069: Elder Argentgrodd

ENTRY 069: Elder Argentgrodd

One of the most prominent neo-hominids in the solar system today is Elder Argentgrodd, an uplifted silverback gorilla. The self-described ultra-male of Luna, Argentgrodd is outspoken, intelligent, media-genic, and more than a little bit of an asshole. As an employer or a customer he is a complete nightmare, entirely self-centered, demanding, and with an innate driving need to dominate every situation through a combination of verbal and physical intimidation, using his size and intellect to browbeat and threaten other morphs, particularly males and combat-oriented morphs. On the other hand, Argentgrodd is also remarkably kind and playful with children and female biomorphs (regardless of age, gender, or appearance), often leaving a rage to tickle and educate them.

He has an average of six episodic programs airing on the Mesh at any given time, from an edutainment stream aimed at young uplifted neo-hominids to an adult-oriented program where female biomorphs compete in a variety of physical, sexual, and mental challenges to join his harem. Most of these programs are created under the auspices of his personal media hypercorp, Argentgrodd AG, and recorded in a small lunar dome habitat that replicates a variety of ape forest habitats from Earth.

COG	COO	INT	REF	SAV	SOM	WIL	MOX
18	17	19	17	22	26	21	-
INIT	SPD	LUC	TT	IR	DUR	WT	DR
7	1	42	8	84	30	6	45

Morph: Neo-hominid (Gorilla)

Skills: Academics: Neurology 66, Academics: Philosophy 77, Academics: Psychology 55, Academics: Sociology 55, Art: Finger Painting 44, Control 60, Deception 77, Free Fall 33, Fray 66, Interests: Exsurgent Virus 44, Interests: Uplifts 80, Interfacing 65, Intimidation (Physical) 80, Kinesics: 55, Language: Native Arabic 89, Language: Afrikaans 44, Language: English 77, Language: French 58, Language: Swahili 50, Networking: Media 75, Networking: Scientists 55, Perception 66, Profession: Media Presenter 80, Protocol 40, Psi Assault 40, Psychosurgery 55, Research 50, Sense 55, Unarmed Combat (Punches) 67

Implants: Basic Biomods, Basic Mesh Inserts, Enhanced Pheromones*, Mnemonic Augmentation

Traits: Hyperlinguist, Illiterate, Math Boost, Mental Disorder (Atavism, Megalomania), No Cortical Stack, Psi (2), Zoosemiotics

* Custom implant, applies to neo-hominids only.

Using Elder Argentgrodd

Argentgrodd probably has more than a few dark secrets for gamemasters to use and players to uncover, including but not limited to media cover-ups of financial shenanigans at his hypercorp, violent episodes resulting in significant damage and at least three deaths, sexual crimes and paternity suits, and his very brief foray into politics, which may have resulted in him partially eating a visiting dignitary. All those are relatively par for the course when you’re a massive gorilla and a celebrity, but Argentgrodd’s darkest secret is his psi abilities. The incidents stem from an encounter with a TITANs artifact that is not in any of Argentgrodd’s official (or even unofficial) biographies, and which the uplifted silverback is extremely careful to conceal from the public because he still has that artifact, hidden in a lab beneath his lunar jungle dome. Argentgrodd has had a team of trusted neohominid researchers secretly studying the artifact for a decade, with vague plans of using it to infect and “upgrade” an entire neo-hominid society.

017: Esus

ENTRY 017: Esus

Records are a bit sketchy after the breakout, but about fifteen years past a hominid research society on Luna commissioned a set of genetically neuter great apes to study primate social behavior in the absence of gender roles. Most of the bonobos committed suicide by the end of the third month; at the sixth month the experiment was aborted because they had begun using improvised tools to approximate sexual interaction, and the subjects were slated for destruction. At this point Esus and a few other survivors were forcefully rescued—the holding facility and most of the researchers were exposed to vacuum—and uplifted by sentient rights activists.

Since then, Esus has found a living as a technician. Space travel agrees with Esus, and the neohominid manages well enough signing up as crew for one run or another, usually based out of Extropia. Over the years Esus has considered resleeving, or at least changing to an established gender, but has yet to act on either of these ideas. Esus prefers to grumble a bit in Russian, hand-roll a cigarette with their feet, and nudge up the carbon filter a bit to compensate.

COG	COO	INT	REF	SAV	SOM	WIL	MOX
12	15	13	19	14	18	15	-
INIT	SPD	LUC	TT	IR	DUR	WT	DR
6	1	30	6	60	30	6	45

Morph: Neohominid

Skills: Beam Weapons 55, Climbing 95, Fray 66, Free Fall 95, Freerunning 85, Hardware: Spacecraft 70, Interests: Neohominids 80, Interests: Prostitution 48, Kinetic Weapons 41, Language: Native Russian 83, Language: English 51, Perception 70, Pilot: Spacecraft 35, Profession: Technician 66, Protocol 45, Unarmed Combat 44, Scrounging 60

Implants: Basic Biomods, Basic Mesh Inserts, Cortical Stack, Grip Pads, Prehensile Feet, Wrist-Mounted Tools (x2, wrists and ankles)

Advantages: Ambidextrous (x4, hands, feet, and tail), Limber (2)

Disadvantages: Addiction (nicotine, minor), Illiterate

Using Esus

A chain-smoking neohominid that exists in a state of continual sexual frustration—what’s not to love? Esus is unlikely to be a starting point for adventures, but makes a great contact, friend, or colorful NPC, with their practical skills as a technician making up for some of their little quirks. When interacting with player characters, Esus will work to pursue their personal motivations (nicotine, fixing the ship, genitalia, etc.)—PCs may be able to bribe Esus with tobacco, for example, or the contact number of a particularly open-minded neohominid prostitute.

Seeds

• A mutual friend leads the PCs to meet Esus—who is drinking and smoking alone in the shadowy corner of a habitat barge. Esus has discovered that one of the hominid researchers from Luna has survived, and what’s more has their un-uplifted clone-sibling. The neohominid is willing to put up their life savings to get the clone back—and see that the hominid researcher takes a long spacewalk out of an airlock without a suit.
• Fifty kilograms of Martian shag tobacco has been impounded for health concerns by the local habitat. Esus wants it, and is willing to risk life and limb for it. If the PCs help, they’ll have a friend for life. If they don’t…well, hell hath no fury like a monkey scorned.