Important Characters

Nara, meaning “Forsaken” in her native tongue, is an exiled war criminal from a planet a solar system away from Arcadia. Trying in vain to forget her past, she made a new life for herself as a gun for hire deep in the Undercity. Generally suspicious of anyone unfamiliar, she keeps to herself in a quiet abandoned complex on the fringes of the Uncivilized zones.

Quite content with living in her own solitary world, she has long given up the need for companionship, and instead taking money, as well as guns, as comfort. Any relationship she participates in is strictly professional, and is only as loyal as the client can afford. Though she is not influenced by greed, she is convinced that the only power worth trusting is the logical, numerical force of money.

Nara and Garrett

Though irritated with his company and finds him too naïve, Nara knows Garrett is good on his word when it comes to promising payment in exchange for her personal information, and therefore maintains the relationship, at least until she can find an appropriate alley to dispose of him. Temper aside, she is a loyal and dedicated fighter, and is always keeping him out of trouble.

Physical Attributes:

Nara’s long, plum colored wavy hair and icy blue eyes give her a bit of an otherworldy mystique, whenever she actually lets it down. She stands approximately 7’ 2’’ tall, a little above average for her race, the Ara’yulthr.

Members of this race are characterized by their crimson skin, vertical slit pupils, and nail-like armor plating that protect major muscle groups. The plates themselves are known to be extremely sturdy, registering a 4-6 on the Mohs Hardness scale, depending on the individual.

They are physically an androgynous race, giving foreigners a hard time distinguishing gender. They tend to be built solidly, due to soldier training regimens enforced on the youth when they come of age. Foreigners have often compared them to statues or gargoyles due to their massive physique. Up close, there are very subtle details that can be picked up on, and features vary greatly for each individual.

Nara is considerably stronger than her peers, and had always excelled at her training. She has two distinct tattoos on her forearms of coiling serpents, significance known to only a few. The armor plating on her forearms is carved to continue the scaling pattern, and the indentations are gilt with a rose gold to contrast the darker color of the plates. Her softly refined pointed ears are covered in gold gemmed earrings and chains, more of a vanity characteristic rather than sentimental.

Other features:

The Ara’yulthr are known to have powerful subconscious capability, taking the form of vivid dreams that show pieces of the future, foretelling good or bad outcomes based off of potential decisions an individual may come across. They often spend time meditating to interpret the images.

Nara, unfortunately, is plagued with very fragmented, cloudy dreams that give unclear messages, and all somehow portend a coming doom. Never being able to comprehend what her mind is telling her, she suffers from a self-inflicted insomnia, branding her the nickname “Sleepless One.”

In terms of intergalactic relations, the Ara’yulthr tend to keep all other races at arms length. They are a militaristic culture, and are constantly trying to defend their lands from invaders who want to take advantage of their resources. Nara has retained some of these characteristics, and is always wary of ulterior motives from anyone she meets.

Born in one of the most fortunate and influential families of the Uppercity, the young Galavantier is heir to the megacorporation held in his father’s tight grasp. His education has been finely tuned to mold Garrett into the ideal businessman, but he has no interest in fulfilling his destiny as overlord. He absolutely loathes the Uppercity life, having to wear a mask every day in order to impress the optimal of society.

His main interest lies in galactic anthropology, and hopes someday to leave the planet to explore other cultures. His hobbies include researching ancient civilizations, and trading artifacts across an interstellar market. His ingrained business sense had given him an advantage, and he is rather successful at what he does. If he were not chained to the high society life, he would be able to make a living on his own easily.

What Nara considers naïveté, Garrett marks down to inexperience. He is incredibly intelligent and crafty for an Uppercity dweller, mostly due to having to hide his escapades into the Underground from his father, and anyone else who might cause him trouble.

Physical Appearance:

Garrett is lucky in the sense that he was born with ideal genetics without the use of cosmetic alteration. He abhors other people’s dependency for it, however. He stands about 6’ 3,’’ and has a bit of a noble air about his features, like a stereotypical Prince Charming. Frequently performing parkour in the Undercity’s ruins has also done a bit of a marvel to his physical condition. His chestnut hair and deep emerald eyes enchants many a suitor, all of which he rejects as promptly as he can, as he has no interest in playing the games of the Uppercity.

