Second Dawn:Charles Bazett
From EryriWiki
This is a reference document for the LARP The Second Dawn.
Charles Bazett (Christopher Knapp) Player: Paul E Minister of the Borders; Immortal mastermind Age: 355/early 30s (disguised as 60s)
Additional Information (read first): Ageless, Cataclysm, Black Science, Seerstones, Union Government
Background: You were born in 2071, and it’s been a long slow haul ever since. Sometimes you get tired of life, the endless mistakes repeated over and over, the sight of everyone you care about getting old and dying just to be replaced by a generation no wiser than the last. But those low moments never last; you’re a man of motivation. After all, noone else can get the job done. The big job, that is: shepherding humankind back out of its darkness. Your life was pretty ordinary, back before the Cataclysm. Idealistic college years in Old Providence, volunteering for the Liberty Party. You got your Computer Science degree, you moved on, got a job, did consulting work writing code for companies across the country. You survived the Cataclysm by luck; you were on vacation when the bombs fell, out in upstate New York, far away from the cities. But as the years passed, you gravitated back to the grounds of old Providence, and the new city being built higher up over the half-drowned old one. Only there did you first meet other “Ageless,” the half-dozen in the New Providence area who kept showing up decade after decade, looking the same, just like you did. There was even a familiar face or two from the old days. But as the generations passed, and the Eastern Union began to form, you grew restless. You wanted to do something, because you slowly realized that you could. With so much time, you learned; not from books, but from people. You saw what they did, how they worked, the ways they could be convinced, every generation the same. And beyond that, you took the long view, adjusting to your apparently endless life. Most of your fellow elders don’t seem to have really applied themselves and learned like you did- with one exception: your old freshman roommate Niles. Damn, you hate that kid. You can barely remember the girl you two fought over in your youth, but the bad blood has never quite faded, always rekindled every time you two end up meddling in each others’ schemes, intentionally or otherwise. So, about seventy years ago, you went down to New Hudson to put your hand into the government. You took minor government jobs, using simple disguises and changing jobs when needed to conceal your unaging nature. You manipulated from behind the scenes, forming and breaking coalitions. Paternalistic, sure; but you knew everyone else was too busy in their short little single-generation perspective, and with your hand, this government could become something better, could someday truly rise up from its third-world pseudo-democracy status into something more like the United States of America you once knew- or even better. When a Congressman named Jonothan Grant started rising in the Capitalist Party, you learned about his quietly brewing plans to put mankind back into space. This was what you’d been waiting for! You’re certain that there are still humans out in space; your older cousin George was a colonist out in one of the Lagrange points, and their colony was more than self-sufficient. You don’t know why those exiled humans haven’t sent word in the centuries since, but in the centuries between, who knows how they’ve developed, and what decisions they’ve made? But if you send up a spaceship, they’re sure to take notice. So, you started using all the contacts you’d made, putting yourself into a position of direct power. You manipulated and worked, bribed and blackmailed, convinced and cajoled, and got yourself into the post of Minister of the Borders. Powerful, but not so powerful that you’re likely to get assassinated over it. You took the post in 313, just enough time to be solidly established before carrying out your main purpose: supporting Grant in his bid for the Presidency in 316. But remember, in the long run, it’s not about the man, but the plan: the Second Dawn. Things have gone well enough so far, but it’ll be a busy night. You make a good Minister of the Borders, of course, using your post to make the treaties and agreements that’ll best serve your needs and the Union’s. With so many delegations here, there’ll be both time and need to negotiate (or renegotiate) some treaties; the other nations have been restless lately, seeing how the Union’s budget has been diverted away from traditional military. But two big problems have showed up here. It’s never good to see Niles (even if he’s calling himself “Niallghas”); he’s surely up to something. Worse yet, you’re pretty sure “the General” is here. The General is your personal name for a phenomenon you’ve spotted in the Plains States over the past decades: their military strategies have been too good, and shown too much knowledge of deep historical patterns. The only possible explanation is that they have an old military AI. But you doubt an AI would just work as a servant of those warlords; an AI this good would be effectively self-aware and conscious, and nobody out there now could possible code well enough to control it. Be careful: it’s surely very powerful and very well prepared. But you have no idea what its goals might be, and for the good of the Union, you must find out.
Roleplaying Notes: You are good, and you know it; but you are also subtle, and know well the dangers of overconfidence. What you want is the common good, but you know your motives well; originally you wanted it just to recover the comforts of those bygone days, though the task has become an end to itself these days. You have been a bit lonely these past years as the Minister; you have missed the company of other Ageless, the only people with whom you can talk freely. To most others, you come across as cold and distant.
