murders on The Orient Express	Villiers	All Aboard!	Deadly	15 December 2085
The Story of the Man and the Humped Horse	Kisa	Seattle Nights		25 November 2085
Down to Clown With Number 6	J.R.			21 November 2085
Outremer Outrigger Qualifier Multiplier	J.R.		High	16 November 2085
Running Red 2	Robinton	Paradise Lost	High	10 November 2085
Ungentrification in Redmond	J.R.	Real Real Estate	Medium	30 October 2085
Pharmaceutical Purloining	Scarcarian		High	23 October 2085
Inscrutable Spirit Behavior	Lotus		Medium	14 October 2085
The Persistence of Memory	Sarcarian		Medium	28 September 2085
Midnight Disappearance	LHOG	The Midnight Hands	High	24 September 2085

Affiliations

Contacts

Contact	Connection	Loyalty	Archetype	Profession	Aspects	Chips
Optimal Squid	4	3	Fixer(G,K,A,N)	Matrix Fixer	Dragon Puffer, Seoulpa Smuggler, Radioshack, Squid Game, Choson Ring	1
Yoon Myung-ju	2	2	Custom(K, N, G, A)	Bounty Manager	Seoulpa, Bounties, Hunter Headhunter	Even
Chad Brent	2	2	Legwork	KE Detective	Demotion, Puyallup Precinct, Greasy Palms, Investigator (Detective), M&Ms (Detective)	Even
Ghaz	2	2	Legwork	Skraacha Sheriff	Cavalry's Here, Skraacha Sheriff, Coffin House	Even
Argent	1	3	Fixer	Street-level Fixer	Silver Tongue, Elven Blood	Even
Irena Tachikov	6	1	Gear	EVO Acquisitions Expert	Workaholic, EVO Acquisitions Specialist, Vory Connection, On Trend, Shadier side of the Court, It fell off a truck, Meet my Doctor, Gang Detail, Information Broker	Even
Hamish	5	1	Gear	Operations Manager: Underhaven Grotto Hotel	Awakened Hotelier, Skraacha Middleman, Real Estate, Underground Expertise, Skraacha Courier	Even

Organizations

Contact	Position	Connection	Faction Rep	Archetype	Health	Location
Choson Ring	Mage	3	11	Organized Crime Syndicate	Maintaining	Seattle

Enemies

Due to his past and his choice of allies, Alkali is Not Particularly Fond of the Yakuza and has a particular disdain for the Kenran-Kai

In Character Information

Symbols and Signatures

A tendency to leave any space he occupies cleaner than he left it.

He carries a crucifix, borrowing from Christian and Astrological Mysticism with his spirits and spells. His form of summoning involves imagining the form of the divine and the opening a portal to hopefully the right bit of the astral sea and seeing who shows up.

Matrix Search Table

Threshold	Result
1	An Alkali is a base that is capable of being dissolved into water, as well as neutralize acids. A diluted alkaline mixture is often used in cleaning products.
3	Even once the search has been narrowed to runners, there is still remarkably little information on him. A Korean restaurant owner mentions working with a runner who asked to be referred to by that name when the conversation shifted to the topic of mages, however there is little descriptive or actionable information.
6	Now you do find something, there is a runner operating under that name, apparently a mage who dresses like a maid and speaks fluent Korean. There is no mention of any matrix aptitude, however his matrix presence is clearly a well-curated one, contrary information has been carefully weeded out. Either he's a decker in disguise or he has some powerful, matrix savvy friends. What a curious little mystery.

Shadow Community Table

Threshold	Result
1	"All Call E? What? Are you havin' a stroke?"
3	"Huh. I don't really know, it's a weird name. Alkali, its a chemical, ain't it? They use it in cleaning products and drek. Yeah, yeah, shut up, I know that ain't watcha asked for. I'll look into it, okay?"
5	"Turns out there is a runner with that name. He keeps pretty quiet but it looks like he's a bit of a weirdo, wears a maid dress around. No, no, I ain't judgin' or nothin', it's 2080-whatever, wear watcha want y'know, its just memorable, I guess. He's white but he speaks Korean like a native. Oh! Important bit, nearly forgot. Mage. Does wizard drek. Keep that in mind."