Nara and Garrett

Garrett has managed to create an employer relationship with Nara, by hiring her as a pseudo-bodyguard to guide him around the Undercity…when it suits her.

He is absolutely fascinated with Nara, the first outsider he has ever made friendly terms with, or at least as friendly as Nara is capable of showing.

Garrett tries to keep his relationship with Nara professional, but he often lets his curiosity get him into trouble with her temper. Because of this, he keeps his surname away from her, as she has a heavily reinforced respect for employer’s anonymity. Even though she would never admit it, and he pays great amounts of money for her upkeep, Garrett considers Nara a friend.

Baran is the right hand man of Antonin Galavantier, the proverbial “iron fist” behind the velvet glove, though what this means remains a mystery to Garrett. He is the Chief Security officer of the Galavantier corporation, but his duties are vast and varied. While not watching over operations in the household or in the office buildings, Baran is traveling with Mr. Galavantier on his business trips.

Not much is known about his past, and Garrett has tried many times in vain to extract that information. His surname is not even known to anyone.  All Garrett is able to infer is that Baran knows how to use a gun, but where he learned his skills remains a mystery to him.

Physical Appearance:

Baran stands at about 5’ 11,” and has an odd sense of charismatic leadership about him, which is most likely why he was hired by Galavantier in the first place. His lively, short cropped red hair frames his serious, gaunt face charmingly. He has a constant expression of no-nonsense, staring deep into a person with ocean blue eyes that subliminally demand respect.

Around the house he wears the formal fashion for the serving class, but on his travels with Antonin, he has been known to wear a suit similar to the Upper echelons, giving a rather odd implication of his relationship with the megacorp head.

Baran and Garrett:

Baran plays a double role as Garrett’s keeper, making sure he is kept safe, protecting Antonin’s assets. This is of course a challenge as he is the one who hides Garrett’s escapades into the Undercity from his father, giving him an impressive balancing act between his employer’s confidence, and his feelings for Garrett.

Baran has pretty much single-handedly raised Garrett, as his parents couldn’t be bothered with the task. Though he doesn’t show it, Baran has certain loyalties to the young Galavantier, and he hates seeing Garrett miserable with his current station and his future.

Baran is a very calm and collected man, and he is never seen to express his true feelings of discomfort to anyone but Garrett, and even then only to a small degree.

The crème-de-la-crème of high society, the House Galavantier is among the most prestigious of wealthy families. These are the type of people who wear formal attire even when lounging about in the house. Though the bloodline consists of only three people, Garrett, his mother, and his father, their skyscraper estate also houses an army of servants and other maintenance staff.
The frequent parties they hold are the most extravagant, as to reflect the success of Galavantier Corp. Each new party has unique décor, and is always accompanied by a feast to large enough to feed a small country for years. If you weren’t invited to these parties, you weren’t worth the time.

Antonin Galavantier:

Antonin is a powerful and ruthless businessman who has been said to be a “black hole of emotion.” His infamous poker face has always been an advantage in business dealings, never showing his true motives, even to those he is most close with in his household. No one is certain about how Galavantier came to be so successful, but most see him as having their best interests in mind.

In terms of Garrett’s upbringing, he has taken a hands-off approach, leaving his education to the staff. But he holds extremely high standards for his young heir, even though he keeps Garrett far away from the actual business dealings until he is ready to take over.

Like many figureheads of his station, he does not concern too much over his physical appearance. He allows a fashionable amount of age reflect in his features to show an authoritarian air. Many other heads do this in order to give the appearance of experience in the industry.

Marguerite Galavantier:

Tall and slender, she is built like an idealized runway model, and just about as glamorous. She has the social butterfly trait needed to keep up with the required interactions to maintain her station. She is obsessed with appearance, and spends the majority of her spare time at the cosmetic surgeon’s office.

