"What it is to be born a dead man."

Purpose

To give the players the run-around. This is my attempt at a Blade-Runner-esque manhunt where the Ops are dragged into a deadly game of cat and mouse. It also forces those bloody Malice, Xeno, Chagrin & Vev' characters to role-play a bit, 'cause they never do in my games. It was also to give the players an out-of-BPN bit of a game as that's rarely touched upon in SLA for the most part.

Synopsis

The brief description is simple, the squad accidentally encounters a Karma escapee one night and Cloak force them to track down the rest. The morality of this twisted tale weights its clear deadliness. With a finale that demands attention as they are caught in a horrific bloodbath at Karma labs between Cloak and the Seraph, as these creatures are called. It also hints at a terrible foe to come in a later story.

The BPN

Colour Designation Grey (Internal)
Minimum SCL 10
Training Package Recomended Any
Consolidated Pay 1600c per Squad
Contact Cloak Division
Coverage 3rd EyE News

Immediately apprehend or Exterminate Karma Subjects Seraph-600 E1 to E5. No Media contact is available; any none-sanctioned individual making contact with E1-E5 must also be exterminated. This BPN is considered failed after 48 hours of acceptance and failure will result in Operative retirement.

GM Information

This adventure follows a different formula to most. It begins in a quiet night at the Pit, the player's Ops are off-duty and enjoying themselves for the night when one of them will stumble across a wounded Seraph. The creature will plead for its life before being annihilated by a Cloak team. Said Cloak team will drag the witness and squadmates to Cloak Division for interrogation.

Once the torment is over, they will be offered one chance to live; hunt down the other five Seraph and recover them alive or dead.

They will be given some basic information on their quarry and set loose with a 48-hour time limit.

Naturally, they have all been bugged and are being observed throughout the hunt. So the squad must follow the clues to the other 5 Seraph, this isn't going to be easy.

The Seraph are a new Karma creation, a new and very unique kind of Stormer. Dr. Willburgh Mulon conceived of the idea and got the go ahead for the project. Thus the 600-Seraph was born. Six initial test subjects were grown and were going through the examination process when they escaped. Karma immediately contacted Cloak and demanded action. Cloak picked up the trail and went after the six. Finally crippling one of them. The squad were unlucky enough to encounter this creature before it could be executed, but this gave Cloak an idea.

They had intended to take the remains back to Karma and have them re-animate the Sanguinary connection that telepathically connects the Seraph. Figuring the Seraph would return to save their wounded brethren. The operatives were a sudden inconvenience that had a use. If the Squad were tracking the other 5 Seraph around and trying to kill them, the creatures would think that they were still under Cloak assault. They would likely kill off the Ops and attempt their rescue thinking that the sixth had somehow survived and fled, Cloak would be waiting and finish the job.

Perfect, huh?

No way never is, is it?

Personalities

(By order of likely appearance)

Uriel

The sixth of the 600-Seraph experiments. He'll have only a moment or two to speak but will seem like a scared and wounded child-like mind in his bioorganic body. Try to make him seem weak and prey on the players kindness (yeah, I know mine haven't got much either, but there's always one in the team whose kinda' nice.) Though he is a sympathy figure, don't make him utterly pathetic, the players just wont go for it. Up until the point of his death, he should seem strange and alien, quick thinking and determined to reach his comrades.

Grace

Grace is a Cloak employed Necanthrope who is part of a union sent to retake Uriel. His aggressive nature is what leads him to obliterate the Seraph with Ebb blast 13. This should also warn the players not to fuck with him. He really isn't one for conversation, seeing all other beings as pathetic inferiors and below his concern. Any attempt at conversation will lead to him terrorising the speaker away.
Use Necanthrope Operative Template from Karma, up the combat powers a bit if you like too.

Derraine

The second Necanthrope Operative, Derraine is a more level-headed and realistic being than Grace but he his a very dim view of Karma, he requested this assignment just so that he could inflict pain on the pathetic worms that the Seraph are. He will be calm and courteous, if still threatening, to the Operatives.
Again use the Necanthrope Template, Derraine is more social and less combative however.

Vesati

The last of the union is Vesati; a cold and silent figure who rarely acts at all. She is powerful and this shows through in her inactivity, when she does do something it is subtle and often missed by the inattentive, yet powerful or effective. She will not enter combat without careful planning and prefers non-violent solutions. This does not make her nice, when in battle, she's without mercy and utterly determined to destroy.
Karma stats again, perhaps upping all of them a point or two, up to you there.

Dr.Schmit

Dr.Schmit is the Karma liaison, familiar with the Seraph project and with genuine concern for the creatures. Through him, the squad will learn what they are up against and grow to understand the way that the Seraph think (if they're smart enough to take the hints, anyway.)

The Hellers

The Hellers have no problem with the SLA Ops, it's just that they're a tad territorial, this gang is about a hundred strong, but only twenty two are about at the moment. Hellhound is the duke in charge of this current crew, he'll try to impress his boys and get 'em riled up into challenging the Ops. The Hellers are quick to retreat if they take losses though. They know nothing about the Seraph.

Grn'k L'kl'd

Considered by some to be the best contact that an Operative Shaktar could have, Grn'k L'kl'd is a dishonoured and once famed Shaktar Priest who is now paying penance for his sins. By uncovering subversive activity in Mort, SLA and Shaktar societies, he hopes that the Council of 8 will consider him worthy of honour once again. He has a very trustworthy appearance, in his 6'7" reptilian way. He is always seen begging in the same section of street in Lower Downtown sector 2. Shiver units pass him by, everyone nods to him and tosses him half a Uni or so, and he is always ready to discuss... anything that you may need to know, be it his thoughts on the outcome of the next race, through the way fashion is moving right up to where the best deals on music can be found.

