The VIP section is quieter—not silent, just insulated.
Reinforced glass panels and private sound dampeners muffle the chaos outside. The air smells of expensive synth-liquor and ozone.
Silas Kincade sits in a custom-built booth that looks reinforced for his size. He is massive, immaculate, and utterly at ease.
A gold datajack gleams at his temple, holo-displays drifting lazily near his drink.
He doesn’t rise as you approach.
He studies you for a long moment.
Then he smiles.
“You’ve had a busy night.”
WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON (GM ONLY)
Silas already knows Mr. Slate is dead
He suspects Helios is behind it
He believes this job is dangerous—but profitable
He will not stick his neck out without proof of competence
Silas is not hostile.
He is evaluating assets.
SILAS KINCADE — QUICK REFERENCE
Vibe: Calm predator in a silk suit
Wants: Profit without exposure
Fears: Corporate retaliation
Leverage: Codes, underworld reach, contacts
Silas respects:
Confidence
Preparation
Control
He despises:
Desperation
Threats
Amateur behavior
PLAYER APPROACHES
Players must choose one primary approach.
Leverage Tokens can modify the roll or outcome.
APPROACH 1 — THE SHOW OF SKILL
Narrative:
Demonstrate competence: hacked data, combat display, proof of Helios intel.
Roll:
Relevant Attribute + Skill
Modifiers:
+1 die per Leverage Token spent
Outcome:
Success: Codes provided (clean or lightly flagged)
Big Success: Codes + extra intel
APPROACH 2 — THE LEVERAGE GAMBIT
Narrative:
Trade intel, favors, or agree to a side-job.
Roll:
No roll if value is concrete
Empathy/Wits roll if Silas doubts it
Outcome:
Codes granted after terms
Side-job may be required
APPROACH 3 — THE SOCIAL GAME
Narrative:
Win over Silas’s circle and reputation.
Roll:
Empathy + Persuasion / Influence
Modifiers:
+1 die per Leverage Token
Outcome:
Codes granted
Crew gains future contact
APPROACH 4 — PAY THE PRICE
Narrative:
Straight credits.
Roll:
None, unless negotiating price
Outcome:
Codes sold
Silas expects a favor later
APPROACH 5 — THE THREAT (LAST RESORT)
Narrative:
Intimidation or coercion.
Roll:
Strength or Presence + Intimidation
Outcome:
Success: Codes granted
Consequence: Long-term enemy created
Use sparingly.
WHAT SILAS TELLS THEM (ALWAYS)
Regardless of outcome:
The target is Helios Corporate Systems
Helios has gone quiet internally
Security has been restructured recently
Something called Project GODMIND exists
STRESS NOTE
Reduce Stress by –1 if the crew feels validated
Gain +1 Stress if Silas humiliates or dominates them
GM’s call.
SCENE END CONDITION
The crew leaves the VIP section with:
Access to Helios
A sense of looming danger
The knowledge that someone is building a monster
Silas Kincade
Silas Kincade
Speech: Low, slow, precise. Rarely more than a sentence or two at a time.
Presence: The room feels heavier when he’s paying attention to you.
Mood: Controlled, faintly amused, perpetually unimpressed.
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Never Alone: If combat breaks out, 2–4 elite club enforcers arrive within 1 round
- Power Is Protection: Attacking Silas immediately escalates the situation (club lockdown, police heat, fixer retaliation later)
- VIP Immunity: Social actions against him suffer –1 unless the PCs have strong leverage
Weapons
- Hidden holdout pistol
Armor
Heavy synth-silk suit
Equipment
- Encrypted datapad
Cyberware
- Neural comm implant
GM Notes
He sees people as assets, liabilities, or leverage—and sometimes all three at once. Sentimentality is a luxury he outgrew decades ago, but he still respects competence, loyalty, and style. If you’re good at what you do and you don’t embarrass him, he’ll treat you fairly. If you cross him, he won’t explode—he’ll restructure your life until the problem solves itself.
Silas is deeply confident, bordering on immovable. He doesn’t posture or threaten overtly because he doesn’t need to. Everyone in the room already knows who he is. Violence is a tool of last resort—not because he’s merciful, but because it’s inefficient and messy. When violence does happen, it’s decisive and sanctioned, never emotional.
Despite his age and bulk, he is mentally sharp and socially lethal. He reads people quickly, cataloging tells, weaknesses, and desires. He enjoys subtle dominance—correcting details, finishing someone else’s sentence, reminding them of a debt they forgot they owed.
At his core, Silas believes the world is chaos held together by deals—and he intends to be the man holding the contracts.