Her constant need to network with everyone who may be useful in forming business ties has taken a toll on Garrett. She uses his lack of marital status as an ace-in-the-hole for merging their company with someone equally as powerful. Though he manages to push back her initial attempts, her tenacity is not something easily dissuaded.

Sentinel’s true name and origins remain a mystery. He is in control of the most powerful mercenary band on Arcadia, and the galaxy as well. Even the far reach of Galavantier stays clear of his heavily armed dominion.

His followers are the most fiercely loyal band of brigands in the Undercity. He uses unflappable respect and eternal patience in order to influence even the most uncouth members of his army, Each member possessing a deeply personal story about how the man took them into his arms. He also teaches his lieutenants how to lead with a similar mindset to his own.

His charitable demeanor baffles many, while others question his motivation. Some can agree that he is simply a helpful person, who likes to share an ear for those less fortunate. Others still refuse to grasp the concept of a businessman who does not cut throats to get the better end of a deal. But the members of his organization all agree: he is the one you want covering your back.

He travels constantly, conducting his business at his other bases of operation. No one is ever told where or when he moves.

Physical appearance:

Sentinel stands about 6’ 5″ and has a fatherly aura about him. He is of deep complexion, and his warm, welcoming features are framed with a tidy cascade of microbraids ending at the collarbone, each capped off with a silver bead. His bright, golden augmented eyes give off a feeling of assurance, as if the man will always listen intently on what you have to say.

He sports the most common of Undercity apparel: black leather trench coat, combat boots, and black pants with quite a few pockets. The casual observer might conclude that the man carries very little armaments, but those who are familiar with him know better.

Sentinel and Nara:

Sentinel was the one who took Nara in after she came to Arcadia, giving her a new lifestyle with her current skills. He is the only person she has ever warmed up to since her exile, though Garrett is a close second. He knows her native language from trading contacts, and often converses with her when she is having troubles. His patience serves him well as he slowly teaches Nara to regain trust in the world, and she lets herself confide in him as she tries to figure out her own place in the galaxy.

A prodigy of both modern medicine and biotechnology, Declan Alsbury was guaranteed to have a promising career in the most prominent hospitals of Upper. Though successful, he found it to be a life of drudgery, and boredom. He was an influential member in an establishment where the most severe crises was a case of dehydration from a patient’s night of partying.

Fed up with the waste of his talents, he set up shop in a shifty corner of the Undercity, where he could do good patching up the unfortunate, and face medical challenges of the bloodied mercenary that managed to crawl into his office. If you could get past his rough character and temper, he let you walk out the room with a minimal fee. He may even give you a discount if you didn’t cry.

Life was enjoyable for him, until he and his wife and child were attacked by a rogue band of Experimentalists. They were cornered in an alleyway, and as he tried to defend themselves, he was unable to protect them as they perished a gruesome death. He managed to flee, but was injured in the fight. Not taking any chances, he hacked off his wounded arm with a blade before staggering back to his office.

He built himself a replacement limb, all the while swearing vengeance upon the creatures that shattered his world. He has then devoted his time gathering a band of hybrid researchers and soldiers to scour the Undercity for straggling groups of Experimentalists, as well as publicly offering mercenaries a hefty bounty for useable specimens. He devotes all of his time in developing curatives to the Experimentalist’s transforming toxins, and funds his operation by maintaining an additional private office in the Uppercity, making the snub nosed blue bloods involuntarily do something worthwhile in their shallow lives.

Physical Appearance:

Declan has the scholarly appearance about him, which completely fools observers once he opens his mouth to spew forth curses and tirades. He stands about 5’ 9” and wears a constant tired expression on his olive toned face. His black curly hair is neatly trimmed at ear length, and his focused, natural brown eyes stare through glasses utilizing augmented reality. He is often spotted amplifying his pensive stares by stroking his immaculate goatee with his artificial arm.

Though his first prototype was utilitarian, his latest model of cybernetic arm displays a bit of vanity: made of a sleek gunmetal chrome, and well suited with hypersensitive artificial nerves allowing him to perform delicate surgery.

