Every player gets a custom character sheet that belongs to one of the factions below! Learn about the different groups that make up the HyperRail Expedition.
Wilderness Survival Experts
Unlike every other faction, your group is made up almost entirely of Ottsalian natives. Growing up with nothing but a wall and flimsy environmental barrier between you and the dangers of the Wilds, you have a sense of appreciation that most off-worlders don’t. You can’t hope to survive the jungles without first gaining a healthy respect for its rhythms and aggresses. It’s terrifying, sure, and unpredictable, but there is a deep, undeniable beauty to it as well. You have dedicated your life to that beauty--exploring it, and surviving it.
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Since yours is a fairly high risk, high-status job, many of you are well-known in your fields and have developed rivalries, both personal and professionals. Some of you know each other from previous ventures into the Wilds, since it’s foolish to explore alone. Even the most seasoned explorer is used to working in groups, although none of you have ever worked in a group this large. Typically, you are the undisputed experts in any group–you aren’t used to having yield authority to an administration or corporate oversight. That, in your experiences, is how people get killed.
You are the ones who can identify which plants are poisonous, which ones are edible, and which ones are too dangerous to even approach. You can read the rhythms of the ecosystem and sense when danger is near. The Wilds are constantly coming up with new life-forms and genetic oddities to challenge your expertise. It’s going to be a constant challenge to keep everyone together and following your orders, not doing anything reckless, or injuring themselves or nature. The Security in particular seem indifferent to the environmental destruction they unleash in performing their job. Some of the other groups may think you are frivolous, as you all tend to be the most raucous in the evenings after work is done, but you’ve all been down this road enough to know how important it is to take the time to unwind.
How did you all end up with such a high-stakes career with such a high rate of fatalities? It is a job with high rewards and social statues, not to mention plenty of adventure to feed even the hungriest adrenaline junkie–and for some of you that’s the extent of it. But for others, there is something irresistible to the call of the Wilds–to losing yourself in the ever-shifting beauty of something so powerful and greater than you.
So maybe sometimes it’s that deep, and other times it’s just a job. A job where everyone is counting on you to get them through this alive.
You are the ones who can identify which plants are poisonous, which ones are edible, and which ones are too dangerous to even approach. You can read the rhythms of the ecosystem and sense when danger is near. The Wilds are constantly coming up with new life-forms and genetic oddities to challenge your expertise. It’s going to be a constant challenge to keep everyone together and following your orders, not doing anything reckless, or injuring themselves or nature. The Security in particular seem indifferent to the environmental destruction they unleash in performing their job. Some of the other groups may think you are frivolous, as you all tend to be the most raucous in the evenings after work is done, but you’ve all been down this road enough to know how important it is to take the time to unwind.
How did you all end up with such a high-stakes career with such a high rate of fatalities? It is a job with high rewards and social statues, not to mention plenty of adventure to feed even the hungriest adrenaline junkie–and for some of you that’s the extent of it. But for others, there is something irresistible to the call of the Wilds–to losing yourself in the ever-shifting beauty of something so powerful and greater than you.
So maybe sometimes it’s that deep, and other times it’s just a job. A job where everyone is counting on you to get them through this alive.
Quality Assurance
Sometimes things are just what they say on the box. That’s what you’re here for. To assure the quality, cohesion, and productivity of this mission. As Enterios’s Quality Assurance team, it is your job to promote the number one priority on this expedition: corporate interest. Or, number one after after survival, of course. Safety is your number one priority, and any claims to the contrary will be referred to Enterios’s ethics board.
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You are the one ones with your hands on the expedition’s purse strings; you decide who gets promoted, who gets knocked down the ladder, and who gets sent home. Profits come first. This isn’t your first descent into an unknown and dangerous construction project–and it definitely won’t be your last–but it does promise to be one of the most challenging. The Wilds of Ottsalia aren’t particularly conducive to a harmonious working environment, and therefore many of you are equipped with some survival training. In both the natural world and the business one.
