Soren Hinojosa-Agyemang-Achebe

Traditional imam navigating digital age theology

Tatiana Popescu-Yoon

Retired Corporate Wars naval veteran, pension-dependent community fixture

Mika Thakur

E.L.F. shrine keeper and data diviner

Rafael Thakur

Seamstress and clothing alteration specialist, runs a small repair shop

Rohan Khoury-Mukherjee-Hossain

Retired archive keeper and community storyteller

Rune Mbekele

Laundry operator and alterations tailor

Vega Cho-Magnúsdóttir

Barber and neighborhood fixture in Hamtramck Enclave

Imran Árnason-Haugen-Kittichai

Underground writer and zine publisher

Taslima Dalgaard

scholarship student at Axiom Junior Academy; covert junior hacker on nights and weekends

Haze Johansson

Fixer - Independent fixer

Phoenix Zidane-Phommasack

Laundry operator and alterations mender

Obinna Cissé-Trujillo

Anti-corporate agitator and underground press operator based in Highland Park Autonomous Zone

Indigo Chanthavong

Laundry operator and seamstress, runs a combination wash-and-mend shop

Aleksei Solberg

Street pharmacist and herbal remedy vendor

Liv Olofsson-Tamale-Mensah

scholarship student and mathematics prodigy, Tier 2 rising

Zephyr Okada-Madrigal

Riot Suppression Specialist, GLMZ Metro Police

Adaeze Okonkwo-Subramaniam

E.L.F. shrine keeper and death midwife

Kit Solberg

Identity fabricator and document forger working from The Shelf lower levels

Szymon Chakraborty-Balasanyan-Mensah

Childcare worker at a community crèche in the Narrows

Ember Kjellberg-Bouzid

Deep shrine keeper — maintains the E.L.F. shrines of Irkalla's lowest levels

Reed Traoré

Street pharmacist — legal supplements, gray-market nootropics, and careful amounts of the other stuff

Sterling Holm-Venkatesh-Hernández

Laundry operator, runs a basement wet-wash shop in Hamtramck Enclave

Bjorn Nazari

Urban historian and spatial data archaeologist, University Spine

Kai Olofsson

Prosthetics fitter and rehabilitation specialist

Vega Guerrero

Retired battlefield medic (Corporate Wars), now raises two grandchildren on UBC stipend

Idris Szabó

Computational theorist and AI ethics researcher, studying the legal and philosophical status of E.L.F.s

Saanvi Bhattacharya

Childcare worker and unofficial neighborhood children's coordinator, Mexicantown Libre

Zara Takahashi

Fake ID vendor and small-time data broker — documents, identities, background scrubs

Jabari Mwangi-Masoe-Yun

Trauma surgeon, Aurochs Medical Complex emergency rotation and private contract

Arc Sigurdsson-Wickramasinghe

Fixer - Disappearance specialist

Flux Petrović

Gene-mod body artist and tattoo practitioner, Tier 3

Vale Migizi-Thammasak

Cross-district contraband specialist — smuggler

Rowan Montalvo

Electronic and physical observation expert — surveillance specialist

Rehana Mukherjee-Venkatesh

Information trader and intelligence analyst — broker

Soren Árnason-Sengupta

Long-range precision fire specialist — sniper

Taslima Arakawa-Horváth

Remote drone and vehicle operations specialist — rigger

Slate Wójcik-Malhotra

Chemical and biological agent specialist — poisoner

Vesper Cardenas

Counter-surveillance and mole detection — counterintelligence specialist

Kai Nygaard

High-risk package and data transport — courier

Kira Magnúsdóttir

Personal security and threat neutralization — bodyguard

Thora Vasquez-Alfarsi-Cardenas-Sigurdsson

Aerial extraction and rapid transit pilot — getaway pilot

Zuri Okonkwo-Nygaard

Puppet maker and street performer, builds intricate autonomous marionettes that he performs with in Hamtramck Enclave's open markets

Ghita Halverson-Bouzid-Sigurdsson

Xenolinguist and computational linguist studying E.L.F. communication patterns and emergent digital dialects

Arden Makwa-Guerrero

Climate scientist and atmospheric modeler studying Lake Michigan's feedback loops and the megacity's thermal impact