Declan and Nara:

Nara has a most unusual relationship with Declan. She is one of his primary sources for specimens, but she absolutely refuses to take payment from him. Though he has explained to her many times, in the most colorful of language, that he is not a charity, Nara still maintains her stubborn rejection of income. This game often results in shouting matches, and sometimes even fist fights, leaving the cleanup crew to pull them off of each other after their work has finished.

Declan also serves as the primary go-to guy for Sentinel’s injured. Because of this, if Nara ended up in Sentinel’s med bay, Declan is usually the first face she sees, which almost always leads to more confrontation.

Cordelia Vaylenuran is the heiress to Vaylenuran systems, specializing in neural netways, optics, and augmented reality, vital for the creation of artificial nervous systems and cybernetics involving brain implants.

Her father is more of the scientific type, rather than the business entrepreneur, so he spends his time in the research and development department of his company. Therefore, it has been left to Cordelia to maintain and control the corporation’s influence, and she does a frightfully good job at it.

With an educational background in Psychology, she knows the tricks of the trade to manipulate, as well as make a person tick. She wears a collection of masks to tell you exactly what you want to hear, and has a voice of honey to make you believe whatever she says is true.

Physical Appearance:

She possesses an aura of charm and grace about her as she slips easily between social circles. A barely blossomed adult, she is always seen dressed in the trendiest fashions of the youth. She casts a warm smile as delicate cascades of chocolate waves frame her trim face.

Vaylenuran technology has granted her with one of the most luxurious augmentation features available: her eyes. The Enchantress v.3 ocular enhancement grants her the ability to shift her eyes to any color in the visible spectrum, just by willing it with her mind. It was a gift from her father for her 16th birthday.

Cordelia and Garrett:

Cordelia wants Garrett, and he knows it is not for his good looks and personality. She wants to control him and his organization, wrapping it tightly around her slender fingers. But being more of a worldly educated individual, he is clearly able to see though her façades and maintain an arm’s length of distance. But she is a ruthless individual, and his family is not much of a help either, having their eyes set on using him for the perfect business merger.

Bellanar nesh Dru’umalech is a young Ara’yulthr scribe with a deeply rooted love for his people and his planet. He has wisdom beyond his years, and a fierce passion that compels him to protect his environment.

Like all youth who have come of age, Bellanar was sent into training as a soldier. But barely a few years later, his superiors and watchers from the other councils noticed his talents. Because of his resilience and attention to detail, he was one of the few selected to join the ranks of scribes and historians set with the task of preserving history. Though his time spent on the battlefield was short lived, he is no less a capable warrior than the rest of his kindred.

Physical Appearance:

If Nara is at the above average scale in her species, Bellanar is the extreme on the opposite side of the spectrum. Though his frame is finer and his complexion brighter, his strong facial structure warns foreigners that he is not to be taken lightly. His bright lime green eyes always cast a severe worried expression, as if the world around him is in constant danger of falling down around him.

Like many of the Ara’yulthr, he doesn’t fret over his appearances, and wears his long black hair loosely, but the more troublesome sections are restrained in a loose tie on the back of his head. Though he is young, he sports the shadow of facial hair commonly displayed by the elders, amplifying his lack of concern over frivolous matters.

Nara and Bellanar:

Back at home, Nara had frequently encountered Bellanar in the libraries, but had never come to know him as a person, much less a friendly contact. He was often pestering the chief scribes about organizations and backups of rare tomes at the same time she sought council from them.

Now, he somehow managed to track her down on Arcadia, and desperately wants her to come back. Despite her opinion of her people, he still attempts to convince her that she is needed and welcome back home. His presence is one of the biggest thorns in her side.

Annon Nethylis is one of those individuals that doesn’t belong anywhere, but is really, really good at faking it. Born of an influential family, he was blessed with the best upbringing and education available to anyone who could afford it. He had a knack for diplomacy and wordweaving, effortlessly finding himself inside even the most exclusive inner circles of Upper. But even he needed a break from the constant stuffy air proper manners that clouded the environment.

