The Digital Frontier.

[powersthatbe]

THE DIGITAL FRONTIER
April 5th-May 17th

Welcome to the Grid. Many cycles ago, the Grid was inhabited by Cryptos, a set of programs which lived in isolation, developing their own strange system architecture, rumors of which were the wonder of the Network. But something the Cryptos built took on a life of its own: a digital cancer, a virus which purged the Grid of all recognizable digital life-forms, leaving only ruins and terrifying monsters called Automata. For the good of the Network, the Grid was sealed off, locked away behind many firewalls.

But time went on, and other programs developed more advanced protocols. Curious about the knowledge of the Cryptos, they sent two groups of programs to try and recover any data they could from the Grid. The first group formed The Partition - a secure area, reformatted and isolated from the rest of the Grid by the finest security the Network can offer. The Partition guards all port access to the rest of the Network. If there’s a security risk, the programs there - Defenders - won’t hesitate to purge the whole Grid, no matter what data would be lost.

Outside the Partition, on the edge of the corrupted Waste Lands, are the recovery programs - Miners. They sift the code of the old Grid, looking for valuable data artifacts and reconstructing them, fighting Automata, risking the corrupting of their own data, or even de-resolution, in order to restore what the Cryptos lost.

Every program on the Grid has both Purpose and Priority - a function it’s meant to execute, and the authority to do it. But as the Miners working the Frontier recover more and more code, their Purpose - discovery - and the Defenders’ - protection - come into conflict. And the Defenders have the Priority - their root administrator has Priority 0, where the leader of the Miners has only Priority 1. A program of lower station is unable to deny or resist direct orders from a superior, and that’s where the trouble starts.

The paranoid Defenders have begun to refuse access to the network, except to those programs willing to risk the integrity of their code and show their ability to defend themselves in the ancient Games - lethal gladiatorial combat which tests the parameters of a program to destruction. The Defenders reason that any Miner who can defeat their security could stand firm against Automata intrusions as well… but although this keeps things secure, it also leaves the Miners trapped on the edge of the Waste Lands, and lately, a rebellion has been brewing, low-Priority programs willing to defy authority and take over the Partition themselves. Some say that attitude itself is proof of Automata corruption…

But then, at last, there’s a breakthrough. The Miners have found an intact data structure, unmistakably the system architecture of the Cryptos, hidden beneath loads of random junk data. And when they restored it, they found Cryptos waiting within, waiting in stasis for the chance to reclaim their system for themselves… and another group of programs, mysterious Variables without Purpose or Priority, totally unrecognized by the system. Even the Cryptos aren’t sure what they are…

The Partition claims they’re disguised Automata, and the rebel programs believe the Variables are free algorithms who might be the best hope to liberate the Miners from the Defenders’ restrictions. The future of everything the Miners have worked for hangs in the balance…

Exploration Mechanics | Glossary | Casting Call | Skills | Map | Calendar | Player Resources | Questions | Plotting

Comments

[knightceties]

Quinn will be investigating.

Shuu will be infiltrating. I tossed his hat into the ring for one of the plot roles, Revived Crypto. If he doesn't get that, he'll be an archaeologist Miner of some kind. Details to come!

Ace will be infiltrating as a Priority 12 Defender whose purpose is to test and evaluate programs' defenses through the Games. Like a Pokemon gym leader, he exists to be beaten up so challengers can prove their strength. He's grown increasingly resentful of his relatively low Priority as well as the ability of higher-Priority Defenders to change his Games ability parameters at will, and has developed some (VERY SECRET) sympathy with the rebels.

There'll be more details for my infiltrators in this thread as I come up with stuff! /o/

do not reply please!

[knightceties]

This comment is for me to edit at will so I can stuff more details in as time goes on. Please reply to the comment before this one for plotting plans. Thank you!

Ace: Detailed rundown because I love details but do not wish to inflict wall o' text on you all.

CR I'd love with Ace:
- fellow Defenders who may or may not have faced him for evaluative Games
- Miner acquaintances who also frequent the Games, especially rebel Miners (whether he knows they're rebels or not)
- other Games junkies
- opponents from recreational Games he's played (positive or negative CR welcome)

Also, note for infiltration CR: Given the disguise built into Ace's backstory, everyone who knows him is free to know that Red_Knight and Ace are the same person and interact with him in either or both personas. The disguise is not meant to be a serious deception. But if he's out as Red_Knight, he won't openly acknowledge that he's Ace, and vice versa. /o/

[tailforbrains]

Ace and Neeshka should totally be friends. She's a miner, and a rebel, too :B

[knightceties]

Yessss, excellent! :3

[loyalrebel]

I'd be happy to toss Malik in as one of the recreational defenders (who probably does better at cycles than fighting) who's chill with Ace.