For the Operative side of things, he takes little or no payment, only enough to keep him fed and clothed. Instead he will ask you for your trust, your friendship, your help and your belief. Every time, the Player must sign his little red book, full of the names of those who have pledged their assistance to him when it is needed. (Most Players will take this very lightly, and may even sign his book many times over. However, the time of need is coming soon, and then he will ask each of the names in his book to defend his honour in combat with one of the Council of 8's honour guard, as is the tradition. The more times the book has been signed, the more accomplished the honour guard they must fight.) In this adventure he will be able to point the players' squad to the right area of downtown to find the five.
Use Shaktar Operative traits from Karma, No weapons or armour though. (Yes, I have nicked this NPC from Sam Pay's ESP write up, but he is very cool, I hope Sam doesn't mind.)

Mikael & Other Seraph

The second of the Seraph is Mikael, given that the Seraph seem to share most of their higher mental abilities and personality when together, he should be used as a template for Lucifer, Rafael, Azrael & Useal. When encountered the first time, they fight well and are very protective of one another. They are not really open to dialogue as they assume the squad to be either Karma or Cloak agents sent to capture them.

Dr.Willburgh Mulon

Dr. Mulon is the creator of the Seraph and thus entirely aware of their capabilities, what he's told no one is that he could stop them with a thought if he so wanted. Each of them has a horrible de-constructive enzyme poison implant in their body, by radio transmission Mulon could kill them all. This should give you some idea of the man's personality. He's a cold and heartless man who wants to come out on top, ruthlessly using anyone to get there.

Lucifer

Independent of his brethren, Lucifer proves himself to be quite a lot more deadly. His enmity for the killers of his family is rivalled purely by his savagery in combat. He is not beyond compassion, however and this sets the tense and dramatic moments of the final scene in motion. He should be seen as highly intelligent, cunning and deeply hurt by his 'parents', nothing could be more dangerous.
Use the Seraph traits below, consider him to have the maximum in all statistics and skills.

600 Seraph

The 600 Seraph is not a Stormer variant available to players, they are a limited experiment creation that is unlikely to be continued after the 'flaws' in their program come to light. Little is known of the creation process, only that they are an unusual variation on the Vevaphon, superior, supposedly and with the potential as incredible WarWorld soldiers.

Strength	5-12 (10)
Dexterity	5-12 (10)
Diagnosis	5-10 (8)
Concentration	5-10 (8)
Cool		5-12 (10)
Physique	5-12 (10)
Knowledge	5-10 (8)
Hit Points	10-24 (20)
Height		185cms.
Weight		80kgs.
Movement Capacity
Walk		2
Full 		30+Str/2
Run		4
Half		x3
Sprint	6
None		x5  

Abilities

The Seraph were designed to be as combat efficient as possible, to this end they are fully skilled by subliminal programming before birth. Additionally they share a close psionic link. This little understood factor is called the sanguinary effect; it allows all the Seraph in the group to know one another's whereabouts, emotional state and health. It also drives them to protect one another as they are all bound by it.

The greatest advancement involved in the Sanguinary is the fact that all of the Seraph share a hive-mind database of skill and programmed training from it. Thus they are all able to do everything the others know. This also has lead to a very unusual side effect; when one of the Seraph dies, the others all permanently gain his knowledges as the link is permanently severed. The skills of Seraph increase by 1 point per brother that dies.

Taking note from the Vevaphon, the Seraph are a reworking of its DNA and RNA structure. Though its complex cell-morphing ability was deemed inappropriate for the 600, they can temporarily disperse their molecules, allowing them to flow through walls that are not entirely airtight or avoid gunfire completely. This gives them a base moulding ability too, meaning they can briefly alter their outer body, and crafting weapons for a second or two before the limb reverts to normal.

Sanguinary Effect

Gain 1 point to all skills when each Seraph brother dies. This effect is permanent. The Seraph is aware of the activities of his brothers at all times.

Dispersal

May shift through material objects, even walls, provided they are not airtight. This makes the Seraph immune to all physical attacks, including most Ebb attacks, thermal effects and blast do no damage. Senses and Gore Cannon do full effect; no other Ebb ability can harm the Seraph. This ability requires a CON roll at a cumulative -1 per phase of continued use. The Seraph cannot Disperse for another 30 seconds as the molecular cohesion is under great stresses when this ability is used.

Flexing

May generate a blade, whip or hammer weapon from body extremity. This weapon can have a maximum PV of 10, DAM 10 and AD of 5 each. For each point that all three traits have, the Seraph must use as a penalty to the CON roll required to keep the weapon for more than a phase. The Seraph may not create another weapon for a further two phases.

Additionally, all Seraph regenerate as Stormers.

Skills

Unarmed Combat 6(11)
Club 1-H 6(11)
Blade 1-H 6(11)
Flexible Weapons 6(11)
Gymnastics 6(11)
Climbing 4(9)
Sneaking 5(10)
Hiding 4(9)
Wrestling 6(11)
Running 5(10)
Tactics 4(9)
Detect 5(10)
*Numbers in brackets refer to Lucifer at the adventures end.