|
Mark Sheldon — d20 Modern and d20 Future Notes — Home last changed 6 October 2006 |
The place is Sacramento, California. The year is 2032.
Mark was born on December 18, 2008 to Michael and Janel Sheldon.
Michael Sheldon was born to affluent parents and grew up in an opulent neighborhood of Seattle. After marrying his high school sweetheart, Janel DuPont, he bought a house near Sacramento. Since Michael's abrupt disappearance in June of 2031, nobody knows what became of him or his parents. The lion's share of the Sheldon family fortune is also unaccounted for.
Janel DuPont came from an illustrious family but her upbringing was humble. She grew up in Seattle and married Michael Sheldon. After moving to the Sacramento area, she worked in the bioengineering division of Syrus Industries for several years until she died under suspicious circumstances in May of 2024.
Mark grew up in the suburbs of Sacramento, the only child of loving —albeit emotionally and occasionally physically distant— parents. School was always easy for Mark. He was an avid reader, and absorbed new material quickly. He had few friends, preferring to spend his time wandering the internet and reading books about computer programming.
Following his mother's death, Mark noted that Syrus Industries was reluctant to release information regarding the circumstances of the alleged accident. He enlisted a small group of buddies in a very secretive attempt to hack into the Syrus mainframe. They were unsuccessful in uncovering any information directly relating to Mrs. Sheldon, but Mark interacted for a time with Eve— an advanced AI charged with maintaining security of Syrus' systems. He also encountered another hacker in the system named MMX, who later turned out to be a founding member of a group of hackers calling themselves the Rosetta Stone.
While working loosely with the Rosetta Stone, Mark continued to research Syrus Industries, and the connection of the corporation with his own family. He discovered that he was genetically altered while still in his mother's womb, without his parents' consent, and that the doctor who delivered him was on Syrus' payroll. Mark has developed a theory that his mother may have later discovered the tampering while she was working for Syrus.
Mark graduated from Arnold Schwarzenegger High School in 2025, fourth in his graduating class of about two thousand. He was, however, the only student in the state that year to achieve perfect scores on the SAT and ACT.
Mark attended California Institute of Technology (CalTech) and got his B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science with a focus in computer programming and network security.
He began working on his doctorate at CalTech, but his work was cut short in March of 2031 by the death of his mentor. Dr. Joshua Caine, while attempting to explore his own latent psychic powers, unwittingly loosed a monster known as a tulpa in the graduate library. In the ensuing chaos several students and faculty, including Dr. Caine, were slain and the monster escaped.
Dr. Caine was a widely published authority on number theory and analysis. His papers, beginning in 2019, have advanced the exploration of Fourier analysis and Eigenfields. Also among his contributions was the design of the 256-bit computer chip architecture in 2024.
The Evening Star Hope Church seems to be a cover for the Sacramento chapter of the Order of Silver Psychics and Mages. Attempting to do some reconnaissance outside the church with Ling, Mark was spotted by Bubba Brad and invited in. So he abandoned the pretext of coincidentally being in the neighborhood and went into the church.
Once inside, he soon met Brother Brashna (an elven acolyte) and Morpheus— apparently the head of the order. Becca and Bubba Brad were also in attendance, along with a handful of unfamiliar faces. Impatient with Mark's long absence, Ling followed him into the church and was intercepted by Brother Brashna. Brashna informed Morpheus of the intrusion and the elder took Ling into his office for a discussion of some sort. Mark has not been filled in on the details of this conversation.
The emblem of the Evening Star is a seven-pointed star.
Investigating a magic shop in the Westhollow Mall, Mark overheard a conversation between the proprietor —an old hippy named Bubba Brad— and a girl named Becca. They whispered about magical items and an organization known as the Order of Silver Psychics and Mages. Bubba Brad said the Order had meetings at the Evening Star Hope Church on Tuesday evenings at 8.
Mark was initially inclined to think that the Order was bogus, based on observation of Bubba Brad, but Q's team has encouraged him to overlook the eccentricity of individual members.
Information on the Order was sparse, and yielded several bizarre facts. The Order was supposedly founded 300 millennia ago, on another plane of existence. It opposes any organizations supporting Syrus Industries, but does not take sides in other matters... individual members have their own agendas, of course, and are free to pursue them. In addition to Bubba Brad, the Order's membership includes the late Chang family —who owned a book store in San Francisco which Xion once visited— and Mrs. Dunsberry, the head librarian of the Sacramento Metropolitan Library.
Xion is listed as a potential recruit.
