Chapter One: Introduction

The Sleepers

The year is 1999, the world is reaching the end of the millennium, crime is worse than ever and the once fertile expanses of nature choke on ever expanding concrete jungles of glass and steal. The world sits, uncomprehending, chained and shackled to cubicles and desk jobs while at night a small minority seek the secrets of happiness and truth down forbidden avenues of the taboo and indulgence. The Matrix has you.

Sleepers

The sleepers of the Matrix are similar to the sleepers of Mage, although the term becomes more appropriate as all citizens of the Matrix are in fact sleeping, in stasis and unaware that the reality that they share is actually a large virtual construct. Creation of a sleeper is that same as a mortal character in the World of Darkness. If a sleeper is awakened his physical attributes are halved. Note: within the Matrix the original physical attributes of the sleeper are still used.

The Ronin

Most of the Ronin, the last freedom fighters for humanity, start out as sleepers. Somewhere along their life they were awakened to become true Ronin and join the battle for humanity's freedom. There are a number of different kinds of beginnings that a Ronin can have, the Prodigy, the Gen, the Edgerunners and the Grumps. These shall all be explained further in the character generation section.

Wild Cards

A most interesting phenomenon are sleepers that have completely freed their mind while still within the Matrix. These characters can mimic more traditional Mage characters and create a typical game of Mage while within the Matrix or can be those that understand the truth of their existence but have chosen to remain within the Matrix. Wild Cards are just that, wild cards. The danger of their situation (not being able to leave the Matrix) makes their motivations and plans enigmatic and although they are typically included in the rebellion they are usually seen in a somewhat suspicious light. Important details of the resistance are kept from these mysterious people as they have been known, in a few rare instances, to be the cause of tragic betrayals. The only exception to this is the network of the oracle, who chooses not to manipulate the Matrix, but view it and use her unique perspective to manipulate it passively. Before playing a Wild Card you must understand that they cannot leave the Matrix, they are always jacked in. Although they may, if they wish, seek out an Awakened and ask to be freed a true Wild Card is one that has dismissed this idea already and prefers to remain within. Paradox is thus a greater risk for they cannot escape it's effects when triggered.

The Awakened

A charred and blasted world, the sky forever dark and stormy, the ground blackened and lifeless. Sharp microchip towers and softly glowing silicone spires hold fluid cells of sleeping people, endless fields of infant crops stretch beyond the horizon and the real population of earth, the machines, control everything. Welcome to the real world.

Ronin

The most common character are the Ronin, self titled for freeing themselves from the bondage of the Machine and becoming masters of their own fate. They are now aware of the real world, having been unplugged from the Matrix. Most were awakened because of their ability with computer hacking and strength of will as well as the nagging feeling that each had that the world was a lie. Their search for the truth led them eventually to other Ronin who, such as Morpheus, gave them the choice of liberation through the truth or continued enslavement by the lie. Even though the Ronin are not gifted with the power of direct control over the Matrix they can learn, by opening their mind to the reality of the Matrix, other powers such as speed and control over their Matrix avatars.

Gifted

The most powerful Ronin that can be played are the gifted, such as Neo. Although Morpheus, Trinity and the rest had power within the Matrix from opening their minds to the reality of the situation they still didn't have the ability to directly control the Matrix by will alone. Only Neo and the other gifted kids did. From Neo's transcendence others have followed, but it is still a rare gift, most gifted are trained from childhood. The gifted are the Mage of the Matrix, understanding it through an opening of their mind to the different spheres that they may influence within the Matrix (the spheres of Mage adapted slightly for the Matrix).

Free Born

Free Born are those that have been born outside the Matrix, free. The only known group of free born are the Children of Zion, or Zionists, born in the last known human controlled city of Zion. Zion is hidden but is believed to be near the core of the earth, where the planets remaining warmth and exothermic energy can be harnessed. Free Born make excellent real world rebels with knowledge of many skills adapted to serve the needs of the real world, plus the bonus of their evolved physical status. Although they cannot enter the Matrix, no plugs or jacks, they do make excellent operators, learning to program powerful hacks with the full knowledge of what the Matrix is and free of the intense will it takes to effect the Matrix from within.

The Machine

The Agents are just the most well known Matrix enemies of the awakened, there are most likely more in existence or development. All Matrix enemies are sentient programs of artificial intelligence, in fact the First was a human created AI that then spawned a race of machines and AI. It is unknown what ever happened to the First, whether or not it exists in a Matrix as an AI or in a physical mechanical body is a priceless piece of information, but regardless it's children inhabit both the real world and the Matrix. One disturbing rumor is that the first is actually the Matrix itself and that the minds of the sleepers are needed to house it's immense size. This would seem to answer many questions, such as why the machines would use our bodies for energy but then allow us to be conscious even if it is only in a mental construct, and would also explain some of the odd things that the Matrix just seems to do of it's own accord, but other similar incidents have actually seemed to help some awakened so this theory is usually nervously laughed at.

The Machines

The Machines are powerful AI controlled robotic entities, each built for a very specific purpose and built well. Most have duties, akin to robotic worker drones. These are not too difficult to fight as they are built to be easily replaceable. It is the Sentinels and other seeker/killer bots that must be avoided. The only effective weapon against them is EMP, which shorts any electrical system within the blast radius. It has been rumored that all machines maintain a link to the Matrix in order to keep in contact with each other. These rumors have been followed up by those, mostly optimistic fools that never make it back, who would seek a way to effect them from within the Matrix, allowing them to be destroyed or even reprogrammed to help the resistance. So far no known progress has been made in this endeavor.

Agents

The most common and feared enemy of the Ronin are the agents. Sentient programs that possess and use the avatars (projected bodies of people in the Matrix) of Matrix citizens to hunt and kill any who threaten the Machine. Most agents are somewhat generic, but with the big defeat of Agent Smith it seems that the agents have been updated and revised. A second gen of agents has emerged to meet the sudden rush of awakened that have followed the ascension of Neo with increased access to the Matrix. With this extra access they have the ability to directly alter the Matrix like the Gifted instead of having to request it from Central. Only a few of these Second Gen Agents exist, probably because to allow too many agents this kind of power would disrupt the Matrix too much.

Second Gen

A few Agents no longer have specific powers, instead they have been gifted with the ability to directly alter and effect the Matrix. This Access is the Second Gen's Arete and they have knowledge of all spheres at level 5. Second Gen Agents must be weary for they gain Paradox just as a Gifted would. This Paradox is different, it is the denying of the Access that is granted to the Second Gen Agents by Central as a punishment for it's misuse or a safeguard against having it ill effect the batteries that the Matrix keeps occupied.

Others

It can be sure that something new is either out there or being developed by the Machine to fight the awakened, but what this is or will be is up to the storyteller. Although the machine itself is not really imaginative it does have humans in its employment, in any number of schemes, working on new AI and the such. So far their is no concrete knowledge of what may be on the back burner, but the awakened are always alert for the Machines next surprise. There is also the matter of the Wild Cards, many tragic and massive betrayals have seemingly been because of deals between these enigmatic beings and the Machine. The idea of what horrific shit these bastards could be creating scare the awakened more than anything the Machine has hit them with yet.