"It all started when that chica with the suit showed up.

"Don't get me wrong, ese, life is hard in the barrios, and I wasn't exactly ridin' the gravy train before that. I grew up in the slums of Caracas, and my family's been here for as long as anybody remembers. Fightin', stealin', dodgin' the cops and the cartels, and always wonderin' where the next meal was coming from is how I grew up, so when I tell you life got bad when this bruja started comin' around, I want you to know that shit means somethin', comprende?

"She was a real looker, and dressed way to good for our neighborhood. Not like some lost Yanqui tourist, neither. Like some high jefe in the cartels gone slummin'. Scary stuff, I'm tellin' you. Didn't nobody bother her, neither. She just strolled through this ghetto like it was a park. Now I ain't no fool, so I lay low. Chica like that around here don't mean nothin' good. Not to you and me, anyways. You learn real quick not to stick your neck out in my neighborhood, not if you wanna keep your head attached to it.

"So I ducks down an alley and gets behind this big pile of trash, waitin' for her to pass, but she just turns and follows me. Now, first I'm just thinkin' bad luck, right? Better skate before I'm in the wrong place an' wrong time. So I jump up to fire escape and haul ass up to the roof. Before I can even catch my breath, she just flies up after me. Really. Flying. You remember I called her a bruja? I meant it. This lady's a witch. No me, I ain't never seen a real witch before that, and I didn't care to. I hauled ass the Hell out of there and never looked back... Chica's still huntin' me, an' I don't know why... but I hope I never find out."

Raul was born in the slums of Caracas, where the houses are stacked on top of each other like blocks and the streets are practically standing-room-only. Being good Catholics, his parents were fruitful and multiplied - multiplying the overcrowding of what was already very likely the most crowded city on earth. Four brothers and three sisters, with Raul the youngest, watching his siblings struggle against the crushing poverty. Generally, the only way out is drugs and gangs, but with million of kids trying the same thing, the odds are stacked hard against you. Three brothers and a sister died in the neverending gang squabbles, his youngest brother ODed on Bliss, and his oldest sister raped and murdered by a fifteen year old kid doing his initiation.

Feeling like he couldn't handle watching any more of his family die, he left his parents and remaining sister, Angelica, and struck out on his own at the age of seventeen. Vanishing into the seemingly infinite crowd of the poor of Caracas, he soon found that his family ties to the gang had been helping to keep him safe, and without that umbrella, life on the streets was even harder than the scrabbling existence he had known as a child. He learned the hard way how to fight, and more importantly, when not to. There are fights you can't win, and alone against a gang, that's pretty much all of them. The more important skills are running and hiding. Raul got very good at running and hiding. In Caracas, where the streets are too crowded to run in and the buildings are (sometimes literally) piled on top of one another, that means climbing.

What Raul didn't know was that at some point in his drug-addled teenage years, he had Awakened. Chalking the experience up to hallucinations, his magic developed in a less than focused manner. Rather than reaching truly superhuman levels of ability in any particular thing, his disbelief limited his abilities to that which (he believes) is achievable, giving him a mishmash of more subtle abilities.

Regardless of this, his high magic rating is easily discernible astrally, and it wasn't long before Raul was noticed by the cartels. A mage was sent out to investigate/recruit this new young adept living in the barrios, but they underestimated his ability to make himself scarce (probably not expecting he would flee from a generous offer of employment and possible ticket off the streets). Already paranoid from living on the streets all his life, Raul started seeing ghosts everywhere. Any look that lingered too long was a wizard trying to enchant him. It didn't help that anyone glancing onto the astral would see him glowing brightly and likely want to take a closer look. The attention from magic users unnerved him, and led to a seething distrust. Of course, they're probably working for that same chick who came looking for him...

Now it's four years later, and Raul, or "El Mono," is gaining a reputation as a highly skill second-story man. Even though he's a bit jumpy and hates working with people he doesn't know, he has a knack for getting into places others, and for getting away again afterward. Sure, he got caught a few times as a kid, but he knows a guy on the force now, and that's useful. Even if they don't quite get along so well, he can be persuaded to look the other way or drop some good info if you toss some cash his way. He's mellowed out some over the years, and isn't as likely to bolt at the first sign of danger anymore. Still always looking over his shoulder, though, and more often than not, jacked up on Long Haul a week at a time, scared of dropping his guard for a moment. Sometimes, that's useful, though, when you need to keep an eye on someone or something for a long time.

280 Points
Body 5
Agility 6
Reaction 4 (5)
Strength 3
Charisma 2
Intuition 4
Logic 3
Willpower 4
Edge 3
Magic 6

124 Points
ACTIVE
Influence Group 1
-Con
-Etiquette
-Leadership
-Negotiation
Close Combat Group 1
-Blades
-Clubs
-Unarmed
Pistols (Light Pistols +2) 4
Perception (Visual +2) 2
Infiltration (Urban +2) 6
Athletics Group 4
-Climbing
-Gymnastics
-Running
-Swimming

LANGUAGES
Spanish N
English (Spanglish +2) 3
Or'zet (Street +2) 3

KNOWLEDGES
Gangs 4
Local Bars 3
Police Procedures 3
Action Trids 2
Goblin Rock 2

+50 Points
Addiction (Moderate: Long Haul) 15points
Paranoid 15 points
Prejudiced (Specific, Biased: Dislikes Magicians) 5 points
SINner (Criminal) 15 points