Goals: 1) Manipulate and guide the Eastern Union towards its future on Earth and in space. 2) Get the foreign powers to sign favorable agreements. 3) Discover the General’s plans, and decide what to do with him. 4) Uncover and thwart whatever scheme Niallghas is up to.
Opinions: Second Dawn: Crucial. The satellite will be a great boon, but you’re most interested in the likelihood that it will stimulate contact with the descendents of the old colonies beyond Earth. Black Science: You pretend to be suspicious as anyone else, but you don’t really think it’s so bad. You remember when AIs made life better for everyone, and when even fission power had its beneficial uses. Plains States: If they want to keep expanding into Union territory, you’ll have a problem; their mobilized military outstrips yours in the short term. You can mobilize and out-produce them in the long term, but that’s going to be a long painful war. And if they still have the General running things, it’s going to be a real problem. You may have to give them concessions, but they’ll surely want painful things. Maple Kingdom: Their strong Gaian beliefs have led them to oppose the Second Dawn, so watch for strange political maneuvers to unseat Grant in time. Their current relations with the Union are poor. In military terms, not a war threat, but their commandos and assassins would be formidable if angered. Make sure they don’t end up allying with the Plains. Appalachian Confederation: Their position is their one valuable resource. They have no real power, so if you must use them in part of the bigger game against the Plains States, you can do so. Better an ally than a protectorate, but better a protectorate than an ally of the Plains. The only thing they really export is moonshine (in exchange for your manufactured goods), which your ministry places under various mild health-code restrictions. Religion: It’s hard to maintain any active faith after so many centuries of ruin, but you still tell people you were raised among the old religions. Tinkers: They claim to know the old ways, but you suspect you know more than most of them about most of the Ancient technologies. You see no reason to be suspicious or disdainful of them, though. El Dorado: You need to talk to their representatives and see how they figure into the world scene. Hopefully they can be a new ally. You wonder what sort of AI they have, what its original purpose was – and what makes them consider it “white.”
Key Information: •Your original/real name is Christopher Knapp (not Chris! You hate being called Chris!), but Charles Bazett is your current identity. •Your Ministry is one of the five Cabinet posts that effectively chooses the President. Your long-term goals dictate your political opinions. •Ministers rarely fight directly. If one were to use his or her power to openly thwart the will of the majority, or have another assassinated, that would invite similar measures in return. •The Ministers have resolved to make their decision about the 328 elections tonight. •You know that AIs can exist in human bodies. You did some AI coding before the Cataclysm, and in the course of your job you found out about certain experimental entities, cutting-edge expert systems running in cloned bodies.
People (in approximate order of importance): Niallghas Tinker/Niles Maddox (Aaron B): You haven’t liked him for 336 years. But you have grown to respect him over the last centuries; he’s gotten as smart and clever and farsighted as you. You want to see him fail, but you don’t want to see him dead. He seems to be pretending to be a Tinker. You could just out him, but that would be a poor, crass revenge if you don’t know what he’s up to. “The General” (?): You don’t know yet whom it might be, but it’s almost certainly someone in the official Plains States delegation. In order to get him to open up, you should do so yourself; you have less to lose. You absolutely must find out why he’s here, and decide what to do with him: help him, ignore him, or turn him in to the Ministry of the Watch. President Jonothan Grant (Ted M): This man has talent and a dream, and you’ve worked behind the scenes to help him make that dream a reality. But now that his project is complete, you don’t necessarily need him anymore, though it’d be sad to see him go. Still, he has been seeming increasingly distant over the past year or so, so you might have to. Kara Atkinson, Minister of the Army (Hillary K): She’s rough and straightforwards, and doesn’t like your devious style. You have common cause in defending the nation from foreigners; she’ll be your best ally in the Cabinet tonight. Nevertheless, you find it hard to avoid sniping when you’re forced to be around her. She originally supported the Dawn, but slowly lost enthusiasm. Walter Palmer, Ambassador from the Plains States (Ilya M): Your biggest diplomatic obstacle; he’ll try to wring everything he can from you. You have to balance your prospects in war against his demands. Plus, he