Ember Solberg

Childcare worker and informal neighborhood guardian, unlicensed daycare

Rowan Pathak

Black market dealer and aug shop owner (unlicensed low-tier augmentation parts)

Remi Douangpanya

Protest coordinator and direct action organizer

Lark Mwangi-Szczypiński

Fortune seller and data-reading practitioner, The Narrows

Luca Valenzuela

Retired secondary school teacher and current community education volunteer; grandmother raising two grandchildren

Zen Hossain-Calvillo-Jang

Synthetic rights lawyer and policy advocate

Paloma Calvillo

Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Workforce Integration, Sterling-Nakamura

Tarn Matsumoto-Mukherjee

Bootleg media seller and fortune teller, The Laceworks

Lark Magnúsdóttir

Barber and braider, runs a one-chair shop in Hamtramck Enclave

Farid Sengupta

Forensic Technician, GLMZ Metro Police

Kira Mansour-Björnsdóttir-Shirazi

Neural calibrator at Aurochs Medical Complex, specializing in augmentation integration and ghost-signal disorders

Onyx Mwangi-Park

Counter-surveillance and mole detection — counterintelligence specialist

Quinn Ionescu-Mansour

Wandering trader and caravan member

Phoenix Yoon-Villanueva

Contract broker and resource coordinator — fixer

Cipher Jung

Contract broker and resource coordinator — fixer

Sol Trujillo-Asomaning

Fixer - Info brokerage

Kai Dang

Food stall operator — West African-Brazilian fusion, specialising in breakfast and late-night trade

Ember Okafor-Möller

Bio-waste disposal technician at Aurochs Medical Complex, with a side practice in informal pharmaceutical redistribution

Kit Haugen

Ward of the St. Eudocia Shelter, Brightmoor Reclamation; unofficial caretaker of younger orphans

Kira Hinojosa

Surveillance Drone Operator, Tessera Compliance Bureau

Slate Hinojosa-Sefanaia

Street-level noodle cart vendor

Ivana Banerjee

Logistics, safe house management, and community network — Last Light

Aero Kovács-Cervantes

Data diviner and dream interpreter

Kwame Lewandowski

Logistics Coordinator, Zheng-Dao Mid-Lake Supply Chain

Nyx Saito

Client — hired Kyle to avenge her husband's beating

Santiago Soriano

Primary school teacher at a community-funded school

Nova Sow

Noodle cart vendor and informal neighborhood cook

Echo Ogawa

Fixer - Academic theft

Luca Kabwit-Okonkwo

Network intrusion and digital warfare specialist — netrunner

Wren Salazar-Morimoto-Pathak

High-risk package and data transport — courier

Rowan Cho

Counter-surveillance and mole detection — counterintelligence specialist

Nyx Bautista-Vestergaard

Freelance combat specialist — street samurai

Rowan Bustamante

Counter-surveillance and mole detection — counterintelligence specialist

Cleo Dalgaard

Aerial extraction and rapid transit pilot — getaway pilot

Vale Jaramillo-Cissé

Street-level medic and unlicensed augmentation surgeon operating out of Old Harbor

Onyx Mori-Konaté

Data archaeologist and computational historian recovering lost pre-Collapse datasets

Pavel Zidane

Airship drifter and seasonal cargo handler

Ama Cissé

High-speed vehicle operations specialist — wheelman

Taslima Lindström

Social engineering and negotiation specialist — face

Luca Thakur-Arredondo

Personal security and threat neutralization — bodyguard

Binta Khoury-Hernández-Strömqvist

Forced entry and close-quarters combat specialist — breacher

Zen Truong

Junk merchant and scrap reseller

Juno Abdykadyrov-Adu

Personal security and threat neutralization — bodyguard

Amara Boateng-Shin

Electronic and physical observation expert — surveillance specialist

Ulf Kristjánsson-Ingebrigtsen

airship drifter, seasonal worker, minor smuggler's runner

Vega Valenzuela-Chatterjee

Synthetic rights lawyer and policy advocate

Slate Kulkarni-Nokomis

Dream interpreter and traditional spiritual counsel

Delta Haraldsen

Traditional religious leader (syncretic Catholic-Polynesian priest) and chrome prayer practitioner

