Looking around for another game to blog through I was reminded of another series a enjoyed a while ago – Shadowrun Returns. While the initial entry wasn’t the most engaging, they learned a lot from it and subsequent titles greatly expanded on the concepts. Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Shadowrun:Hong Kong both excelled at RPG choices blended in with the unique aesthetic of “dystopian cyberpunk with magic”. And the engine supports some truly fantastic fan-made campaigns as well. This run will start with “Shadowrun: Hong Kong” – which I like for its personal stakes and strong character hooks.
Name: Ying Ye
Handle: Hijinx
Race: Elf
Class: Mage
Ettiquettes: Gang, Shadowrunner
Ye grew up on the mean streets of the Redmond Barrens of Seattle with her adoptive “brother” Duncan – an Orcish brawler. Every day was a battle just to survive. She was the brains, he was the brawn. He struggled with his orcish temper, but grew large and strong young. She had a natural ability to read and manipulate people… and the budding talents of an untutored mage.
She and Duncan were taken in and eventually adopted by a man named Raymond Black – a single, upper-middle-class chinese man who took them under his wing to offer a better life. Duncan took to the new life with gusto, blossoming under the structure and stability it offered. Ye… had far more difficulty making the adjustment. She didn’t trust stability. She couldn’t stand being dependent upon “Uncle” Ray. And she simply didn’t know who she was outside the streets.
One night, at age 16, that got her into real trouble. She slipped away to deal with a personal matter. An old friend had asked her for help, and since the “friend” was still active in a street gang she didn’t want Duncan to get pulled in. It seemed a simple job. She figured she’d be back in a few days, blow off their questions, and that would be that. Unfortunately it turned out to be a setup. Instead she ended up in a corporate prison. A “black site” prison. No word in or out. No way to contact Duncan or Uncle. Not that her stubborn “I got myself into this mess” attitude would have allowed her to ask them for help anyway.
She learned a lot during her incarceration. The Company was not above using expendable prisoners for unsanctioned operations, and her magical talents were rare among the riff-raff. But it was always limited in scale, tightly controlled, and with explosive collars and such ensuring her strict compliance.
Eventually she was released – after 8 years. Not due to good behavior, time served, or payment for services. But simply due to corporate restructuring. The new management no longer wanted to deal with her, and dumping her on the streets was the easiest way to clean up the “mess”.
She was just beginning to sort out what she might do with her life next, when she got an unexpected message. From Uncle Raymond. She didn’t know how he had been able to find her. She had not communicated with either he or Duncan since that night. He was in trouble. Big trouble. And he wouldn’t explain what it was except in person. The only clue was a rather cryptic comment.
“I always told you your past could only define you if you couldn’t leave it behind. I was wrong.”
He wanted both she and Duncan to meet him. As soon as possible. In Hong Kong…
Ye is snarky, strong-willed, stubborn, and both far too clever for her own good… and not quite as clever as she thinks she is. Street-smart, an ex-con, and trying to figure out how to adjust to life on the outside. To say nothing of having little practical understanding of the magic potential coursing through her.
Her “brother” Duncan is straight-laced, devoted, and has begun a career as a police officer. He distrusts Ye for disappearing – as he sees it abandoning he and Uncle – and is not at all sure how he feels about having her suddenly pop back into his life. But he is even more concerned about Uncle Raymond, so he’ll work with what he’s got.
Author’s Notes:
Ye will be somewhat of a mirror image of Cassandra. While Cassandra was a techie in a world where newly emerging technology was eclipsing magic, Ye is an untrained mage in a world where magic has caused havoc by manifesting in a modern technological society. Where Cass tended to be above-board – in mindset if not always in practice – Ye doesn’t care about the law in the slightest beyond potential consequences. To her mind it is more of a weapon of the powerful than a tool for justice. An outlook not remotely shared by her brother…
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