might be the General, though it seems unlikely since you’ve met him once before. General Olan Hyndman (David R): One of the Plains States’ most renowned generals. He’s the most likely candidate to be the AI General, but it may be too obvious. Edward Dockrill (Dan S): The Plains Ambassador’s assistant, the third possible candidate to be the General. Dierdre Lamprey (Emily B), Peter Dogfish (Bryce K): They’re listed as members of the Plains delegation, but those sound like Great Lakes Pirate names. That’s very unusual, the groups don’t usually get along. Perhaps one of them is the General? Jackie Drake (Sheyna G): A famous spelunker who has some official role with the Plains government. You doubt she’s the General, she’s too well-known for nonmilitary deeds; still, best to be thorough. Conrad Gaudet, Ambassador from the Maple Kingdom (David C): He too is likely to try and turn the screws, since the Second Dawn program has offended their Gaian sensibilities. He used to be a cultural attaché, and you met him a few times; he’s smug but clever, and with great capacity for deviousness, his opinions backed by a quiet but unshakable Gaian faith. Jefferson Lee Wharton, Ambassador from the Appalachian Confederacy (Albert L): He seems like a wide-eyed hick, but you know better than to underestimate him. You suspect his sense of wonder at the Union’s glories is real, but nevertheless hides a keen mind. Margaret Eisenhower, Minister of the Interior (Abbie P): A lackluster woman who sought power then realized she didn’t want it. You’ve stayed on good terms because her Ministry is in charge of the construction project, but you don’t actually care for her. Luther Gaines, Minister of the Watch (Kyle R): A strident man, his opposition to the Second Dawn project has grown increasingly vocal since he joined. He’s made enemies in the Cabinet by fighting for more resources for the Watch. You might be able to get his help with diplomacy, since foreign spies are under his purview, but his focused perspective may anger some people. Artair [ARE-ter] Tinker, Minister of Sciences (Jed S): A rational and intelligent man, but you’ve picked up that he finds something suspicious about you. You aren’t yet sure what, though. Kathleen Penland (Katie G): An Ageless woman living in New Providence. Turns out you and she were at Brown at the same time, though she was three years ahead of you, and you never met. She’s a good woman, and has been a good friend from time to time over the generations. She owns the Green Fox, the best restaurant in the city. William Cone (Richard S): An Ageless who has found a simple route to happiness; these days, he’s a construction worker and enjoys doing that. You know he was a soldier in the old days, and a good one; you could try to talk him into using his old skills if you needed, but he won’t like it. Donald Baxter (Jerry S): Another Ageless in New Providence, he owns Baxter Imports and runs some sort of black-market trade. An alright fellow, you don’t think he does anything truly nefarious enough to put you into any conflict of interest with your government post. Edward Archibald (?): The last local Ageless, you don’t get along with him. He passes the decades with simple degenerate pleasures of the flesh, and thinks long-term plans are a futile waste of time. You think he’s just given up. Eleanor Truman, Premier of Congress (Alison H): She’s kept cutting funding for the Dawn, mostly to score political points. You’d rather not support her for President if you can avoid it. Sydney Monroe of New Providence (Nitsan B), Martin Buchanan of Boston (Dan P): Two members of Congress, they could make acceptable presidential candidates. Franklin Kennedy, Chief of Staff (Matt W): A very intelligent man, and probably with his own political ambitions. He’s been doing more and more of the president’s legwork since Grant’s mind started going.
Ratings: Pilot: 1 R: 0 D: 3 G: 3 ID: 7232
Nametag Symbols: E, O, B, D, G
Attributes: Physical: Defense 1* Pool Rating 3 [] [] [] Mental: Defense 4 Pool Rating 4 [] [] [] [] Social: Defense 5 Pool Rating 5 [] [] [] [] [] *: see ability “Spry for his Age”
Recoveries: -Have a productive discussion with a foreign emissary (+2 points, 2/hour) -Snipe at Atkinson while working with her (+1 points, 1/hour) -Outwit someone in any noticeable way (+1 point, 2/hour)
Abilities: Penetrating Insight, Charm, Attack, Survivor (x1), Evasive (x1), Convince, find the general, citizens of the union, hack, calm, entice, contingency plans, suspect, spry for his age, diversion, very important person
Items: Clear seerstone, babbage, knife, pouch of coins, smoke bomb
Citizens of the Union
System: You can identify any character with the “E” symbol as being a citizen of the Eastern Union.
Find the General System: After you have spoken to all 6 members of the Plains delegation (Palmer, Hyndman, Dockrill, Drake, Dogfish, Lamprey), see a GM. Each conversation must be 5 minutes, but they need not all be separate.