Others might claim you are just corporate shills, heartless authority figures here to dole out punishment. But that isn’t true at all! You’re just here to make sure everyone does their job to the greatest extent of their ability, and to judge a sufficient punishment when they don’t. Communication with Ambient City will be difficult once you’re out of range, and as the Enterios Corporation’s representatives on the ground, you are the only ones with a line to civilization, as well as the powers that be. Meaning your boss and investors. As you are Enterios employees, you are one of the more tightly knit factions on the expedition.
It is imperative that you attempt to ingratiate yourself with the rest of the expedition. Even though you technically outrank all of them, without their cooperation and trust your job will be incredibly difficult. You don’t want the big boss to hear that you let down their project because you couldn’t control a bunch of indentured Augments, do you? Of course not. You’re too good at your jobs to allow that to happen. It’s natural for workers to be suspicious of authority, so show them that you’re here to help. On Ottsalia you catch more mutated flies with honey than vinegar, after all.
Others might claim you are just corporate shills, heartless authority figures here to dole out punishment. But that isn’t true at all! You’re just here to make sure everyone does their job to the greatest extent of their ability, and to judge a sufficient punishment when they don’t. Communication with Ambient City will be difficult once you’re out of range, and as the Enterios Corporation’s representatives on the ground, you are the only ones with a line to civilization, as well as the powers that be. Meaning your boss and investors. As you are Enterios employees, you are one of the more tightly knit factions on the expedition.
It is imperative that you attempt to ingratiate yourself with the rest of the expedition. Even though you technically outrank all of them, without their cooperation and trust your job will be incredibly difficult. You don’t want the big boss to hear that you let down their project because you couldn’t control a bunch of indentured Augments, do you? Of course not. You’re too good at your jobs to allow that to happen. It’s natural for workers to be suspicious of authority, so show them that you’re here to help. On Ottsalia you catch more mutated flies with honey than vinegar, after all.
Medics
As the expedition’s medics, you have arguably the most stressful and high-stakes job of them all. Once the Administration's planning has fallen through, once the survival experts have come up against a threat they can’t mitigate, once the myriad dangers of the Wilds have made it past Security’s net of safety–then it’s your job to keep people alive and put the broken back together. Fatalistic? Maybe. But as the more experienced members of your group will tell you, it isn’t a question of if your skills will be necessary. It’s when.
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Out here in the Wilds there are no clinics and no easy source of additional supplies. The nearest Health Hub is a half day’s hike away through dense, actively hostile jungle. Most of you are seasoned first-responders, and all of you have undergone extensive training, and are deemed to keep an appropriately cool-head in a crisis. Very few of you, however, have worked in an environment as demanding as this one, with so many moving parts. Over the last few months you have trained rigorously as a unit, participating in virtual reality scenarios where you must deal with everything from flu outbreaks, to food poisoning, to triaging a battlefield. You trust each other, mostly. It’s unavoidable that in any group in close proximity, resentments can build up, but you are confident you can put those feelings aside to get your jobs done.
You all are specialized in some fashion–surgeons, toxicologists, general practitioners, epidemiologists–and some of you are fresh out of your medical training. The surroundings of the expedition are less than ideal for anything more complicated and invasive than splinting a broken leg, and it will be difficult to know exactly what is waiting for you in the Wilds. Best to just prepare for any and every eventuality.
Bedside manner is everything. It is imperative that you get the other groups to trust you. It’s important that members of the expedition come to you when they suspect anything is amiss. It’s much easier to prevent outbreaks before they start than get rid of them once they’ve taken hold. Not that you’re expecting a plague out here, but it’s good to be prepared. Make sure to keep the lines of communication open between yourselves and the Wilderness Experts; it’s best if both of you both know what you’re dealing with.
Relations are a bit strained with the Administration, since cutbacks have rendered down your budget. You have just enough food and medical supplies to last you until the end of the expedition, and that is provided there are no delays or unforeseen circumstances. Which, in your humble experience, there always are and always will be.
You all are specialized in some fashion–surgeons, toxicologists, general practitioners, epidemiologists–and some of you are fresh out of your medical training. The surroundings of the expedition are less than ideal for anything more complicated and invasive than splinting a broken leg, and it will be difficult to know exactly what is waiting for you in the Wilds. Best to just prepare for any and every eventuality.
