Second Dawn:Jean Achard

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This is a reference document for the LARP The Second Dawn.

Jean Achard Player: Isaac H Maple Kingdom businessman Age: 40ish

Additional Information (read first): Maple Kingdom, Black Science

Background: You grew up in what seemed like the most perfect city on earth, Montréal. Here, mankind had all the comforts of city life without forgetting nature and incurring its (or her) anger. You were taught the Gaian ways, seeing all things on earth as alive- not just the animals and plants, but the rivers and stones and mountains, all the way up to the Earth itself. Your family ran the successful trading business Achard Shipping, bringing food and goods up and down the St. Lawrence. Once you grew old enough to start getting involved, you convinced your parents to expand into trips up the Chambly River to Lake Champlain, into the relatively underserved As you took over the active leadership of the company ten years ago, you were helping your company expand beyond its traditional transportation roles. You managed to get a lucrative government contract, transporting black-science relics under high security from the mines in Montréal and Québec to a downriver smelter. For a while you did the job and did it well, your ships taking small but invaluable cargoes of malevolent science to their destruction. One day, out of sheer morbid curiosity, you opened up one of the cases to see what lay inside. They looked harmless enough, so you explored, experimented, unable to pull yourself away. Most did nothing at all, their function long gone. But one worked, and you eventually discovered what it was: a toy. A strange little colorful thing made of rare plastic, it emitted lights and sounds and nothing more. The metal wires inside showed that it used the path of power, but why should this thing be called harmful? You realized, like a bolt out of the blue, that these old superstitions were nothing more than a way for the Maple Kings to keep their people in line. You began inspecting more and more of the shipments; you opened each crate, took out the few most interesting things, and carefully resealed them. Secrecy worked in your favor here, as the smelters weren’t supposed to open the crates either, lest they risk their corruption. You began expanding your company’s reach southwards, towards the major cities of the Eastern Union. Your overt business did well, as you worked in more secrecy to find people who were looking for black science; here in the Eastern Union where Tinkers roam free, there surely must be people seeking these things that every northerner knows to fear. It took a few years, but you found some local distributors, people to whom you could sell your diverted Maple black science wares. Looking back, you realize that those years marked the slow but steady evaporation of your innocence. If Ancient toys are destroyed as black science but Ancient weapons inevitably end up in the hands of the Maple military, what’s the point of the distinction between black and white sciences? If there is no such distinction, how did the Ancients draw the Cataclysm upon themselves? Surely they did somehow, as there was noone else to do so, but you no longer could believe that they received their just destruction after their sciences had drawn them away from Gaia. As a well-known and successful businessman with government contacts, it wasn’t hard to acquire an invitation to the launch of the Second Dawn. Technically you’re here to make further Maple Kingdom mercantile inroads while keeping an eye out for their traders’ acceptance of black science, but you have your own agenda. First and foremost is your own safety: recent evidence has made you suspect that the government is starting to pick up on your little black-market game, so you need to make absolutely certain that Ambassador Gaudet has reason only to trust you. The Maple Kings aren’t known for giving fair trials to those accused of smuggling black science, so you really hope to not return to the Kingdom at all after tonight. If you can get citizenship here in the Eastern Union, you’ll be a far sight safer from . Getting it in one night will be tough- the only simple options are getting married to an Eastern Union woman, or some special dispensation from the Minister of the Interior. As much as you’d rather put it off until things cool down, you’re going to have to do business tonight as well. One of your best distributors, Donald Baxter of Baxter Imports, is here as well. He’s a good honest black-market businessman, so you do trust him, but you also understand his position; you’ve already told him about a few items, and he surely has buyers lined up. He may sweat a little if you hold out, so maybe you can get him to help you with your troubles in the meantime. While you’re here, you might as well have a little dry amusement. There are a fair number of Eastern Union folks who follow the Gaian faith, including some sects you don’t really see up in the Kingdom. Find out about them, and find ways to make them look bad, whether it be a successful argument, a foiled plan, or some kind of public disgrace. It’ll put a nasty little smile on your face, but right now you could use whatever kind you can.

Roleplaying notes: You have thrown aside most of what you once believed in, though you still have lingering doubts and guilt over that decision- you know you’ve discovered the truth, but a voice in the back of your head says you’ve been corrupted by the malign touch of black science. You’ve become rather stressed over the double life, and wish to get away from it all in one piece so you can start anew. You don’t normally think of yourself as a mean person, but all this stress has you a little more nasty. Regardless, you’re a businessman born and bred, and no amount of stress will prevent you from doing your job well.