And so he found himself in the Underground, staring down the barrel of a gun. But instead of ending up with a few extra holes, he managed to make his attacker reassess his life choices, and gave him more profitable routes to pursue. He was then introduced to the thug’s establishment, a small den of thieves led by a rather foolish crime lord. After a nonviolent coup d’état, he managed control over the group, teaching them better ways to manage resources and to choose their targets wisely. His fixation over precision and control led the thugs to be one of the fastest growing gangs in Under, even rivaling one of the more prominent feudal lords.

But he didn’t feel the life of crime suited him either, so he gave back power to the previous lord, under the condition that he take care of it the way he had. Annon then established a mercenary agency, managing to get the most lucrative clientele with his silver tongue. Building an office from the ground up, he had finally found a place where he could call home, living by his own rules, making sure everything is in its proper place.  And he expects no less from the mercs working for him.

Physical Appearance:

Even though face-to-face encounters between him and clients are extremely rare, he still dresses like a suave businessman from Upper. His long white-blonde hair is slicked neatly back, styled like a typical nobleman. It is rare for him not to wear a frown, or as Nara refers to it, “An expression that always states ‘why yes, as a matter of fact, I DO have a stick up my ass.”

He prefers to stick with the more natural appearances of the Uppercity dwellers, maintaining his blinding pallor and only removing the essential imperfections that would be considered unphotogenic. His eye color has been altered as well from a sullen brown to a more alluring ice blue.

Nara and Annon:

Nara has a certain quiet respect for Annon, and through his obsession with tidiness and time, she has seen a side of him rarely shown to others.

She was a short distance away from his main office when she was approached by a group of bounty hunters with intent on claiming her head. They were at the witty banter and snide insults of the engagement when all of a sudden, one of the hunter’s chest exploded, leaving him slumped in a messy pile on the concrete.

From behind her emerged a dapper looking Annon, pointing a smoking, high-powered explosive contact rifle at the attackers. His eyes burned with a deranged light as he glared at the hunters with an unhinged rage. As he cocked the rifle once more he snarled:

“Don’t you DARE fuck with my clients!” And immediately shot another hunter, his eye twitching in anger. The remaining assault party fled, and Annon walked casually back to his office with the giant gun slung over his shoulder, as if he did nothing more than sift through an irritating pile of paperwork.

Vausaureth Cain, simply known to “Cain” by anyone who has heard of him, is the product of a retired experiment of the biotech corporation Chryansa Labs, established in a different solar system a fair distance away from Arcadia. His actual name is Subject Gilgamesh, after the project he was created under. Cain was given his new name by the assistant lab tech that was working under his creator, and was responsible for showing him the capacity of his sentience.

Project Gilgamesh was intended to build super soldiers to rival current law enforcement of both droid and organic in nature. But after sixteen years of visceral experimentation and forced cybernetic augmentation, Cain had eventually escaped his confinement, but not without some permanent damage in his equipment, as well as his mind. Project Gilgamesh was considered a failure after his breakout, and the doctor responsible discharged from service.

Cain is also another one of Sentinel’s children, and he is often seen at his various bases, free to come and go as he pleases. He takes missions from Sentinel from time to time, but always avoids any offers he receives that require him to make direct contact with biotech companies, which is only to be expected from someone who had to endure his past. Due to his underdeveloped social skills, he is a very quiet and reserved individual, and has a strange blend of dark humor that rarely peeks out of his shell. But he is an honest and fiercely loyal being, should one somehow manage to get past his defenses.

Physical Appearance:

Cain looks like a bringer of Death. At almost seven feet in height, he has a massive stature that sends a chill to unsuspecting individual. His pale translucent white skin is strewn with a web of black veins. His disheveled black hair amplifies the constant disturbed gaze emanating from his augmented eyes, which are a marvel of their own. His right radiates the most enchanting ocean blue, while his left burns a fierce shade of blood red. While seeing him smile is a rare sight, most wish they had never beheld the vicious fangs of pearly white metal leering at them from his mouth.