Bedside manner is everything. It is imperative that you get the other groups to trust you. It’s important that members of the expedition come to you when they suspect anything is amiss. It’s much easier to prevent outbreaks before they start than get rid of them once they’ve taken hold. Not that you’re expecting a plague out here, but it’s good to be prepared. Make sure to keep the lines of communication open between yourselves and the Wilderness Experts; it’s best if both of you both know what you’re dealing with.
Relations are a bit strained with the Administration, since cutbacks have rendered down your budget. You have just enough food and medical supplies to last you until the end of the expedition, and that is provided there are no delays or unforeseen circumstances. Which, in your humble experience, there always are and always will be.
Biologists
As the Administration will tell you, this isn’t a field trip, but it sure is nice to get out in the field.
Unlike every other group on the expeditions, the Biologist faction is not directly involved in the creation of the HyperRail. The HyperRail is hugely important if Ottsalia’s economy is to continue to expand, and it’s the reason this expedition is possible, but while everyone else is concerned with clearing the brush, you will be concerned with studying it.
Unlike every other group on the expeditions, the Biologist faction is not directly involved in the creation of the HyperRail. The HyperRail is hugely important if Ottsalia’s economy is to continue to expand, and it’s the reason this expedition is possible, but while everyone else is concerned with clearing the brush, you will be concerned with studying it.
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Enterios is footing the bill for your descent into the Wilds, provided that they will have the first opportunity to patent anything that emerges from your study of the area. They want you to focus on Ottsalian plants and pharmaceutical breakthroughs–things to pull in high profits. You are interested in anything that catches your interest–breakthroughs can come from anywhere, and most of you are here for the love of what you do, rather than a big payout.
Many of you have been on expeditions of this nature before, although a few lucky (or unlucky) members are highly trained but just out of school on their first field study. These will be few and far between, since you must come highly recommended in order to be involved in such a high profile expedition right out of the box. The Wilds of Ottsalia aren’t the typical place to send a Freshman, but they will make quite a mark on your resume.
Because there won’t be much organizational oversight, and many of you hail from different universities from dozens of worlds, there may be some disagreements. Interpersonal and professional, regarding who discovered what. You will be working collaboratively, but all of you have hopes to become the one to bring a great discovery or the next breakthrough home to your world. Hopefully the Wilds will provide and there will be enough science to go around.
You will want to rendezvous with the wilderness survival experts to make sure you are all on the same page. Your interests lie in similar areas, but your specializations differ. They will most likely tell you to stay away from dangerous flora and fauna, when dangerous flora and fauna is exactly where you want to be.
Many of you have been on expeditions of this nature before, although a few lucky (or unlucky) members are highly trained but just out of school on their first field study. These will be few and far between, since you must come highly recommended in order to be involved in such a high profile expedition right out of the box. The Wilds of Ottsalia aren’t the typical place to send a Freshman, but they will make quite a mark on your resume.
Because there won’t be much organizational oversight, and many of you hail from different universities from dozens of worlds, there may be some disagreements. Interpersonal and professional, regarding who discovered what. You will be working collaboratively, but all of you have hopes to become the one to bring a great discovery or the next breakthrough home to your world. Hopefully the Wilds will provide and there will be enough science to go around.
You will want to rendezvous with the wilderness survival experts to make sure you are all on the same page. Your interests lie in similar areas, but your specializations differ. They will most likely tell you to stay away from dangerous flora and fauna, when dangerous flora and fauna is exactly where you want to be.
Administration
The Enterios HyperRail expedition is a full of experts and leaders in their respective fields. Still, ultimate decision makers are necessary–to lead the leaders, so to speak. Democracy is all well and good, but out in the Wilds, someone needs to be there to take on responsibility for the hard decisions.
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That’s where you come in–the Administration. Perhaps not the sexiest title, and yet your job may be the most important on the expedition. You reign over logistics, order-keeping, and organization. You keep everything running, and you keep everyone alive, with the help of the Security faction. They report directly to you. If Security is the arms of this body, you are the nerve center, or the brain.