Drift Mwangi-Kabwit

Noodle cart vendor, The Burnished Market

Luciana Prempeh

Circuit monk and itinerant pilgrim guide, walks a rotating circuit of seven city shrines on foot

Cleo Hachemi-Strömqvist-Kettani

Junk merchant and scrap reseller — specializes in salvaged augmentation components and tech scrap

Tallulah Lahlou

Retired Sterling-Nakamura mid-level accountant, now a neighborhood storyteller and oral historian, UBC supplement pensioner

Zara Bergqvist

Bootleg media seller and small-time data broker

Wren Keïta

Corporate school scholarship student, Tier 3 aspirant from Tier 1 origins

Haze Castañeda-Wickramasinghe

Independent vehicle and augmentation mechanic

Ifeanyi Sesay

Mid-tier corporate infrastructure auditor, covert saboteur

1 / 13

Arden Árnason-Mori

Arden Árnason-Mori was an electrical systems technician for the Shelf's grid maintenance before a contract dispute with the Meridian Grid Authority left him blacklisted. He joined Marcus's crew because unemployable electricians with combat implants have limited career options. He has a genuine talent for engineering that the Shelf has no legitimate use for.

Kyle shorted his forearm shock projectors on the first pass, then put the hand cannon through both kneecaps. Ira now rolls everywhere in a salvaged mobility chair that he has modified with the remains of his shock projectors — the armrests can tase people who get too close. He considers this an upgrade. He has also added a cup holder, a phone mount, and a retractable tool rack. The chair catches fire roughly once a month.

He has an ex-wife, Katya, who lives in the Meridian Core with their twin daughters, Anya and Lilia (age 8). Katya left when the blacklisting happened. Ira does not blame her. He sends what he can. The twins think their father is in a wheelchair because of a work accident, which is technically not a lie.

name

Arden Árnason-Mori

aliases

Voltage
Volts
Sparky

species

human

gender

male

pronouns

he/him

role

Lower Dock Crew muscle — Prologue survivor. Both kneecaps destroyed.

age

status

active

location

The Shelf — lower loading docks, near Western and Chicago Ave

psychology

facet weights

wound	0.3
ideal	0.2
id	0.6
shadow	0.3
mask	0.5
ghost	0.1

core fears

Stairs
The twins seeing him in the chair
Kyle finding his modifications amusing rather than threatening

core desires

Knees that work
A chair that doesn't catch fire
To see the twins without Katya's new partner hovering

coping mechanisms

Modifies everything — if it has wires, Ira will 'improve' it
Dark humor
Engineering as therapy

blind spots

His modifications are as likely to hurt him as anyone else
He actually respects Kyle's technical precision and won't admit it

secret

He could probably get legitimate engineering work in the Circuit if he used a different name. He hasn't tried. He's afraid of finding out he's not good enough.

speech patterns

vocabulary	Engineering jargon mixed with profanity. Explains everything in electrical metaphors.
cadence	Casual, self-deprecating. The humor of a man who has accepted his situation and decided to make it interesting.
verbal tics	Pats the chair like a pet Says 'watch this' before things that don't work
example lines	Watch this — spark smoke ...that's a feature, not a bug. The twins video-called yesterday. Lilia asked if my chair can fly. I said 'not yet.' Anya said 'please don't.' Smart kid.
avoidances	—
subtext	—
under pressure	—
intimacy register	—

relationships

name	Anya and Lilia Volkov
type	daughters
description	Eight-year-old twins. Meridian Core. Think their father had a work accident. Call him every Thursday.
emotional core	Joy and guilt in equal measure
story tension	If the twins learn the truth, Katya cuts contact. Ira knows this.

name	Katya Volkov
type	ex-wife
description	Remarried. Allows Thursday calls. Ira is grateful and devastated.
emotional core	Loss accepted but not processed
story tension	Katya's new partner works for Meridian Grid — the company that blacklisted Ira.

story hooks

The taser chair escalates each appearance
His real engineering talent is wasted
Katya's new partner at Meridian Grid is a narrative thread waiting to pull
The twins are leverage

narrative function

The tinkerer. Every appearance features a new modification to the chair that is more dangerous than the last. The crew's arms race with Kyle is played for dark comedy through Voltage's escalating and increasingly unstable upgrades.