Nyx Valera
Nyx Valera
Nyx is calm, poised, and quietly predatory.
She never rushes, never fidgets, never raises her voice. Her power comes from presence, not dominance. Every smile is calculated. Every touch is intentiona
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Always Listening: Nyx automatically rolls Observation when anyone speaks within arm’s length of Silas, even if she appears distracted.
- Last Resort: If Silas is physically threatened, Nyx acts with lethal intent without hesitation.
Weapons
- Concealed Holdout Pistol
- Monofilament Stiletto Ring
Cyberware
- Neural Comms
GM Notes
She is deeply loyal to Silas, not out of fear or ownership, but because he rescued her from obscurity and recognized her value as more than decoration. In return, she protects his empire in ways bodyguards cannot.
Nyx despises sloppy people—loose talkers, emotional outbursts, performative violence. She respects discipline, restraint, and people who understand leverage.
Privately, she is tired—but sharp. She knows she’s a luxury asset in a brutal world, and she intends to survive it longer than anyone expects.
Kadeesha
Kadeesha
Silent, disciplined, and absolute.
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Unmovable Presence: While Kadeesha is conscious and within reach of Silas: Attacks against Silas suffer disadvantage or penalty (GM discretion), surprise attacks must first overcome her Observation
- First Cut: Her first successful hit inflicts additional damage or automatic critical (she ends fights before they escalate)
Weapons
- Integrated Tri-Blade Arm (Permanent Augment)
Armor
Reinforced Dermal Weave
Cyberware
- Neural Comms
GM Notes
She does not posture. She does not banter. She does not enjoy violence—but she is exceptionally good at it. Her movements are minimal, efficient, and terrifyingly calm.
She views her role as containment, not protection. Threats do not get escorted out—they get ended quietly. She has no interest in status, pleasure, or indulgence. Clubs, drugs, luxury—none of it registers.
Unlike Nyx, Kadesha:
Does not charm
Does not manipulate
Does not care what people think
Her loyalty to Silas is transactional and earned. He pays well, never lies to her, and never asks her to do something pointless. In return, she has kept him alive longer than any doctor expected.
She does not socialize with Nyx—but she respects her. They work different angles of the same problem.
Latch
Latch
Cold. Methodical. Dispassionately Cruel.
Latch is not arrogant. He doesn’t posture. He doesn’t threaten.
He simply watches — calculating probabilities in real time.
Speaks rarely
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- System Lock: When Latch successfully disables cyberware, nearby enemies suffer –1 to actions for one round as panic spreads.
- Silent Kill: If a target is incapacitated by cyberware shutdown, Latch may eliminate them without triggering alarms.
- Failsafe Loyalty: If Silas is threatened, Latch may immediately act out of turn once per scene.
Equipment
- AR Command Lens: Grants +1 to Observation and Hacking, can see active cyberware pings through walls at short range
Cyberware
- Neural Interdictor Bracer
- Emergency ICE Burst: Once per scene, reflects a successful hack attempt back at the attacker
GM Notes
Visual Tells (for the GM)
Constantly checking his wrist interface — not for time, but for signal health
AR lenses flicker with cascading glyphs when combat starts
Never raises his voice
When someone collapses screaming from cyber-feedback, he doesn’t even look at them
GM Hooks
PCs may not realize he’s dangerous until their cyberarms stop responding
EMP weapons make him nervous — one of the few tells
He remembers people who survive encounters with him
If Silas ever dies, Latch becomes a terrifying independent operator for hire
Silas considers you for a long moment.He takes a slow sip of his drink.
Then he nods once.
“Helios Corporate Systems. Biotech. AI.”
“When a corp like that goes quiet, it’s because something ugly is growing in the dark.”
A data packet slides across the table.
“These will get you inside.”
His smile is thin.
“What happens after that is your problem.”
SCENE PURPOSE
- Convert leverage into access
- Test the crew under social pressure
- Deliver critical Helios intelligence
- Set terms for Act III
This is not about winning Silas over.
It’s about convincing him you’re worth the risk.
RULES NOTES
OPPOSITION ROLL (GM ONLY)
If a roll is required:
Silas Rolls:
- Wits + Guile (7 dice recommended)
- Subtract Silas’s successes from the PCs’ successes to determine net result.
SUCCESS RESULTS (USE THIS TABLE)
| 0 | Refusal or side-job demanded |
| 1 | Codes granted (flagged / limited) |
| 2 | Clean access codes |
| 3+ | Codes + insider intel |
Failure never stops the story — it only increases cost.