Although you do not plan to engage in any direct combat, you do have a demanding, high stakes job. You manage resources, and make sure everyone has the tools they need to do their job. Many of you know each other, and have been on expeditions of this nature before, although none with quite the same demands or logistical balancing. Some of you are familiar with veterans of other factions, and it is in all your best interests to ingratiate yourselves with other groups. It’s much easier to get people to follow orders if they like you.
You live with the knowledge that not everyone on this expedition will be coming back. You are not amateurs. You are optimistic, but you’re not blind.
Unlike the Quality Assurance faction, you don’t answer directly to the Enterios Corporation. They are paying your salaries, true, but your main directive is to keep everyone alive. QA on the other hand...you don’t care how much they pretend to stick to the party line, their main objective is to maximize profits. You know that their presence is a necessary evil–Enterios would not fund the project without them–but many of you resent them. Sometimes it seems as if they are doing their best to purposefully erode your authority.
As long as all of you can remain calm, level-headed, and organized, we should all come through this just fine.
Although you do not plan to engage in any direct combat, you do have a demanding, high stakes job. You manage resources, and make sure everyone has the tools they need to do their job. Many of you know each other, and have been on expeditions of this nature before, although none with quite the same demands or logistical balancing. Some of you are familiar with veterans of other factions, and it is in all your best interests to ingratiate yourselves with other groups. It’s much easier to get people to follow orders if they like you.
You live with the knowledge that not everyone on this expedition will be coming back. You are not amateurs. You are optimistic, but you’re not blind.
Unlike the Quality Assurance faction, you don’t answer directly to the Enterios Corporation. They are paying your salaries, true, but your main directive is to keep everyone alive. QA on the other hand...you don’t care how much they pretend to stick to the party line, their main objective is to maximize profits. You know that their presence is a necessary evil–Enterios would not fund the project without them–but many of you resent them. Sometimes it seems as if they are doing their best to purposefully erode your authority.
As long as all of you can remain calm, level-headed, and organized, we should all come through this just fine.
Nature Documentarians
Everyone with access to a stream knows the name V. Nexus, and if they don’t, they’ve at least heard of Symbiosis, the award-winning series of documentary films focusing on humanity’s coexistence with the natural world. It details the adventures of a close-knit team of explorers as they descend into the Ottsalian Wilds, with a thirst for nothing but the thrill of adventure. And ratings, of course.
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As a member of the Nature Documentary crew, you are part of how the magic happens. Actors, scientists, cameramen, directors, customers, and of course, V. Nexus themselves, your famous and charismatic leader.
Your documentaries are incredibly popular, especially off-world, as they offer non-Ottsalias the unique flavor of the Wilds’ glamorous danger. Arguably your series is what formed Ottsalia’s reputation across the system over the past few years. Most of you have worked together for years now, trusting one another before anyone else. Although this is a job–and a show business job at that–most of you hold a very genuine love for the natural world. With a few exceptions you are all native Ottsalians, and thus you’ve grown up with your lives subject to the rhythms of the Wilds. You have all harnessed that rhythm into a successful career. Nexus comes from an affluent background, and many of you have known them since childhood.
In the past your studio funded and organized your expeditions, but unfortunately your last journey into the Wilds ended in disaster. On of Nexus’ costars was fatally wounded on location. After that, your investors became a lot more cautious, and you compromised by agreeing to sign-on with this Enterios expedition, which is run by so-called experts. Some of you take issue with this–you consider yourselves experts as well–but anything to get the job done is worth it.
Your relationships to other groups on the expeditions are varied. Some people respect the work you are doing, and some are enthusiastic fans. Others, such as biologists and medics, don’t think you belong on this mission. They claim they are making strides in science and engineering, while all you are doing is making more mindless entertainment. But as Ottsalia is a mostly leisure-oriented society, entertainment is worth its weight in gold. You certainly aren’t afraid to educate any off-worlders of this fact. Some clashes are also possible with the security on the expedition, since they seem to not have any compunction against destroying the surrounding environment while carrying out their duties.
You have no goal beyond filming a successful installment of your series, although there are those among you–especially new recruits–who may have motives of their own. But as long as everyone does their job, you’ll come out with a great film sure to debut at the top of the charts.
