Erasing Overwatch

Erasing Overwatch
Date 2085-MM-DD"2085-MM-DD" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. GM Sarcarian Location Resonance Realms Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Faulty	Null Sect	Dissonance
Geodesic Fennec Pulse Caliban Iron	Null Node Countermeasures	Dissonant Sprites Snake Lizard
Submersion Ordeal for many.

Summary

The gang goes into the Resonance Realms to achieve objectives for AIs worldwide and get their aid on a prime run. As for why they want to aid with the prime run, motives differ. They succeed, but several emerge from the Realms changed.

Background

Iron got in touch with an agent of Garmonbozia. They offered to aid him in the Matrix Conference Prime run, but the catch is that they require being Erased from GOD's Wanted databases thoroughly. Since Iron is relatively aware he won't be able to just break into GOD's headquarters Rating 12 host, he opts to search the Resonance Realms instead and erase the data remotely from there. To this end, Geodesic, Fennec and Pulse are all teaming up to find the files and get things going. Oh, and Caliban's there too. Fennec and Geodesic have their own motivations for entering the Realms, Caliban doesn't want Pax's efforts to succeed and Pulse is coming at it from the protest's angle, wanting to help them and this seems as good of an experience as any.

The Meet

The meet occurs in a motel room Fennec's rented. Iron almost attacks the Dissonants as a pre-emptive measure against contamination, but reluctantly keeps his fury at bay due to having more important, large scale goals. The search for access to the Resonance Realms begins and the team splits into two halves. Fennec, Geodesic and Caliban begin to take a trip to Manhattan to find a Resonance Well while Pulse and Iron head to a park in New York, looking for an urban legend that may just be a Resonance Rift. Both discover their goals, although Pulse and Iron discover Dissonant Technomancers entering the Resonance Rift. The trio of technomancers in Manhattan undergo harrowing experiences against the Great Firewall, entering the Realms in a proper manner unlike the cheating duet in NY proper.

The Plan

Discover three locations: The Great Connection, Out of Band and Endless Archive. The Great Connection is meant to wipe the data regarding the AIs from devices, the Endless Archive to do the same on the Matrix and Out of Band has the Erasure protocols implemented. After that, a backdoor to GOD's Foundation must be discovered.

The Run

Pulse gets distracted by a curious-looking data trail and hops off the beaten path, compelling Iron to chase after him and create a more secure means of transportation from surrounding Resonance. They arrive at the Out of Band eventually and Iron begins implementing Erasure protocols on AIs, looking for data streams that match the ones he's meant to secure and pulling them together into a filtering construct made out of Resonance. He burns his persona's left arm completely to black by reaching into Kernel Panic and using its raw Resonance to power the structure. Further input of data will get Erased from thereon out. Caliban, Fennec and Geodesic appear elsewhere, having to fight through Shattered Haven and dissonant sprites in the realm and making friends with a free sprite known as Faulty. They engage in a daring fight against Dissonant forces and triumph, earning more of the sprite's favor. The sprite, in return, offers to guide them a little more on their journey.

The sprite eventually leads them to Out of Band as well where they rendezvous with Pulse and Iron. The technomancers are happy to continue exploring with the sprite's aid, but Iron doesn't seem interested in trusting a sprite. Instead, he goes his own way, trying to find the path to the next Resonance Realm himself. In this search, he discovers a black hole-like region and almost gets devoured by it, realizing it's a connector to the Null Node somewhere. He finds this connection between Foundation and Resonance Realms concerning since he identifies an LZW compression algorithm in it, a sign of Null Sect interference. After this, he leaves his fortress and several Machine Sprites orbiting around the black hole, constructing various items out of raw Resonance. A small skull Courier sprite is also left behind to execute a plan with the black hole that will benefit the connected Prime run.

As the team regroups in the Cruft, a realm of memes and simsense, Faulty guides them towards an entrance into the Great Connection. The giant tree allows the team to purge more of the AI data from the Matrix, making them harder to spot. They also begin looking for backdoors into the Foundation as well as a path into the Endless Archive. In their search, the technomancer trio discovers a dissonant paragon resembling Jormungand to nest deep in the Resonant lake, at the bottom where the roots dig into the earth. They're concerned that it's guarding the GOD foundation's backdoor, but see no other backdoors imminently visible. Iron, having a burning distaste for religious rhetoric, taunts the paragon and is promptly eaten alive, thrust into the foundation of GOD's headquarters host.

Pulse immediately aims to extract to ensure the giant isn't dead and finds his way out with the help of Faulty while Fennec, Caliban and Geodesic navigate their way into the Crooked House and through it, into the Endless Archive. All of them have to surrender novel information to the archives in exchange for getting access to the AI data, an example of this being Fennec's discovery of Dawkins Group's server that was transported through a portal to the Metaplane of Man. After all three surrender at least some information the archivists permit them to accomplish their goals and leave.

Aftermath

Pulse successfully stabilizes people in meatspace and ensures nobody dies. He's achieved his own personal goals and waits for the trio of technomancers to follow from the Realms. Iron remains comatose, stuck in the Foundation where he faces a three-way war between Pax's agents, Null Sect and Demi-GODs, all of whom are hostile to him. Fennec emerges in one piece from the Resonance Realms, Caliban remains as disliking as ever of the Matrix and Geodesic has learned a considerable amount of information from this experience. She also plans on killing Iron before he kills her and Caliban.

Rewards

• 6 karma
• 24 CDP
• Submersion discounts (if desired)
• Optional Contact: Faulty (C4/L2 Free Sprite) for 5 RVP or 10 CDP
  1. Caliban - One With the Matrix @ chargen price (for achieving some sense of connection)
  2. Fennec - Tough as Nails (1 rank, physical or stun) @ chargen price (for deliberately tanking an attack)
  3. Geodesic - Rootkit @ chargen price (for slinging some mean data spikes)
  4. Iron - Natural Hardening @ chargen price (for tanking massive damage)
  5. Pulse - Gifted Healer @ chargen price (for saving multiple teammate's lives)
• Narrative Consequences
  1. Caliban, Geo and Fennec venture through the Event Horizon together, bearing witness to and gaining insight into the source of each other's neuroses; they also earn favor with the residents of New Haven for helping to defeat the servants of the dissonance.
  2. Pulse travels through a resonance veil for the first time, pulling data on the Third Universal Matrix Conference from Out of Band and blackmail material on Danielle de la Mar from the Great Connection, both of which are passed on to the protestors.
  3. Iron uploads his Erased protocols into the data streams at the behest of Harold/Herald of Garmonbozia in order to help various AIs who are Wanted by GOD to hide from their pursuers; he also discovers a portal to the Null Node formed by LZW into Tombstone, taking measures to seal the breach before being pulled into the depths after taunting Jormungand, presumed lost.
  4. B1@ckb1rd('s e-ghost) is dragged deep down into the dissonance realms, (hopefully) for good.
  5. Fennec uploads information on the servers from This Is Halloween H20 to the Endless Archive.

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

"This was. A lot. I am concerned. About returning to Haven. Upon submerging into the depths again. But it did work out. I find myself... caring about Caliban. Rather more than I imagined. I hope she does not take offense to that. And I am glad. To have helped protect Fennec. If only slightly.

Iron is... concerning. The power. With which he commands the world around him. Is terrifying. I should be wishing for his death. But... I can't help. But admire? Be curious. At his ambition. He's challenged a god. Let's see. If he wins." -Geodesic