Second Dawn:Jonathan Grant

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

Jonathan Grant Player: Ted M President of the Eastern Union Age: 60s

Additional information (read first): Union government, Seerstones

Background: You were born on the edge of Danbury County, not far from the Eastern Union’s heart in New Hudson. Your parents were simple working folk, running the town’s best bakery. You never had the desire or talent to be much of a cook, but your calling lay elsewhere. When you grew old enough to start on your career, you became the local magistrate’s apprentice. You learned the laws and the customs, enforcing the will of the local government in Danbury proper, bringing the Union’s justice. Not that the Magistrates were the police, but out on the rural fringes, sometimes you had to be the warning that the law was on its way. That was much harder than acting as judge and negotiator and ombudsman; out there, you knew everyone, and if somebody was in trouble, you probably knew them. Eventually, you had to tell your old family friends the Dyers that the bank was coming to repossess their farm; you saw the hate in their eyes, and knew you had to find a better job. You moved to Danbury proper, and used your magistrative connections to begin your campaign to become the county’s representative in Congress. At first that idea just seemed like a way outwards and upwards from an intolerable situation, but the more you thought about it, the more you liked it. You remembered your times playing in the small Ancient ruins behind the hill, long since picked-over by Tinkers and now free for the local children to find and explore against their parents’ wishes. The Ancients had so much that has long been lost and forgotten, but more importantly, they were a symbol. Those ruins stood for everything that the people of the Eastern Union had been capable of before, and were capable of becoming again. You joined the Capitalist party, and won a surprise victory in that first election. It’s been over 30 years since then, and you’ve come a damned long way. The bay full of Ancient ruins below New Hudson stood as an eternal reminder of your dream that the Union could reclaim the majesty of those bygone days. As your natural charisma and political skills helped you rise in power and influence, you held and cherished that dream, developing it into a true plan. When you became powerful enough to run for the office of President in the years leading up to 316, you slowly began to present it, offering it as a rallying point to gather and motivate your supporters. You knew, and you showed, that the best way to establish the Eastern Union’s place as inheritors of the Ancients’ glory is to return to space. Once you became President, you began setting the Second Dawn project in motion. You consulted with Tinkers to determine what could and should be done, and settled together on the designs that’re being fulfilled tonight. A fuselage of hand-welded steel, to use the small-scale labor skills and steelmaking industry that the Union already has. Fusion engines, strong enough to push even such a heavy vehicle into space. Its control systems required the Tinkers to develop new techniques and materials, but they’ve proved up to the task. The satellite, to restore the Ancient capacity for instant communications across the nation and beyond. For all its practical benefits, you’re in it for the dream. You’ve always been a dreamer since those Pittsburgh summer days, and you’ve found the rare path to make those dreams a reality. Some say that the ship might even find the lost human colonies out in space, but truth be told, you only partly care about that or any of its other real rewards. You want to see mankind in space, more badly than life itself. That really is the right comparison, as it turns out. You have some sort of wasting disease, and untreated it would’ve killed you years ago. Over the past five years, you’ve been going in secret to Tinkers for more and more drastic medicines, Ancient treatments or whatever they can turn up. They’ve been keeping you alive, but especially over the past year, they’ve been dulling your thinking, making it hard for you to focus on the quick details of the day. But you’ve stopped taking your medicines this week, so you can see the Second Dawn with clear eyes. You can feel the slowness of your body, a growing sickness in your stomach, and you know you may not make it through the night. But if the ship launches, you will die satisfied. Having a clear mind tonight will have more benefits than just your enjoyment. You know that the five Ministers are planning to decide tonight the outcome of the 328 elections, and you have much to do. Most of them still think you’re going to run for reelection, but you instead plan only to ensure that the Capitalist party stays in parter. Your Chief of Staff, Franklin Kennedy, would be the best choice, well-groomed for the task, but you’d certainly rather have one of the Capitalist Congressmen than anyone from the shortsighted, vindictive Socialist party replace you. You used to be quite good at managing the Ministers; they’re powerful, but five people is plenty of space for disagreements and strife, and playing them off against each other is the best way to ensure that the Presidency stays strong. Between the ship and the politics, you should have enough to do tonight. Yet there’s one more thing here that you should take care of. You were glancing over the invitation list, and you saw the name Julia Dyer… the young child who stood in the kitchen as you told her parents that they had to leave their family home. It seems that she’s been working for the government for years now, as an agent for the Watch. If you’re not going to live much longer, you should take some time to apologize. It wasn’t your fault, only your duty; but you know why it hurt them to receive the news from you, and you did quit the job over that guilt. It hasn’t been in the forefront of your mind for all these decades, but it is one more thing you’d like to resolve before you die.

Roleplaying notes: You feel older than you look because of your bad heart, but your mind is clear tonight. You are a skilled politician, but a true dreamer and visionary at heart. That clear vision and purity of purpose gives you a definite charisma, a strength that draws those who seek hope. You have regrets, but much to be proud of as well. You know tonight is your last night alive, and hope to make the best of it, and yourself, one way or another.

Goals: 1) Ensure that your dream of the Second Dawn is fulfilled. 2) Ensure that the Capitalist party keeps the Presidency. 3) Keep the five Ministers balanced against each other. 4) Earn forgiveness for repossessing the Dyer farm.