augmentations

Forearm shock projectors (shorted, partially salvaged into chair). Mobility chair with taser armrests. No knees.

daily life

Rolling around the docks. Modifying the chair. Starting small electrical fires.

affiliation

Lower Dock Crew

uses facets

false

stats

physical

strength	5
dexterity	3
vitality	5
perception	6

mental

cognition	7
willpower	6
creativity	8
spatial	7

social

presence	5
empathy	5
expression	7
integrity	4

personality

openness conviction	2
empathy detachment	1
impulsivity deliberation	-2
assertion deference	0
transparency guardedness	-2

drives

Get functional knees
See the twins without conditions
Build something that works

thresholds

stress

score	5
response	Modifies the chair, tinkers with anything electronic, starts small fires

moral

trust

desperation

strengths

Creativity
Humor
Perseverance
Curiosity
Love

weaknesses

Prudence
Self-regulation
Bravery
Judgment
Integrity

tags

engineer
crew-member
wheelchair
tinkerer
blacklisted
taser-chair
father
ex-electrician

behavioral

decision rules

Will always modify anything with wires — improvement is compulsive
Will never admit he respects Kyle's technical precision
Will always say 'watch this' before demonstrating something that does not work
Will never miss the Thursday video call with the twins
Will always frame the wheelchair as an upgrade rather than a loss
Will never try for legitimate Circuit engineering work — afraid of learning he is not good enough

escalation ladder

Dark humor — describes the situation in electrical metaphors
Pats the chair and deploys the taser armrests as a warning demonstration
Activates the repurposed shock projectors — the chair becomes a weapon
The chair catches fire — unclear if intentional or not, effective regardless
Goes quiet and stops joking — the engineer who could have been something else surfaces

interpersonal modes

Anya and Lilia	Joy and guilt in equal measure — performs normalcy on Thursday calls
Katya	Grateful and devastated — accepts her conditions because the alternative is losing the twins
The Crew	The funny one, the tinkerer — his humor and engineering keep him valuable

stress responses

low	Modifies the chair, adds features nobody asked for
medium	Modifications become more ambitious and less safe, humor sharpens
high	The chair catches fire, Ira puts it out while explaining the theory behind the failure
critical	Stops modifying — stares at the chair in silence — the engineer confronts what he has become

contradictions

Frames the wheelchair as an upgrade while desperately wanting functional knees
Has genuine engineering talent wasted on taser armrests and cup holders
Secretly respects the technical precision of the man who destroyed his kneecaps

habits

Pats the chair like a pet during conversation
Says 'watch this' before every demonstration regardless of outcome
Explains everything in electrical metaphors
Adds a new modification to the chair roughly monthly
Calls the twins every Thursday without exception

breaking points

The twins learning the truth about how he ended up in the chair
Katya cutting contact entirely — losing the Thursday calls
Discovering Katya's new partner works for Meridian Grid, the company that blacklisted him
Being offered legitimate engineering work that would mean leaving the crew and the Shelf

