The Redeemers [Working Title] is a cyberpunk fantasy story in the near future, inspired by settings such as Shadowrun, Deus Ex, and Blade Runner. The world is similar to our own, but more technologically advanced, with a focus on biomedical and cybernetic technology, such as implants, prosthetics, and gene therapy. Advanced robots are in their prototype stages, performing simple and menial labor admirably, but remain too limited and expensive to make a significant impact on the world's workforce.

Space travel is still in an infantile stage, but is showing promising progress due to renewed nationalism and rivalries between China, Russia, The United States and Japan. Though no colonies exist yet, the first manned missions have recently begun to Mars and Jupiter.

The majority of the setting's focus will take place in Pittsburgh, which due to its thriving steel industry, has been a focal point of what is commonly known as the cybernetic revolution. Though Pittsburgh is proving to be the herald of the new generation, not all is well in the City of Champions.

There are three available races to play as in The Redeemers setting: Humans, Demons, and the titular Redeemers themselves. 

Humans

• More information to come! See Blur or Iron Rose if you are interested in playing one of these roles and have any questions.
  

Demons

• More information to come! See Blur or Iron Rose if you are interested in playing one of these roles and have any questions.
  

Redeemers

• The Redeemers are bio-synthetic constructs created by the Seraphim, an enigmatic quartet of powerful beings that few have had direct contact with. They were finished in 2036, five years before the beginning of the story, and through an event called the Schism in 2039, many broke away or escaped under unknown circumstances; even most of the Redeemers themselves have only shady memories of this event. They are twenty-four in number, split into three classes. There are four males and four females of each class: Assault, Scout, and Support. Redeemers can vary wildly from almost entirely mechanical or monstrous to seemingly human, typically depending on what functions they were designed to perform.
  Each Redeemer has a designation, one of the letters of the greek alphabet. This is required. However, one may also choose a 'nickname'/moniker of their own design, and it can be whatever the player likes.
  
  
  

  Assault Class
  

  
  
  
  • Assault Redeemers are direct combatants, designed almost entirely for warfare. They tend to vary wildly from human to monstrous in design, and this is left to the discretion of the player. Assaults were built to fight on a larger scale than their brethren; the average Assault-class can level a city in a matter of hours, assuming they have the power source required. Typically, most Assaults have an internal fission reactor that fuels their abilities, but by necessity, they also can draw from external sources, such as solar and electrical power or radiation, to boost their abilities. Most can also eat human food, thoguh this is inefficient and of little aid except in the case of specialized nutrition and basic survival needs.
    Because of their durable design, Assaults can take a lot of punishment. Usually they're almost completely immune to small arms fire, have evasive or absorbing skills sufficient to endure heavy physical or kinetic impacts, and have some form of partial or total regeneration. The specifics of the Redeemer's powerset in all cases is left to the discretion of the player, but please be mindful of the setting; 'magic' is not something Redeemers are privy to, and they still must obey the laws of physics to at least some extent, especially regarding power draw. An Assault with access to nearby power lines is much more of a threat than one stranded in the desert at night.
    Examples of suitable powersets to Assaults could be superhuman strength and endurance, the ability to convert the nearby environment through use of power sources, extremely powerful high-draw ballistic weapons, or energy manipulation. Don't feel limited by these examples, though, go with what you enjoy most.
    One last thing to note about playing an Assault is being mindful of their status within the Seraphim. Because of their potential and strength, they were rarely allowed outside of Seraphim facilities, meaning they had little direct experience with humans. They were, in essence, living weapons, unloaded only when necessary. How a player wants to incorporate this, if at all, is up to them, but it's worth knowing.
  
  
  
  
  

  Scout Class
  

  
  
  
  • Scout Redeemers are designed for field operations. Sabotage, infiltration, spying; they're the 'black ops' branch. Though still capable of self-defense and combat well beyond human levels, they're skirmishers at best, lacking the sheer destructive capability and power of their Assault brothers and sisters. Instead, they're designed for subtlety. Unlike the Assaults, Scouts spent the majority of their time with the Seraphim among humans. They often were disguised for weeks or months at a time, living across the world as civilians, military contractors, or even, in some cases, machines. Social skills are important for a Scout; they're expected to be able to convincingly pass as human both physically and mentally. This means that compared to Assaults and Supports, they're somewhat more worldwise, and likely had an easier time integrating into the world post-Schism.
    Examples of typical Scout powersets might be superhuman speed, invisibility, shapeshifting, being able to interface with machines and computers, and 'surgical' destructive skills, such as those that lend themselves towards assassination or small-scale demolition. Once again, be mindful of power draw; the more intensive your Scout's abilities, the more they'll need to use external sources.
  
  
  
  
  

  Support Class
  

  
  
  
  • Finally, there are the Supports, the unsung heroes of the Redeemers. Simultaneously perhaps the most powerful and most co-dependent branch of their kind, the Supports perform critical functions related to intelligence, planning, training and defense.
    A Support's skillset might seem modest at first compared to their brethren: they're almost entirely incapable of combat, sometimes are barely even mobile, and require vast resources. However, any Redeemer knows that there is nothing that can change the tide of a war or campaign like a Support who's dug in; they are the brains of the Redeemers and the sixth sense alike, sometimes literally.
    Supports play the long game. They gather vast amounts of information, process it, and use it to complement the skills of the Assaults and Supports. Often affectionately known as the 'voice in one's ear', a Support typically takes on a command or strategic role, assessing threats and forming plans accordingly.
    Supports were, if anything, even more restricted than Assaults, rarely able to leave even a single room they operated from, let alone the base. This was in large part due to how fragile they are, but also because of what they knew. The Seraphim rightly feared the idea of rogue Supports, and acted accordingly by frequently brainwashing them, wiping their memories, and keeping them close to home.
    Examples of what a Support is capable of are varied, but in most cases, they're flexible and indirect. A Support might be able to hack into computers across great distances, or compile and process statistics with such speed and accuracy that they can seemingly predict the future. Many are also savvy with human systems, able to influence banks, political movements, and more. A dedicated Support can go so far as toppling local economies with enough determination and time. They also might take on a more defensive role, such as being able to create training simulations for other Redeemers, serving as living batteries to boost the power of their brethren, or being able to perform rapid, substantial field repairs.
    Playing as a Support is a special challenge, and should be acknowledged as such. They aren't fighters, and they lack the immediate 'power' of the other two classes. However, a creative player can find much to work with here, and is encouraged to experiment and explore their options. What they lack in spontaneous punch, Supports more than make up for in long-term potential for plot development and influence.
  
  
  

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 2041 | mid-level.jpg

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   Pennsylvia has changed much in the last three decades. Once a bustling metropolis, densely populated and polluted, it has been affected most by the cybernetic revolution, both for better and for worse. The city has grown vertically, urban sprawl giving way to breakthroughs in strength and flexibility of building materials, leaving the towering, now thousand-story skyscrapers less susceptible to the dangers of wind and decay. 

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   At the upper levels of Pittsburgh's new skyline, incredible technological advances are a common sight; cutting-edge, hovering transports ferry corporate workers and executives between buildings, replacing the helicopters of the past. Below them, a hybrid of commercial and residence living is loud and prominent, apartment complexes and modest-sized homes frequently interspaced by catch-all malls. 

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   At the street level, life is a bit darker, literally and figuratively. Sunlight from above is hard to come by, outdated fluorescent lighting and salvaged, decades-old technology instead illuminating the maze of slums. The only organized presence here is the heavily armored, even more heavily armed Steelers, corporate security and military contractors that guard the foundations of the monoliths above. Outside of these fortified perimeters, it's anyone's game.