When Mark first talked with MMX, the Rosetta Stone was a group of computer geeks who were sometimes commissioned by TriForce to obtain intelligence on Syrus Industries and other hostile competitors.
Mark liked the idea of an independent group of hackers who acted as a hit squad, accepting "bounties" against corporate systems in the pursuit of profits, a bit of infamy, and the advancement of hacking techniques. He decided to work alongside the Rosetta Stone until he could either shape the group to his liking or find another more suitable group.
With the exception of Auto, the Rosetta Stone now works directly for TF. Mark is somewhat disappointed with this development, despite his own acceptance of TriForce's offer.
Members of the Rosetta Stone include MMX (Mary Stone), Auto, Cracker, and Nan-IT. Mark was best acquainted with Auto and Mary, having only sporadic contact with Cracker and Nan-IT. Auto apparently retired a few months ago, and Mark has heard little from any of the others. Big John, the newest member of Mark's so-called team, seems to be pursuing Mary... Mark is amused.
A conglomerate of three principal and perhaps several minor companies, TF is (or at least appears to be) loyal to and supported by the Republic of the Western United States (RWUS). Xion and Roxy have worked for TF for some time and Mark recently agreed to join the ranks as well. They report to Agent K, whom Mark has historically referred to as "Special K" but now grudgingly calls "Sir". K makes arrangements for supplies and covers the worst of the mess left when Mark, Xion, and Roxy encounter the Shadow. There is also an Agent Q, of whom K apparently has a low opinion.
The group has encountered or at least learned of a number of other TF personnel. Dr. Maria Jade is a scientist in the Bioengineering department, overseen by Dr. Arthur Fulbert. Dr. Jade is a brilliant scientist and Mark finds her intriguing on personal as well as professional levels.
Marcus, Tippy, Danielle, and Thor are members of another investigative team, based in Denver, under the supervision of Agent Q. K and Q have an unfriendly rivalry, which seems to affect their ability to cooperate. Danielle is a hacker, Thor is over seven feet tall, and Tippy is crazy. All four of them have inherent and/or professional inclinations toward the arcane. One example of this is Tippy's ability to sense magical auras— at least, she claims the ability and she's apparently occasionally correct.
Anthony owns one of the three main companies that constitute TF. Mark knows little about him, except that he has supplied Xion with information and a distinctive sword.
Upon returning from Indonesia with a group of scientists rescued from Syrus Industries, Mark met Governor McGavin, the chief executive of the RWUS.
Dr. Bart Ryan, the scientist in charge of restoring the Hellgate to operation, works for the government rather than TF. Ryan is still in charge of the Hellgate project, and he was briefly put in nominal command of Mark, Xion, and Roxy while they were using the Hellgate.
Mark, Xion, and Roxy were invited to join TF scientists at an international weapons expo in Singapore. A series of complications inexorably linked the governments of Singapore, China, and South Africa to Syrus Industries. Mark, Xion, and Roxy were instrumental in rescuing a small group of scientists from a holding camp on a small island south of the Philippines. Many of these scientists ultimately defected to the service of TF and the Western United States. It was at this expo that Mark met Dr. "Jimmy" Nguyen, a prominent Vietnamese archaeologist and Ling's mentor.
Another recent mission for TF had Mark, Xion, and Roxy going through the Hellgate to scout around a faraway planet— which was fortunately much more hospitable than Hell. They found a forested landscape inhabited by tall dark humanoids, with very little technology but respectable magical or psychic abilities, and a small population of hulking gray beasts.
A "mountain god" with paranormal powers ruled over the primitive humanoids with an iron fist, while a technologically advanced race resembling the alien bodies recovered at Roswell exhibited a familial affection for the big gray brutes. The Mountain God referred to these smaller gray aliens as the Fraal.
Mark is not eager to return to this world, since the team suffered several embarrassing incidents there, but the technology of the Fraal is intriguing.
Mark and Ling recently infiltrated an underground facility owned by Syrus Industries near Los Angeles called Raccoon City. Their mission was unclear but it involved three individuals who were reportedly trying to steal a new virus being developed by the bioengineers at Syrus and leak sensitive information to Russian interests. Entrance to the underground facility can be gained through an elevator shaft hidden in the fireplace of a small cabin in the hills. There are (were) about 1,500 scientists in Raccoon City; the total population of the facility exceeds 40,000.