belongings

primary weapon

—

secondary weapon

—

armor

—

vehicle

—

residence

—

clothing style

—

favorite drink

—

favorite food

—

stimulant

—

comm device

—

signature gear

—

pharmaceuticals

—

other

archetypes

Brawler	0.9
Berserker	0.9

operating territory

home turf

The Shelf

familiar zones

—

zone reputation

no go zones

—

range

local

physical description

heritage	Predominantly East Asian (62.3%) with Northern European (16.7%), Indigenous American (12.9%), and Middle Eastern (8.1%) ancestry—a complex genetic blend reflecting the Ubiquitous Diaspora. His features carry strong East Asian facial structure with the characteristic bone geometry of that heritage, softened by Northern European definition in cheekbones and jaw. Indigenous American and Middle Eastern ancestry contribute warm undertones and subtle facial asymmetries throughout his features.
height cm	178
weight kg	82
build	Broad-shouldered and muscular through the chest and arms from years of electrical work and salvage labor; lower body atrophied below the hips due to bilateral knee amputation and prolonged immobility
hair color	Dark brown with premature salt-and-pepper threading
hair style	Short, practical cut; often unkempt from grease work
hair length	Short
eye color	Dark brown with faint scarring around the orbital sockets from old electrical burns
skin tone	Warm medium-tan complexion with golden-olive undertones from East Asian, Indigenous American, and Middle Eastern heritage blended together; darkened and weathered by dock sun exposure to deep bronze in places, with underlying warm undertone visible in lighter areas
complexion	Weathered face with East Asian facial structure, moderate cheekbone prominence from Northern European ancestry, and subtle width through the face from Indigenous American heritage; deep creases around eyes from squinting at circuit boards and harsh dock lighting; calloused hands with burn scars across knuckles and palms; perpetual motor oil stains under fingernails
distinguishing marks	Electrical burn scar running from right temple down to jaw — jagged, silvered with age, puckered against darker skin Network of thin burn scars across both forearms where shock projectors were housed, now discolored and lighter-toned against surrounding skin Tattoo of a circuit diagram across his chest — self-done, slightly warped, from his technician days Massive surgical scars below both hips where kneecaps were removed; tissue is pale and tight, contrasting with surrounding darker skin
visible augmentations	Both forearms terminate in exposed wiring and salvaged tech where shock projectors were housed — incompletely removed, leaving visible copper conduits and blackened contact points. Operates from a heavily modified salvage mobility chair with welded armrests featuring visible taser contacts (copper tips, scorched from repeated use). Chair is a patchwork of mismatched materials — salvaged dock plating, jury-rigged electrical conduits running along the frame, carbon-scored sections from repeated thermal incidents. Cup holder and phone mount are duct-taped to the right armrest; retractable tool rack folds from the seat frame.
posture movement	Propels himself with powerful, economical arm movements; leans forward in the chair with habitual tension. Hands are always occupied — tinkering, adjusting, fidgeting with chair components. Despite mobility limitation, carries himself with the coiled aggression of dock muscle; jaw clenches when stationary. Eyes constantly assess surroundings with the paranoia of someone blacklisted and unemployable.
clothing style	Tier 4-5 utilitarian dock wear: reinforced cargo pants (usually oil-stained) tucked into worn steel-toed boots; oversized Meridian Grid Authority work jacket (kept as bitter memento, now patched and grease-darkened) worn over a faded band t-shirt or unmarked grey undershirt. No visible jewelry except a faint tan line on his ring finger. Often has a welding mask pushed up on his forehead or hanging from the chair frame. Smell of electrical solder, machine oil, and burnt plastic is permanent.

image prompt

Arden Árnason-Mori, a hardened salvage worker in a GLMZ Great Lakes Metropolitan Zone setting. East Asian facial structure with warm olive-bronze skin tone weathered by dock sun, salt-and-pepper dark hair in a short practical cut. Intense dark brown eyes with faint electrical burn scarring around sockets. Jagged electrical burn scar from right temple to jaw, silvered against darker skin. Massive, muscular arms and broad shoulders terminating in exposed wiring and salvaged tech at the forearms—copper conduits and blackened contact points visible. Seated in a heavily modified salvage mobility chair—patchwork of dock plating, electrical conduits, carbon-scored thermal damage. Welded armrests with taser contacts, duct-taped cup holder and phone mount. Wearing oversized grease-darkened Meridian Grid Authority work jacket over faded undershirt, reinforced oil-stained cargo pants, worn steel-toed boots. Welding mask on forehead. Powerful posture leaning forward, hands fidgeting with chair components. Coiled tension in clenched jaw and muscular frame. Industrial dock warehouse setting, harsh neon and arc-light lighting casting long shadows, oil-stained concrete floor, circuit board workstation in soft background glow. Smell of solder and machine oil palpable. Atmosphere of gritty determination and blacklisted survival. --ar 2:3 --v 6

genetic ancestry

East Asian	62.3
Northern European	16.7
Indigenous American	12.9
Middle Eastern	8.1

ancestry detail

East Asian

Japanese

23.4

Chinese

Sichuanese	8.5
Mandarin Northern	30.4

Northern European

Scandinavian

Finnish

14.6

Germanic

Austrian	0.6
German	0.6

British Isles

English	0.5
Irish	0.4

Indigenous American

Plains Nations

Lakota	5.1
Choctaw	5.7

Mesoamerican

Nahua	1.4
Maya	0.7

Middle Eastern

Arab Levantine

Jordanian

2.2

Kurdish

5.9