Goals: 1) Keep your black market business secret from those who might harm you. 2) Acquire Eastern Union citizenship. 3) Trade with your business connections in New Providence. 4) Undercut the Gaian religion in whatever ways you can.

Opinions: Second Dawn: It’s interesting, but you really don’t have the time to worry about such pie-in-the-sky plans right now. Space: If there were any humans up there, they would’ve said something by now. Religion: You were raised a devout Gaian, but now you suspect the whole religion to be riddled with falsehood or fraud at its very roots. Black Science: What does the distinction between black and white even mean, when plasma rifles are acceptable but toys are not? Maple Kingdom: A nice place to live, but its founding principles are based on lies, foolishness and superstition. Eastern Union: You’d hoped it would be an open-minded utopia, but it’s really not; fear and suspicion are nearly as widespread here, though without the religious fervor. Tinkers: You don’t know what to think of them. Most in the Kingdom suspect them of using black science extensively, but evidence here is equivocal. Regardless, it’s hard to like such secretive and insular people. The Watch: The Union government branch focused on exposing black science. Stay away from them tonight, they too would be unforgiving if they. You’re outside their jurisdiction while you remain a Kingdom citizen, though. El Dorado: Rumor says they’ve “purified” a demon, made it into white science. You’ve never met a demon, but given what you know about the rest of black science, you can believe it.

Key Information: •In order to get Union citizenship tonight, you will need to either marry (or at least become engaged to) a Union person, or get special dispensation from the Minister of the Interior or the President himself. •Barter is common for expensive items in the Union, but Donald Baxter usually pays in coin. •It isn’t actually one of your personal goals, but you’re supposedly here to promote business exchange between the Kingdom and Union, and keep an eye on the level of casual acceptance of black science among Union people.

People (in approximate order of importance): Conrad Gaudet, ambassador from the Maple Kingdom (David C): A special delegate sent down from Montréal for this launch. You hope he’ll be too busy being angry at the non-Gaian principles of the spaceship to worry about you. Raymond Latour (Adam K): A member of the Maple delegation; supposedly a researcher (ruin delver) of some sort, but you bet he’s also a commando. If the delegates catch you at your game, this is the man whose hands will break your bones. Donald Baxter (Jerry S): One of your biggest distributors of black science in the Eastern Union, he drives a hard but fair deal. Something of a local underworld figure, you understand; you and he have a reasonably good business relationship, maybe his contacts will prove useful. Margaret Eisenhower, Minister of the Interior (Abbie P): You don’t know her at all, but you know she’s the woman ultimately responsible for Union citizenship issues. Ryan Healey (Matt M): A full-scale Gaian priest, from some unfamiliar sect focused on the ocean. You might want to pretend to be a faithful Kingdom Gaian to get on his good side and learn what he’s all about. Jackie Drake (Sheyna G): A famed ruin-delver of the Plains, she’s well-known for the quantity and extent of black science she’s destroyed. Jules Dyer (Thomas L): A Watch agent, you don’t want her snooping around. As long as you remain a Kingdom citizen she won’t have any jurisdiction over you, but hopefully that won’t last forever!

Ratings: Pilot: 0 R: 1 D: 2 G: 2

Nametag Symbols: M, R

Attributes: Physical: Defense 2 Pool Rating 2 [] [] Mental: Defense 3 Pool Rating 3 [] [] [] Social: Defense 4 Pool Rating 4 [] [] [] []

Recoveries: -Observe someone express awe, pleasure, or another positive response to black science (+2 points, 1/hour) -Make a subtle or obvious swipe at the Gaian faith (+1 point, 3/hour) -Let slip a sign of your stressed-out state (+1 point, 2/hour)

Abilities: Convince, Entice, Penetrating Insight, Evasive (x1), Professional Confidentiality, Black Ways, Weasel, Enough Money, Suspect

Items (personal): pouch of coins (x2), pistol

(For sale): Clear seerstone, babbage, gadget (x2), plastic box with lights (x2), glassy bundle, smooth heavy pistol, sleekly designed pistol, bright-edged knife, fusion battery, chips and wires, stabilized gloves, goggles and headset, snowy seerstone, molded plastic piece (x2)

Black Ways

System: Any item with the “B” quality seems suspicious, potentially using black science. Only an extensive study of its workings or uses could verify this with complete certainty, so you will have to use your personal judgment tonight.

Enough Money System: An item with the “E” quality would be just about the right amount of cash to buy your wares (except for cash items, jewelry and plastic pieces). Room for haggling exists, but it alone would be a fair price.