Your documentaries are incredibly popular, especially off-world, as they offer non-Ottsalias the unique flavor of the Wilds’ glamorous danger. Arguably your series is what formed Ottsalia’s reputation across the system over the past few years. Most of you have worked together for years now, trusting one another before anyone else. Although this is a job–and a show business job at that–most of you hold a very genuine love for the natural world. With a few exceptions you are all native Ottsalians, and thus you’ve grown up with your lives subject to the rhythms of the Wilds. You have all harnessed that rhythm into a successful career. Nexus comes from an affluent background, and many of you have known them since childhood.
In the past your studio funded and organized your expeditions, but unfortunately your last journey into the Wilds ended in disaster. On of Nexus’ costars was fatally wounded on location. After that, your investors became a lot more cautious, and you compromised by agreeing to sign-on with this Enterios expedition, which is run by so-called experts. Some of you take issue with this–you consider yourselves experts as well–but anything to get the job done is worth it.
Your relationships to other groups on the expeditions are varied. Some people respect the work you are doing, and some are enthusiastic fans. Others, such as biologists and medics, don’t think you belong on this mission. They claim they are making strides in science and engineering, while all you are doing is making more mindless entertainment. But as Ottsalia is a mostly leisure-oriented society, entertainment is worth its weight in gold. You certainly aren’t afraid to educate any off-worlders of this fact. Some clashes are also possible with the security on the expedition, since they seem to not have any compunction against destroying the surrounding environment while carrying out their duties.
You have no goal beyond filming a successful installment of your series, although there are those among you–especially new recruits–who may have motives of their own. But as long as everyone does their job, you’ll come out with a great film sure to debut at the top of the charts.
Augments + Engineers
Hailing from all over the galaxy, one physical reality links you together--your bodies do not belong to you.
You are Augments, artificially modified cyborgs stuck somewhere between human and android. Exactly where on this scale you fall depends on who you ask. Many think of you as the lowest of the low, not worthy of rights or protections under the law. For yourselves, you know that you are the gears keeping this whole expedition from collapsing. Your reinforced muscles and enhanced metabolisms allow you to work efficiently and tirelessly. Without you, who would clear the rails of environmental hazards, forage for food, or prepare the camp? Who would train the non-intelligent Automatons? Who would build?
You are Augments, artificially modified cyborgs stuck somewhere between human and android. Exactly where on this scale you fall depends on who you ask. Many think of you as the lowest of the low, not worthy of rights or protections under the law. For yourselves, you know that you are the gears keeping this whole expedition from collapsing. Your reinforced muscles and enhanced metabolisms allow you to work efficiently and tirelessly. Without you, who would clear the rails of environmental hazards, forage for food, or prepare the camp? Who would train the non-intelligent Automatons? Who would build?
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That’s what the recruiting poster for this job asked, and this seemed as good a way as any to work off your debt to the Enterios Corporation. They’re the ones who gave you these brand new bodies, and they’re the ones who own you.
A trap? Absolutely. A necessary evil? Maybe, but what’s done is done. You’ll work off your debt one day, provided you stay ahead of the pricey new upgrades your employers keep fitting you with. And if these Enterios Quality Assurance jerks would get off your back and let you do your jobs. You’ll play nice for now, but you know they’re just here to report back to your corporate overlords. You’ve spent the last two weeks training with your fellow Augments, under the QA’s ever-watchful eye. You don’t trust them.
The Engineers are here to keep you functioning and to issue your orders. Engineers, it’s your job to plan the HyperRail, maintain the Augments, and program the Automatons. If any new enhancements are necessary for the Augments to do their jobs, you are empowered to provide those. Adding to said Augment’s debt, of course, but the work has to get done. Especially with Quality Assurance here to make sure you are maximizing profits. And those Engineers with their own Enterios-paid synthetic parts? Well, pick a campfire, pick a side--that’s much safer than going it alone.
It certainly would be easier to trust each other without QA breathing down your necks. Oh well. They don’t call it “The Wilds” for nothing. Who knows what can happen out here? You stick together, and you’ll all come out of this alive.