Cain and Nara:

These two mercenaries have a unique relationship, both business and personal. Many a time these two have been assigned to the same task, by different employers. They have established a sporting, yet violent game of keep-a-way, which often led to a considerable amount of collateral damage. Eventually, they take turns giving up the quarry, as killing each other would only make the crime lords happy. While Nara has not experienced as dramatic of a trauma as him, her past has led her to discover certain similarities between them. Because of his damaged cybernetics, he suffers from similar disturbing dreams whenever he manages to fall asleep. They share a similar worldview, and she is one of the few that has managed to get close to him.

Artemis DuFreyne is the modern equivalent of a hermetic shaman. Holed up in his wired entangled fortress deep inside the fringe, Art is the go-to man for whenever you want your warranties voided. He can play with anything and everything from computers, armor, guns, and even personal identification discs. If he hasn’t seen it before, which is not often, it takes him nanoseconds to pull it apart and figure out how it works.

Many would describe him as eccentric, but more along the obsessively curious spectrum, as opposed to the flat out crazy. He is a geek incarnate, dissecting and rebuilding whatever bits of technology he can get his scrawny hands on. Though awkward, he is a friendly and sociable guy, and does receive quite a bit of contact from the outside world. His primary business contacts, apart from his customers, are the scavengers he hires to prowl around the ruins for free tech, as well as scour the markets for an interesting deal.

Art grew up as a street rat scavenger, running errands and selling tech to anyone who would buy. He discovered he had a knack for reverse engineering, and eventually found himself as an apprentice in an underground biotech workshop. He eventually expanded his master’s business to deal in arms, armor, and information systems. Years later, he took over the business when his master died running an errand in the streets of the Fringe.

Physical Appearance:

Beneath a web of wires from the current, or several, previous projects in progress, lives a rather youthful looking man. He wears a set of coveralls littered with pockets, and each bursting full of tools or electronic parts hanging haphazardly all over. His shaggy black hair is kept away from his face by a wide brimmed hat, streaks of carbon often found marring his tawny beige skin. His bright green eyes always have a distracted expression as he looks at the world through highly advanced augmented reality glasses he built himself.

Art and Nara:
Art is just another merchant Nara goes to when she needs something special to help in her infiltration. He has pretty much modified every single bit of equipment she owns, as well as designed a few custom trinkets to serve her purposes, like the mechanical bugs she carries around with her. Nara has grown to depend on the man, because despite his quirks, he is one of the most trustworthy businessmen in Under.

Despite all the wondrous fantasies cosmetic alteration the Upworlders can indulge in, Matteus Il’Kalut is actually a member of a foreign race, rather than a genetically tailored human. His people are composed entirely of artisans, with a marvelous thriving culture that can be witnessed all over the galaxy. Their home planet is sparsely inhabited, as all members are encouraged to explore the universe, seeking out their true calling while making a living for themselves.

Matteus found his muse in the art of the flesh, studying body art techniques from his many travels, including the etching and gilding techniques used on Nara’s arms. He finally established a place of his own in the Undercity, where he can connect with his clientele as they tell him their desires. To him, the act of adornment reflects a deep personal story of each individual, and he is proud to become a part of another individual’s life.

He offers a place of tranquility amid the chaos and destruction of the Undercity, the décor of his abode appears as if transplanted from a place that knows no war, only spiritual progression. And if you are willing to listen, he might even engage in intellectual discussion, covering topics from philosophy and literature.

Physical Appearance

Initial impressions are often deceptive, as at first sight, Matteus looks like an angry member of a biker gang with a low tolerance for bullshit. But in reality, he is a very gentle and soft-spoken individual. He stands about 6’5” with a sky blue skin tone, but the majority of his body is covered in inkwork from the various cultures he has visited and studied from. He dresses very casually in baggy clothing, and his face is round in shape with a well-trimmed goatee. Whenever he is not busy in the shop, he can be seen reading a book through thick black framed glasses, which are cosmetic rather than functional. His constant pensive expression in his bright violet eyes almost make it difficult to disturb his train of thought. But the most distinguishing feature of his race is the coil of pearly white horns, resembling ram’s, resting at the sides of his bald head.