[knightceties]

Sounds good to me! Since Ace's backstory has a disguise thing built in, I added a bit more info about that to the info comment upthread. Nothing major, but stuff Malik would probably be aware of. o/

[loyalrebel]

Cool!

Malik doesn't much care as long as it doesn't interfere with his stuff, and probably roots for him because he finds it fun to watch.

[knightceties]

Sounds good!

REVIVED CRYPTO

[morbirdinterest]

Shuu will be infiltrating as Isa, the Revived Crypto. Before the Cryptos entered their stasis, he preferred to wander the Grid alone in study and contemplation. He interfaced with other Cryptos very rarely, and tries to hide his Priority 1 status as much as possible. Because he was so solitary, his exact Purpose remains largely unknown. However, given his nature and explorations, it seems to have been to analyze, catalog, and archive every bit of the Grid. He had a particular interest in anomalies and experiments (the more dangerous the better), and was known for having a particular skill in coding quarantine structures and other barriers.

A stiff and formal personality, he is unused to interfacing with large groups of programs (really, other programs at all) and is not sure what to make of the Grid's current inhabitants. His interest in them is driven in small part by intellectual curiosity and in large part by a deep need to explore the upper right quadrant of the Waste Lands. Isa's aware that he's not able to fulfill that goal without aid, especially significantly more knowledge of the Waste Lands than he possesses.

As such, he'll be turning to the programs now living in the Grid for help. And the more he learns about their ways, the easier it will be for him to find the help he needs.

Miners: He is interested in what the Miners have learned about the Waste Land, as well as their methods of recovery. He is also interested in recruiting or persuading Miners to help him explore... Work that he'd be willing to pay for using his incredible coding abilities. (How do personal shields and armor sound?)

Defenders: He is wary of them but, for now, accepts their presence as part and parcel of the Grid's current strange state. As such, he's interested in the faction's origins, purposes, and practices...but considers himself beyond their authority.

Variables: They are abominations with neither right nor reason to exist. He wants to know everything there is to know about them.

Re: REVIVED CRYPTO

[willyousee]

Miner fascinated by Cryptos whose Purpose revolves around analysing Crypto and Animata artifacts checking in! He sort of probably comes as part of a package deal with his twin sister/female half, but I bet we could wrangle some small separations too. How would Shu like a shy fanboy with a thirst for knowledge and a good idea of some of the recovered Crypto artifacts?

[morbirdinterest]

Sounds like fun! Isa would...probably not really know how to handle having a fanboy, to be honest. |D But he'd love to pick ADM's brain about what he knows about the Automata, so they've definitely got reasons to interact and share knowledge. :>

I'm fine threading with ADM alone and with his sister, as Isa would be interested in their nature as a repurposed administrator for sure. Anomalies and experiments and strange things are his favorite.

[dalectable]

You can't get much stranger in experiments than this split program - one of whose halves would glitch horribly when kept too far from her male half. <3

EV3 will be wary as always of everyone but she will tag along with ADM in his fanboying to keep an eye on things and to make sure no funny business is going on.

[morbirdinterest]

Oho, excellent! I'm sure they'll have plenty of opportunities to interact. :D

[neverfeltthatway]

Shuu will find a staunch ally and supporter in Armin. He is a level 3 priority program - Rose's lieutenant - and his purpose is to understand foreign systems. He all but reveres the cryptos, wants to learn everything about them - and although he's frustrated by the fact that none of them seem to want to talk, that won't stop him from defending and aiding the cryptos in any way he can.

When he's not busy being the most vocal and passionate voice in support of exploration and excavation, recruiting other programs and leading teams into the wastelands.

[morbirdinterest]

Oooh, awesome! Sounds like they'll have lots of things to talk about, including the search stuff. Isa will definitely appreciate having an ally among the programs now living in the Grid, to say nothing of the knowledge that Armin possesses.

[neverfeltthatway]

Point being it would not be difficult for him to have armin redirect the search in that direction. And as one of the leaders of the miners, he can bring a lot of programs with him, I imagine.

Unless Rose doesn't agree, I suppose. Oooh. That would be... interesting, if his loyalty to Rose conflicted with his reverence of the cryptos.

[morbirdinterest]

Oooh, yes, that would be interesting. Something to file under "potential future complications"?

[neverfeltthatway]

definitely.

Doesn't help that both Shuu and Rose are priority 1, either

[morbirdinterest]

Oohhhh yes I bet that won't help at all... I can't wait to see how the Jaunt unfolds, so many delicious possibilities keep cropping up. :3c