View source for Guttersnipes!: Movin' On Up

==Since Last We Saw Our Heroes==

Seven months have gone by since the group made their (successful) mad dash to Council Island (formerly known as Mercer Island).  With the help of Spirit Eyes, the group was able to parlay their information about the planned assassination - and what information they had about the Ares Avatar project - into being granted dubious citizenship on Council Island as well as a tiny tract of land that includes an old airplane hanger and a (double-wide!) trailer.  It turns out that Spirit Eyes had something in mind for the group, and has helped them set up a lucrative little gun smuggling operation.  Tribal authorities sometimes need to run guns under the radar, and the group facilitates this process by using their land as a landing spot, and by getting the guns into the city they know so well.  Of course, officially the group all have good reasons for living on the island (Max is a "cultural liaison assistant", Reagan a "chauffeur", Togo a "shaman's apprentice", and Rad a "sous-chef"), but if they get caught, chances are the tribal authorities will pretend to never have heard of them.  Good thing doing the S-S Council's dirty work pays well.

All in all, things aren't so bad.  No one has tried to kill them in quite a while, which is a major improvement from their old lives, even if it can get a touch boring.  However, there are substantial drawbacks, such as the killer commute to get to Grandson of Thai Tom's.

==Cast of Characters==

[http://staff.washington.edu/olsenb3/Shadowrun/Max_new.doc Max]: the face-man of the group, and the most determined to make a name for the little band. He will go to great lengths to protect his fellows, especially his vulnerable sister, Tara. Max has the spark of a sorcerer, and the little magical knowledge he has garnered is enough for others to label him a wiz-kid mage. He doesn't know a whole lot (yet!), but it's enough to burn your face off if you fuck with him. As a sorcerer (i.e., a hermetic magical adept), Max can cast spells, but cannot conjure elementals/spirits or astrally perceive/project.  Since moving to Council Island, Max has continued his scheming and is the most involved in planning the gun smuggling.  Max hopes to get in good with tribal authorities, and has brushed up on his tribal knowledge.  ['''Will be played by Dieter''']

Tara: Max's sister. She fell ill a few years to some mysterious disease that is probably curable by magic or technology (or both) for those who have the money to spend on it. Tara is now essentially a quadripalegic, with only limited control over one arm/hand and no speech capacity beyond a few grunts and groans. However, her mind is perfectly intact, and she is quite gifted at manipulating computer systems in cyberspace. Known on the Nets as Angelik, she can evade corporate IC (Intrusion Countermeasures) as if she lives her life jacked in to the Matrix, 'cause she does. Tara has been studying the Ares Avatar Project specs, and thinks that it might offer some hope for getting some control of her body back.  ['''This will be an NPC.''']

[http://staff.washington.edu/olsenb3/Shadowrun/Reagan_new.doc Reagan]: a privileged young suburbanite, happily living in the Renraku corporate enclave and dreaming of being an engineer like his daddy, until the ultimate fuck-you of puberty goblinized him into a Troll at age thirteen. His previously loving - currently horribly racist - parents freaked and Reagan ran off into the streets of Seattle. This was a stupid idea, and he would've been dead in a few days if he hadn't been scooped up by the others. He is fiercely loyal to his friends since this incident, and plays a vital role as the group's mechanic and technological savant, not to mention the fact that he is bigger - and thus hits harder - than most. Reagan was able to pay for a good portion of the group's loot (including Tara's datajack and cyberdeck) by agreeing to submit himself to some experimental surgery over at Bob's Quickstich, where someone needed to practice on a Troll. Reagan came out of the horribly painful, tramautizing experience with a fair amount of money and a partially cybered right arm that has some experimental cyberware in it that only malfunctions about half the time.  Since moving to Council Island, Reagan has become a full-blown rigger, is in charge of surveillance and maintenance of incoming aircraft (with the help of a little drone), and has taken up gardening (it's really just another design problem, see).  Reagan is treated much better on Council Lands than in the Barrens, for which he is thankful.  ['''Will be played by Gabe''']

[http://staff.washington.edu/olsenb3/Shadowrun/Togo_new.doc Togo]: a young Raccoon shaman, born with spirits fluttering about his head. Togo is obsessed with some archaic sport called baseball, and has been known to summon city spirits (minor ones, mind) just so that he could have someone to pitch to him. As a full shaman, Togo can cast spells, conjure spirits, and astrally perceive/project.  Since moving to Council Island, Togo has fit right in with all of the shamanic activity going on, has built a medicine lodge and a baseball field (if you build it . . .).  ['''Will be played by Ed''']

[http://staff.washington.edu/olsenb3/Shadowrun/Rad_new.doc Rad]: a wiry, scrappy little AmerIndian (he doesn't know what tribe) kid, Rad has the ridiculous natural athletic potential of a physical adept. Even though he has little training, Rad has never met anyone who moves faster than he does. Previously content to channel his talent into breakdancing and burglary, Rad has recently met an old sensei who has taught him a thing or two about how to kick someone in the head seven times before they see the first one coming.  Although he should fit in the best, Rad is pretty bored on Council Island, and is the only one who actually goes to his fake job (as cook at Friendship Restaurant).  Rad spend most of his time practicing hitting and/or shooting at things, 'cause there isn't much else to do.  ['''Will be played by my friend Joe''']

[http://staff.washington.edu/olsenb3/Shadowrun/Guttersnipes_group_new.doc Group Sheet] - A list of of the groups communal resources, contacts, etc.