Assensing Table

Threshold	Result
1	The shape before is a window of stained glass, depicting shining figures, holy bodies. However, there is a weakness. The glass is thin and the light beyond is blinding. This body is weak, unsuitable for the divinty that it aspires to. The glass is stratched, too. Beautiful and patient but tired and somewhat fed up. A node of divinity, this one reaches beyond the pale.
2	It is a window to a window. As he moves, the image depicted shifts as well. The neck is blurry, faint, imperfect.
3	This is a flawed thing, world-scratched and still reaching for the light. Cracks spiral out from the lungs, stretching across the mirrors purity. His body is failing him and he will die young.
4	Of course. The cracks and flaws are upon the body, upon the window to the window. The stained glass beyond and the wonderous light shining through is as pure and as divine as it could be. The faintest cracks are visible in the mind. What weakness and yet even the twice dulled light of the divinity beyond has blessed him. Magic and Essence of 5. Perhaps scraps of that divinty cling to him, in the form of a spell of preparation. Perhaps something deeper still.
5	There's something beautiful about the impossibly faint spiderweb of weakness. It's deep, all the way to the very genes and yet it has changed the painting in a fascinating way. As the light of God is filtered through the stained glass, so is it filtered again through his flawed form. There was no single illness that marred him so utterly. Death by a thousand cuts.

SINs

Aru Kuroitsu (Rating 5 fake SIN, UCAS): Mage License, Maid License

Appearance

Clothing and Description

Alkali is an androgynous, frail person. He's very pretty with soft, almost doe-like features but also rather unassuming. He's human with black hair and grey eyes. His hair is naturally black but often dyed a dark color. Not quite bland but not exceptionally memorable either, at least in features alone. His attire is an entirely different story.

When not disguised for a specific infiltration role, he typically wears a maid outfit. Poofy floor length skirts and even a bonnet. What a strange, strange person.

Astral Form

His astral form is similar to his physical form, maid outfit and all, save for one key difference. Where skin would be instead appears a window to a world of beautiful stained glass, depicting savior and saints alike. As he moves, the window moves as well, showing different sections of the stained glass sheet. It's beautiful, calming. You feel like you can breathe.

Foci

Alkali has a power foci styled after The Immortal Amaranth of myth. It's a blood red flower, delicated constructed from hairthin pieces of silk. Typically, it is either pressed flat and worn on top of cloth or placed within the center of his crucifix.

Matrix Persona

Alkali prefers a matrix persona of an attractive, Angelic man with featherdusters for wings. He wears a weight cloth around his waist and his featherduster wings are studded with googly-eyes. Be not afraid.

Character Plot Hooks

Here are characteristics of the character that GMs may take advantage of to add complications to runs, or to otherwise use when in use. If you want to use them in unrelated to runs, please ask first.

Aspect	Information	Related Run(s)
A Mission From God	Alkali is a planar mage, he believes the true form of God is real and exists within the metaplanes and that it is duty to seek God out. Obviously, this entails a great deal of risky metaplanar travel and he is currently without a spirit patron to sponsor his quest. This is a problem that must be solved
An Insatiable Curiosity	Always interested by both novelty and nuyen, Alkali will do almost any shadowrun (save for those directly against the Choson Ring) to either learn more, grow stronger magically or make fat stacks of money.
Sister, Sister	Hye-Jin, Alkali's sister, is currently hospitalized after several years of chemical exposure from her job. The Choson Ring takes care of her medical treatment but she isn't getting better, at least not fast. Most days, she's entirely comatose, conscious only very rarely. Alkali is determined to heal her, either through magical means or buying the most advanced treatments possible.
Seoulpa Sorcerer	The maid is made. A made maid mage. He's a bonafide member of the Choson Ring, one of two remaining Seoulpa rings in Seattle that survived the Yakuza purge. They deal almost exclusively on the matrix but still require physical head quarters to store secrets and nerds, a place that Alkali has to ward and watcher to ensure both of those things stay safe.
Mess Me Up, Boss!	I am completely fine with long term consequences for my characters, as long as it doesn't feel unannounced or forced. Long term changes to a character make more opportunities for interesting roleplay, and so don't be afraid to give them out if they feel earned! Hit the maid with an emotional baseball bat, you know you want to.

Gallery

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  Studying Up

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  Empty Eyes

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  Faithless Fool

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  Astral Form