A trap? Absolutely. A necessary evil? Maybe, but what’s done is done. You’ll work off your debt one day, provided you stay ahead of the pricey new upgrades your employers keep fitting you with. And if these Enterios Quality Assurance jerks would get off your back and let you do your jobs. You’ll play nice for now, but you know they’re just here to report back to your corporate overlords. You’ve spent the last two weeks training with your fellow Augments, under the QA’s ever-watchful eye. You don’t trust them.
The Engineers are here to keep you functioning and to issue your orders. Engineers, it’s your job to plan the HyperRail, maintain the Augments, and program the Automatons. If any new enhancements are necessary for the Augments to do their jobs, you are empowered to provide those. Adding to said Augment’s debt, of course, but the work has to get done. Especially with Quality Assurance here to make sure you are maximizing profits. And those Engineers with their own Enterios-paid synthetic parts? Well, pick a campfire, pick a side--that’s much safer than going it alone.
It certainly would be easier to trust each other without QA breathing down your necks. Oh well. They don’t call it “The Wilds” for nothing. Who knows what can happen out here? You stick together, and you’ll all come out of this alive.
Security
In the civilized universe, might does not make right. Regardless, out here in the Wilds you are the ones who lay down the law. As the hired Security, it’s your job to keep the expedition safe and in as few pieces as possible. Preferably, just one piece.
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Like the Wilderness Survival Experts, your role on the expedition is safety, which the Wilds are always ready and willing to threaten. Some people might find your methods a little overzealous and destructive, but you don’t see much point in trying to spare flora and fauna of a jungle that is doing its best to kill you, and will just regrow in a few weeks anyway. If you have to burn down a few acres to keep your people safe, so be it. This is a dangerous place, but you are dangerous people. You are the first line of defense.
Protecting the expedition from outside threats is your first priority, but you are also here to protect the expedition from itself. As the Administration’s muscle, you respond to human threats as well as environmental. Infighting that escalates into violence, theft, misuse of resources, etc.
You would all be well-served with integrating yourselves with the rest of the expedition. Fear is a motivator, but it’s much easier to protect people if they like you. Out here, you need to know that people are willing to follow your orders and respect your expertise.
As you are all experts in a fairly niche line of work, many of you know, or at least know-of, each other. The world of Private Security is relatively small, even in a big galaxy.
Why would you agree to such a dangerous job? Why would anyone? Most of you aren’t law enforcement--you are private contractors. And it’s not like many laws apply out here--it’s difficult to enforce rule of law in an environment with constantly shifting conditions. Some of you are here for the high wage a job like this pulls in, others are here for the thrill or debts repaid, and some might even be here to do good and protect the weak from danger.
And if you keep your ear to the ground, you might even find some unexpected opportunities to make a little cash on the side. There are always people looking to benefit from the stockpiles of supplies, medicines, and weapons brought on an expedition of this caliber, and who is going to suspect you? You’re just the muscle.
Protecting the expedition from outside threats is your first priority, but you are also here to protect the expedition from itself. As the Administration’s muscle, you respond to human threats as well as environmental. Infighting that escalates into violence, theft, misuse of resources, etc.
You would all be well-served with integrating yourselves with the rest of the expedition. Fear is a motivator, but it’s much easier to protect people if they like you. Out here, you need to know that people are willing to follow your orders and respect your expertise.
As you are all experts in a fairly niche line of work, many of you know, or at least know-of, each other. The world of Private Security is relatively small, even in a big galaxy.
Why would you agree to such a dangerous job? Why would anyone? Most of you aren’t law enforcement--you are private contractors. And it’s not like many laws apply out here--it’s difficult to enforce rule of law in an environment with constantly shifting conditions. Some of you are here for the high wage a job like this pulls in, others are here for the thrill or debts repaid, and some might even be here to do good and protect the weak from danger.
And if you keep your ear to the ground, you might even find some unexpected opportunities to make a little cash on the side. There are always people looking to benefit from the stockpiles of supplies, medicines, and weapons brought on an expedition of this caliber, and who is going to suspect you? You’re just the muscle.