Blood in the Machine

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. - H. P. Lovecraft

Summary

This metaplot deals with a sudden influx of Blood Magic into Seattle, heavily centered in Redmond.

Background

(In progress - so as not to spoil the fun!)

Factions

Aztechnology

Goals

• Get this whole thing covered up - quietly.
  

The Watchers

Important Members

• Mistah Jay, Leader and Community Organizer
• Charity Horace, Redmond Community Activist and former spokeswoman for Red Star Clinics

Goals

• Secure their corner of Redmond from all other gang influence.
• Create a constant influx of things needed by their neighborhood so no one ever goes without - this includes food, medications, diapers, clothing.
• Start helping people rise above their socioeconomic status and make better lives for each other.
• Make the neighborhood a safe place for all.

The Story So Far

Blood, Sweat. . .and Murder?: The Fall of Andres Guillermo Gutierrez

Andres Gutierrez was on his way up in the world. He was a respected middle manager for Stuffer Shack. He had long used his abilities as a blood mage to increase his position and grant him power. The only flaw he had was being a Type I Diabetic; he hated the pump he had to wear constantly and was embarassed if anyone found out about it. Once his newest promotion came across the wire, he decided enough was enough and applied for a consultation with Genetique in Los Angeles (corporate synergy and all that, plus he got a discount). He flew to LA for the procedure of having an auto injector implanted.

Things got fuzzy after that. There were days he couldn't remember. He remembered a sense of glee when something realized his powers.

Blood became the most important thing in his life. It was all he could think about - how to get it, how to use it, how to make it more profitable - but he got the feeling he was being watched by his superiors in Aztlan. He felt this undeniable sensation to flee and so he did; it took all of his connections and favors but he got himself transferred to Seattle of all places.

He began to more thoroughly explore himself and what he was capable of.

Now, he's just a shell of a man, clinging desperately to the words he can still force out - "I don't know who I am."

Cinnamon Buns and Cereal Killers: The Sad Tale of Orson Cordova

Orson Cordova was just a man.  True, before the world fell apart in ‘64, he could touch the Matrix in ways no one could ever explain.  Through his data jack he experienced a world that was beyond words.  He watched as the great ones took down the only place he’d ever felt comfortable.  When the Matrix had finally come back, he broke.  The closeness he had was gone.  Many times he considered eating the end of his trusty Colt, but he was a coward.  And so, he did what he could - bought an Azzie deck and bartered out his services while he drank himself to sleep each night.  Drugs sometimes too.  Always alone, always looking for ways to get back what he’d had.

One day, something in the Matrix touched him.  It took almost no convincing to get Cordova to go to El Paso. 

Things got blurry after that.  He remembered the faces of others, passing like shadows in a kind of nightmarish fugue state.  He remembered blood, lots of blood, but not who’s blood.  He remembered the throbbing feeling that something wasn’t right.  He remembered less and less.

Sometimes when people asked him who he was, he didn’t know what to say.

Massacre in the West Texas Town of El Paso: Orson Cordova's Descent into Madness

Name	GM	Date	Runners
Massacre in the West Texas Town of El Paso	SedatedAlice	28 August 2081	Rabbit Itztli Farsight Relay KBC
Cinnamon Buns and Cereal Killers	SedatedAlice	5 August 2081	Captain Boomerang Itztli Doris Fintan
Blood, Sweat. . .and Murder?	SedatedAlice	3 July 2081	Phantom Itztli Voiceless Sweetwater Kate

News

Name	Date
Tunnel Collapse in Redmond May be Linked to Aztechnology	5 August 2081
Five Dead In Barrens Gas Attack	5 August 2081