Chromatic Shadows Faction: THE HEGEMON GROUP

 

One of the most most dangerous Factions, The Hegemon Group are relentless black suited agents who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.  They truck in secrecy, weird technology, information and a deep knowledge of Occult Assets. At its highest levels, Hegemon holds fast the secrets of the Shadow War, and the origins of the Occult World.

Hegemon is composed of covertly allied government officials, businessmen, and field operatives. They operate in loose concert with the government as a silent partner organization. On the surface of things Hegemon is a high-tech black hat agency who's object is to investigate and neutralize Occult threats in the Sprawl. Behind the veil, Hegemon sits at the center of a worldwide conspiracy to enact occult projects of apocalyptic proportions.

Government intelligence agencies give Hegemon wide berth to conduct covert operations under a firewall of strict secrecy, and an open agreement of information sharing. In order for Hegemon to maintain this cover, knowledge of the Occult World must be suppressed. Witnesses must be silenced. Evidence must be concealed. Intelligence Agencies believe that they have the upper hand, and that Hegemon works for them, but this is far from the truth. The “information sharing” is simply strategic trickles of occult data to keep the agencies placated. The government has no idea what’s really out there, or Hegemon’s true intentions. This “agreement” is simply a vector for Hegemon to exploit the government from within.

HEGEMON FIELD OFFICERS-- In many cases ex-cyber runners recruited into the organization. They are some of the most hardened vets, many who have had direct dealings with occult threats. Many are heavily augmented with cyberware, and employ experimental genetic serums to further enhance their abilities. Field Officers are unfailingly loyal to the cause, and extremely skilled combatants. Their tasks usually include espionage, cover ups, asset extraction and wetworks.

HEGEMON LIEUTENANTS-- Formed from the remains of the fallen Shadow War leadership. Before the collapse these bosses were involved in the development and oversight of Shadow Programs, and had first hand knowledge of many of the lost Assets. They know what many of these devices do and have seen their effects. They analyze data, direct local operations, and oversee the deployment of field agents.

HEGEMON GENERALS-- Ex Megacorp CEOs, board members, high ranking shareholders and government officials. They organized the Shadow War, and now oversee Hegemon asset recovery operations at a broad territorial level. They oversee the Lieutenants, and are directly responsible for the handling of recovered Assets, and their warehousing at various bunkers out in the Slags. There they direct further experimentation on recovered Assets, and execute top secret programs delivered from the inner-circle.

THE INNER CIRCLE--An occult alliance of obscenely wealthy international power brokers conspiring at the highest global level. They were allied before the Megacorps went to the moon, and were aware of what was there before the mining venture was ever drafted. The Inner-Circle scheme in secret cyberspace constructs, where their true identities are hidden behind codenames and encrypted personas. The Inner-Circle contrives and directs secret occult projects at a worldwide level. They machinate the use of occult technology toward apocalyptic goals with the potential to impact human civilization and life as we know it.

 UNRELIABLE FACTS:

• The Hegemon inner-circle orchestrated the mission, and the partnership between Aerotech and SinCom. They knew about the metallic anomaly on the moon and the possibility of alien artifacts through satellite data and secret lunar drone programs.
  

• Through the accumulation of terrestrial artifacts, and ancient documents, Hegemon correctly believed that the metallic Lunar deposits were linked with occult sites and artifacts gathered on Earth.

• Prior to the Shadow War, Hegemon obtained numerous artifacts and devices from Antarctic, Atlantic, and Tibetan research sites. From recovered archaeological sites and ancient libraries they were able to reconstruct key occult texts. The “Codex Typhonis” and the “Anakim Fragment“ points to an ancient alien war, and suggests the Lunar shield was a site of conflict.

• Hegemon had their hand in the Shadow War itself. Spies were placed in rival Megacorps, playing them against each other. Hegemon steered the Megacorps toward conflict, and toward their greater goals. The violence generated the acceleration necessary for the rapid creation and proliferation of the Occult Assets. The final outcome was uncertain, but Hegemon correctly believed this was the quickest route toward their development.

• Hegemon wishes to gather all of these lost technologies into a single unified science, where any single asset may be reproduced, and incorporated into another for expanded effect. With a greater command over the breadth of occult tech, they will be able to expand more fully into more ambitious occult projects. Rumors hold that an ominous and ambitious "Phase 2" project is already well underway.

 

Chromatic Shadows: New Directions

 

Dmitri Kolinchenko

After some serious reflection and long conversations with playtesters and friends close to the project, I've decided to take the meta-plot of Chromatic Shadows in a decidedly different direction. The goal is to pivot away from what was previously more of a "traditional" cyberpunk setting, and steer it toward a vision more closely tied to the occult elements that have played a big role from the start. It's my hope that changing directions this way will help distinguish the game within the genre, and further center themes of weirdness and cosmic horror.

Previously established lore isn't changing so much as the timeline is being fast forwarded. In doing so, the world changes, and so do many of the assumptions of play. Characters are no longer "cyberrunners" working for the Megacorps, motivated by profit. They retain the same basic skills sets, but instead become "Street Operators" out to make their mark in the near-future gig economy. The runner scene is ten years dead, and the Megacorps who propped it up collapsed under their own weight. But the weird is still out there, hidden, unaccounted for, haunting the Sprawl.

 

Key Changes

• The setting shifts to "occult cyberpunk after the fall". During the course of the Shadow War, the Megacorps trigger a catastrophic accident. Millions are killed. International condemnation send these companies into a death spiral. Corporate leadership is arrested. Stock goes toxic. Shareholders abandon ship in droves. The Megacorps crash and burn to the ground.

• The timeline picks up a decade later. All of those black sites where numerous  Occult Assets have been developed, were hastily bricked over and abandoned. Innumerable weird and dangerous experiments have been left to rot in the Sprawl. All of the weird stuff is out there and the Factions are trying to claim them for their own nefarious purposes. Neighborhoods and local communities are caught in the crossfire.

• The secret leaders of the corps and several other clandestine parties re-form into smaller occult Factions with narrower goals. Each Faction is highly motivated to seek out and use these Occult Assets but their motivations, goals, and philosophical outlook are all markedly different.
  

• These lost Assets are having an ambient effect of the Sprawl. Supernatural events are getting more frequent. The Strange is getting harder to ignore. The characters are cyberpunk Street Operators with a Weird Attractor. They are drawn to the mysteries like a moth to flame. As the weirdness multiplies, they are swept into the orbit of these powerful Occult Assets and Factional intrigues. With enough grit and chrome these Street Operators might even beat back the darkness.