Opinions: Second Dawn: Your dream of 30 years. A source of hope and glory for mankind, a chance to show that mankind is worthy of the Ancients’ legacy. Space: You do hope there really are humans, Ancients, still out there. But it’s only a wild hope, your dream doesn’t rest on that. Black Science: You know it’s pernicious stuff, but you know better than to pry into what the Tinkers use for good purposes like the Dawn. Religion: You vaguely believe in Natural Theology, though you aren’t religious. You do like the idea that the world and stars are alive to see humankind reclaim its glory. Tinkers: They’ve been necessary allies in the design and creation of the Dawn. You grew up mistrusting them, but you’ve managed to look past that. They certainly provide a lot of the sciences that make the Union great. Plains States: A serious military threat to the Union’s existence. Barbarians. Maple Kingdom: They used to be good allies, but the Second Dawn offends their backwards-thinking strain of Gaian practice, and relations have become strained. Appalachian Confederation: Simple folks, fine neighbors. The Union may need to overpower them to defend the Union against the Plains, but you’d regret it. The Watch: The nation’s internal security force, essential to protecting the Union from foreign agents and the danger of uncontrolled black science.

Key Information: •You are secretly terminally ill, and have stopped taking your medicines in order to fully appreciate tonight. Therefore, you will die at some point tonight, no later than immediately after the launch of the Dawn. •Your exotic Tinker medicines clouded your mind, so you’ve spent most of the past year in a haze. You may be able to use your sudden return to clarity to your advantage. •Possible threats to the Dawn’s launch might include a sudden change of the Presidency before the night finishes, problems with the workers, or else some kind of sabotage. •You never married or had children. In the ways that matter, the Second Dawn is your child. •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. •When you were a local magistrate in your young adulthood, you had to bring an eviction message to your family friends, the Dyers. Guilt over that exchange led you to leave that magistrate job, and now you want to take this opportunity to apologize.

People (in approximate order of importance): Franklin Kennedy, Chief of Staff (Matt W): He controls your schedule, and has been your protégé for some years now. He’s been taking over more and more of your work during the past year, you should ask him if you have any questions. You trust him completely, but you know he’s got an ambitious streak of his own, and you wouldn’t quite call him a true friend. Kenneth Sanford (Kyle R): A member of the Secret Service; technically an employee of the Ministry of Interior, but he’s personally loyal to you. He’s been your bodyguard and good friend for years now, he looks up to you and you think of him as a son sometimes. You haven’t had the heart to tell him about your illness, but tonight is your last chance. Jules Dyer (Thomas L): Now an Agent of the Watch. In your 30s, when he was a child, you had to kick his family off of their farm for not paying their debts. You haven’t been in touch with his family since then, you should find out how he and they are doing and make an apology. Eleanor Truman, Premier of Congress (Alison H): Head of the Socialist party, she’s made a campaign of thwarting the Second Dawn, cutting funding at every opportunity. She’s your biggest political foe, but you really dislike her personally too, after all the time she’s spent trying to cut down your dream. Sydney Monroe, Congresswoman from New Providence (Nitsan B): She’s been one of the few Socialists to support the Dawn. You’d prefer to be succeeded by a Capitalist, but Monroe would at least be better than Truman. Martin Buchanan, Congressman from Boston (Dan P): This Capitalist would be a good second-choice replacement if something happened to Kennedy’s candidacy. Captain Ivy Pearce (Rachel O): She’s going to pilot your ship, and you’ve had a few occasions to speak. You’ve made sure she knows you’ve done your best to make everything perfect for her, and you feel she’s worthy of carrying your dream. Artair [ARE-ter] Tinker, Minister of Sciences (Jed S): A very senior Tinker, and a good man. The Tinkers are more like allies than members of the government, so it’s a good thing that this Minister is cooperative-minded and friendly with “outsiders.” Charles Bazett, Minister of the Borders (Paul E): An extremely intelligent man, you know he was one of your biggest supporters in 316 when you first won the Presidency. He’s been a strong supporter of the Dawn project ever since. Margaret Eisenhower, Minister of the Interior (Abbie P): He used to be a Socialist congressman, but he’s supported your presidency since his predecessor selected him after the 318 elections. He doesn’t seem to enjoy his job much, and that malaise has made him hard to like. Luther Gaines, Minister of the Watch (Kyle R): His predecessor’s position in the Cabinet was weak, and his attempts to reclaim that lost influence has won him many foes in the Cabinet. His efforts have done wonders keeping the Ministers working against each other, so you do approve of his performance, even though you know he likes neither you nor the Dawn. You’ve made sure to protect the most sensitive parts of the Dawn project from the Watch’s scrutiny. Kara Atkinson, Minister of the Army (Hillary K): At first she was enthusiastic about the Dawn, seeing the military advantage of the communications satellite. But as Congress tightened the budget, she’s grown increasingly unhappy at not getting her fair share of new toys. Eugene Kennedy (Simon M): Your protégé’s son, you think of him like a nephew. Franklin has mentioned some problems with him recently, but he’s been vague.

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

Nametag Symbols: E, B, Q, U

Attributes: Physical: Defense 1 Pool Rating 2 [] [] Mental: Defense 4 Pool Rating 4 [] [] [] [] Social: Defense 4 Pool Rating 4 [] [] [] []

Recoveries: -Surprise someone, or gain some advantage from, your illness or change in medicines (+1 point, 3/hour) -Play off one Minister against another in some way (+2 points, 1/hour) -Do something differently because it’s your last day alive (+2 points, 1/hour)

Abilities: suspect, convince, charm, oratory, entice, do you have an appointment?, authorization, citizens of the union, leadership, unflappable

Items: Piece of Jewelry, vial of pills

Citizens of the Union System: You can identify any character with the “E” symbol as being a citizen of the Eastern Union.