The virus was released in the base, infecting all but 14 of the scientists. The rest of Raccoon City was presumably saved. Mark and Ling were immune to the virus, being mutants. The three "Russians" obtained gas masks and were thus protected from the airborne virus. Eventually Mark reached Adam, the AI in charge of the facility and a "relative" of Eve and negotiated for the team's survival and egress from the base. Mark also mixed a chemical agent which would counteract the effects of the virus. One of the so-called Russians, Maria Santiago, dictated the ingredients and procedure.
TF gave Mark a new identity as Stanley Karpowski, a Czech national with an axe to grind against the Russians. Adam now knows that Stanley is actually Mark, and all of the authorization codes have undoubtedly been changed, so the identity is useless now... but it was kinda fun while it lasted.
Mark recalls seeing a reference to Xion's affiliation with this group on a list naming members and contacts of the Order of Silver Psychics and Mages. Xion is the only member of the TF Sacramento team to knowingly interact with the Blue Dragons, but Mark will assume that they are monitoring the team's actions to some extent.
Mark does not yet know that he has encountered the Green Brigade, but it should become evident as soon as he does some research... which he will be doing very soon.
Maria Santiago —one of the three "Russian" infiltrators of Raccoon City— is actually Michelle Sanders, the daughter of a prominent CEO and the founder of the Green Brigade.
Modeled on the portals of Stargate SG-1, the Hellgate is a piece of hardware. Mark helped an elite group of scientists decode the glyphs used to operate the gate.
A huge media conglomerate. Mark has advance access to new releases of software from Markova.
Following a vague reference to a "mind wrecker" in one of K's briefings, Mark browsed the TF corporate intranet in search of more details. He found a couple of tidbits, but nothing conclusive. Of course, the team ultimately faced a mindwrecker while completing the mission which immediately followed the cryptic briefing, but it's still not clear what makes the mindwreckers tick. Perhaps the team will encounter another representative, who will provide more clues.
Shadow creatures are like mutants, only not. They're monsters... not genetically modified humans... monsters. They're not from around here; they come from some other place... apparently nobody knows where, or if they do they aren't talking about it.
Mark's contact with shadow creatures is relatively limited. He recognizes kobolds (commonly appearing as a small and violent gang of urchins) and gnolls (a pimp dispatched by Ling and a sniper who was eventually eliminated by Xion).
In the course of hacking into Syrus Industries computer systems and prowling through the interoffice email logs, Mark has discovered the name of the CEO of the corporation: Zebediah Penn. It's hard to imagine how twisted and evil this individual must be.
Wiry build (6'3" tall, 225 lbs); unkempt short black hair; blue eyes; light complexion.
Smart Hero 6, Fast Hero 2, Shadowjack 4.
Str 10, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 13.
Defense 26; HP 76; Init +2; Speed 25 ft. Action Points: 33. Reputation: +2.
+9/+3 to ranged attack rolls with Beretta [3d6 ballistic damage, +1 within 30 ft; crit 20; 40 ft range increment]
+9/+3 to ranged attack rolls with HK G3 [3d10 ballistic damage, +1 within 30 ft; crit 20; 90 ft range increment]
Wealth:
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +7.
8 feats. 2 at first level, 1 bonus starting feat, 3 additional from class levels (3rd, 6th, and 9th levels), 2 bonus from Smart Hero class.
Light Armor Proficiency
Medium Armor Proficiency
Builder: +2 on Craft (Electronic) and Craft (Mechanical) skill checks.
Combat Expertise: reduce attack bonus by up to 5 points, increasing Defense bonus by up to 5 points.
Gearhead: +2 on Computer Use and Repair skill checks.
Point Blank Shot: +1 to attack and damage rolls on ranged attacks within 30 ft.
Simple Weapons Proficiency
Personal Firearms Proficiency
Computer Use +29
Craft (electronic) +22
Craft (mechanical) +22
Decipher Script +21
Demolitions +10
Disable Device +17
Knowledge (arcane lore) +20
Knowledge (technology) +18
Repair +20
Research +20
Search +10
Clothing
woodland fatigues, mesh vest, and jacket
tactical vest
On Person
HK G3 7.62mm assault rifle, with scope and night-vision imager, over back
Beretta 92F 9mm autoloader, with scope and suppressor, in a shoulder holster
electro-optical binoculars with rangefinding
GPS receiver
compass
penlight
Backpack
digital video camera with night-vision imager
black box
chemical light sticks
zip tie handcuffs
rope (150 ft)
multipurpose tool
electronic bug detector
Other Gear
2-person tent and bedroll
deluxe mechanical set
deluxe electrical tool kit
laser microphone