108: Kentotis Masamiliano

ENTRY 108: Kentotis Masamiliano

Scholars have long speculated on the origin of transhumanity’s religiosity in sociology, psychology, and biology. Whatever the answer, the theistic impulse is not a simplistic drive dictated by any one region of the biological brain or aspect of the ego; the ability and desire to believe in supernature appears to be a part of transhuman nature, tied into fundamental functions like pattern recognition and abstract thinking. To alter or remove the human penchant for religion is to change what it means to be human—a prospect which until recently transhumanity did not have the technology to attempt, and even now only a daring few psychosurgeons have begun efforts to “correct” what they see as one of transhumanity’s central flaws.

Kentotis Masamiliano is an exhuman scholar of religion, neuroscience, and psychosurgery, an explorer of the transhuman mind who seeks as their quiet goal to isolate and eradicate the religious impulse. Following the Transhumanist brand of philosophy, Kentotis abides by a moral framework arrived at through reasoned discourse, absent of the trappings of religion, and generally performs their experimental psychosurgical treatments only on willing patients who have a full understanding of the process they are about to undergo—though in extreme cases where Kentotis feels the individual’s quality of life is detrimentally impacted by extreme religiosity and unable to give informed consent, they may act in what they believe is the patient’s best interest.

Unfortunately, one such “emergency intercession” performed during the course of a standard treatment to correct an eating disorder forced Kentotis to flee Luna and assume a nomadic practice while maintaining as engaged with the scientific community as possible.

COG	COO	INT	REF	SAV	SOM	WIL	MOX
27	15	16	15	10	10	20	-
INIT	SPD	LUC	TT	IR	DUR	WT	DR
6	1	40	8	80	40	8	60

Morph: Synth

Skills: Academics: Neuroscience 80, Academics: Psychology 80, Academics: Religion 75, Deception 40, Interests: Mental Disabilities 60, Interests: Religious Sects 55, Interests: Synthetic Personalities 60, Interfacing 50, Investigation 50, Kinesics 55, Language: Native German 86, Language: English 66, Medicine: General Practice 50, Networking: Criminals 25, Networking: Scientists 66, Perception 45, Profession: Religious Scholar: 60, Programming 60, Protocol 45, Psychosurgery 80, Research 70

Implants: Access Jacks, Basic Biomods, Basic Mesh Inserts, Cortical Stack, Cyberbrain, Mnemonic Augmentation

Mobility System: Walker (4/20)

Traits: Armor (6/6), Black Mark (Lunars, Level 2), Social Stigma (Clanking Masses), Uncanny Valley

Using Kentotis Masamiliano

Kentotis lives something of a double life: on one hand a respected scholar and scientist actively engaged in research, debate, and publication, and on the other hand a highly skilled blackmarket psychosurgeon. Either or both of these aspects may be useful, depending on how the gamemaster chooses to use Kentotis. As a scholar and scientist, Ken makes a good contact to consult for any adventure involving religion and/or psychosurgery, a target for hypercorp extraction, the producer of some valuable research, or the doctor with a dark secret in an NPC ensemble. As a blackmarket psychosurgeon Ken is more likely to be an asset that the PCs may be directed to (if they need blackmarket psychosurgery), or the target or villain of a piece where Ken’s experimentation has gotten out of hand.

Ken’s psychosurgical techniques to remove religiosity from the transhuman ego are as yet still in their early stages, although refined enough to generally avoid permanent damage. While Ken offers the treatment to any client that shows interest, they will not perform the psychosurgery on anyone unwillingly unless the subject shows signs of a severe religion-based mental disorder such as scrupulosity. The exact effects of Masamiliano’s imperfect treatment are up to the gamemaster, but mechanically often involve Edited Memories (to remove or dampen any strong religious experiences) and Neural Damage (to remove the ability to experience religious ecstasy). At the GM’s discretion, this treatment may provide the character a +10 modifier on tests where someone is attempting to convert them to a religion or belief.