283: Eggman

ENTRY 283: Eggman

"I am the Eggman."

- The Eggman

The balding, unassuming middle-aged splicer known as the Eggman has as mysterious a past as any other veterinarian/ornithologist specializing in the study and preservation of both Earth's classical avian species as well as the neo-avians created through uplifting. Some say he carried on an interspecies relationship for years with an uplifted emperor penguin, and originally received his egg pouch implant to help brood their adopted egg. Others claim he received it as a smuggler for the Triads, forced to carry illicit biologicals in de-embryoed ostrich eggs. One drunken professor of neo-ornithology on Titan insists that Eggman got the pouch as a grad student, and used it to successfully hatch the first kiwi off-earth after the death of its natural mother. Whatever the truth, the Eggman is not telling.

COG	COO	INT	REF	SAV	SOM	WIL	MOX
15	22	18	16	13	15	16	-
INIT	SPD	LUC	TT	IR	DUR	WT	DR
7	1	32	6	64	30	6	45

Morph: Splicer

Skills: Academics: Oology 90, Academics: Ornithology 77, Art: Painting (Birds) 43, Art: Makeup 50, Disguise (Bird) 48, Interests: Parenting 44, Interests: Neo-Avians 45, Interests: Uplift Rights 33, Interfacing 25, Language: Native English 85, Language: Maori 70, Language: New Zealand Sign Language 50, Medicine: Veterinary 66, Networking: Criminals (Black Market Animals) 30, Networking: Science 42, Profession: Vererinarian 60, Unarmed Combat (Beak) 28 

Implants: Basic Biomods, Basic Mesh Inserts, Cortical Stack, Beak (transgenic graft, 1d10 DV, use Unarmed Combat Skill), Egg Pouch (modified Skin Pocket)

Traits: Expert (Oology)

Using Eggman

Some people are all surface. They hold no illusions about themselves, who they are or what they do. They present no masks to the outside world, and whether they love or hate themselves, they are resigned to be themselves, through fortune and calamity. The Eggman is one such who is exactly what he appears to be: a veterinarian, oologist, and ornithologist. His mission in life is the study and care of eggs, avians, and neo-avians, and he values their well-being above his own existence. When the PCs meet him, he will almost inevitably be incubating an egg in his egg-pouch, letting his body heat keep the chick warm until it is ready to hatch. This does not necessarily mean that as a PC the Eggman is boring, or even especially honest in what he tells them, but his actions will always show his true nature: he will never do harm to an avian or neo-avian (non-fertilized eggs are fair game, even though he prefers to preserve them as surrogate ova), or by inaction allow one to come to harm. If faced with a failure at this basic task, he may even committ suicide.

Seeds

• The Eggman has heard rumor of a new Enhanced Pheromones implant that allows transhumans greater empathy with avians and neo-avians. Unfortunately, the research has been stolen by the Intelligent Design Crew. The Eggman asks the PCs to retrieve the design schematics from the ID Crew, offering as payment a small ransom in unfertilized eggs - any one of which will fetch a good price as food or research material on the open market.
• Recently, the Eggman accompanied a gatecrashing expedition, and returned with a strange purple-black egg in his egg pouch. Now he has been acting oddly, neglecting his birds and engaging in strange medical research, acting belligerent and burning favors left and right. His friends and neighbors are worried about him, and have passed the hat to hire the PCs to find out what is wrong with him. If pressed, the Eggman claims to have formed a psychic link with the alien egg he found - and that it is sick and dying, and he wished to find a cure. However, if the Eggman is separated from the egg, it quickly hatches and grows into something similar to a small, feathered headhunter (Eclipse Phase 383, but with DUR 10) with psi sleights that only affect avians.