Carmen (Waitress) 4/1
Rodrigo "Rojo Oso" (Fence) 2/4
Detective Hernandez (Dirty Cop) 1/3

6 points (30,000)
COMMLINK (2200)
Renraku Sensei/Renraku Ichi
Analyze 1
Browse 2
Command 1
Edit 3
Encrypt 3
Scan 2

ARMOR (900)
Armored Jacket 8/6

WEAPONS (4650)
Ceramic Knife
Brass Knuckles
Small Bat (club)
Custom Yamaha Sakura Fubuki
-Extended Clip
-Smartgun System
-Flashlight

VEHICLES (12500)
Yamaha Growler
-Engine Customization (Speed and Accel)
-Run Flat Tires

OTHER GEAR (2855)
Autopicker rating 6
Miniwelder
Wire Clippers
Glass Cutter
Climbing Gear
Rappeling Gloves
Low-light Flashlight
Goggles w/ Image Link and Smartlink
Long Haul (5 doses)

LIFESTYLE (6400)
Comforts Low
Entertainment Low
Necessities Low
Neighborhood Squatter
Security Middle
-Hasty Exit +2
-Inconspicuous Housing +2
-Pest Magnet -1
-Rough Neighborhood -1

Improved Reflexes 1 (1.5)
Combat Sense 3 (1.5)
Great Leap 2 (.5)
Wall Running (1)
Freefall 2 (.5)
Multi-Tasking (.5)
Mystic Armor 1 (.5)

Chaske Mato, or Chayton Wanji as he now calls himself in the bars, is a big man. He used to be as strong as any Sioux warrior before a prolonged spiral of depression and drug abuse ate away at his muscles. Chayton covers up this weakness with a long duster or bulky combat biking armor as the situation warrants, trusting in his size to deter any brawls from starting. Coupled with the dead look in his eyes and utter apathy for the rest of the world this tends to work. He has a long black braid running down the right side of his face and a large, red bandanna holding his trodes securely in place. He tends to wear a leather duster except for when he takes rides through the slums on his Mirage, for that he wears full combat biker armor.

Although a hacker himself, Chaske looks down upon other riggers and hackers that spend so much time in the Matrix their bodies waste away to skin and bone, he was born to a proud Sioux family and grew up seeing himself as such. As much as he dislikes those that refuse to care for their bodies, he saves his contempt for those he considers to be traitors, and to a lesser extent cowards. Unfortunately both of these prejudices stem from his own self-loathing and still grapples with his past. He's hoping that here in Caracas he can finally leave it all behind.

He was 24 when it hit. No warning, just a sudden and bright lance of white pain straight into his skull, frying his brain and blazing his mind. He screamed louder than he ever had, but no sound came out. Your muscle contractions and extensions are controlled by electrical impulses from the brain; dial up the electrical impulse and you contract the muscle even tighter. With all that biofeedback pouring directly into his nervous system Chaske hit the fetal position so fast he dislocated his jaw and bruised a rib. His one saving grace was the stern advice from his parents to never pollute his body with cyberware. Without a datajack Chaske had to use trodes, and they burned out in a few nanoseconds.

Still, it was almost a week before he regained consciousness. It took another week to regain control of his body. Chaske was forced to listen to doctors tell his family and friends he may never recover. Every night his mother rested her forehead against him and whispered tear-choked prayers for his recovery.

When he finally did open his eyes Chaske was greeted by the sight of his brother, Misun. Although twins, Chaske never developed the magical talents his brother did and was a mundane security spider while Misun was a tribal shaman able to commune with the spirit world, taking up Bear as his mentor spirit.

His family was overjoyed at his recovery, but after a while Chaske began to hear voices in his head. At first it was faint and mostly static, noise more than anything else. After a time it got louder, and then clearer. No matter how badly he tried to ignore it they wouldn't leave him alone. He got on his bike and drove as far as he could, as he reached the Black Hills the noise began to wane. He camped out there for a few days, finally relieved at the calm. As he returned to the city however the voices returned in force. Chaske sent his brother a message and returned to the Black Hills.

When Misun arrived Chaske told him about the voices, the short bits of conversations he could hear but not understand. Misun assensed his brother but could find no signs of magic. Although confused, Misun taught his brother some basic mental exercises to calm his mind and focus on the physical. It took Chaske a few weeks, but he gradually moved his camp closer and closer to the city, with his brother making trips into town for food and supplies.

As Chaske inched toward the city the voices returned, but thanks to his brother's instruction he learned to block them out. After a time however, he experimented with focusing his concentration on the voices rather than away from them, he found he could make out what was being said now. Bits of conversations, but this time he was able to tune in and listen to the entire thing. With practice he even learned how to follow the conversations and with proper focus make out icons. It was then that Chaske began to understand he was in the Matrix; with that insight came a deluge of insight as he exulted in his newfound abilities and flew through the wireless world like a hawk that finally learned to fly. In this new realm he came across an ultra-realistic icon: a plain, brown spider.

When Chaske approached it the spider skittered away along a barely visible strand of webbing. Chaske grinned and took chase, but the spider remained just out of reach as they both sped through the Matrix at the speed of light. Eventually the spider began to slow and Chaske gained on it, but just as he was about to overtake the spider it vanished. Feeling a presence behind him Chaske spun to see an aged Lakota man in red robes hovering silently in the VR, the stranger gave a slight smile and Chaske took a step back as recognition hit him like a bucket of cold water. "Greetings, Iktomi." Chaske said respectfully to the Trickster spirit.

Over the next year Iktomi taught Chaske to ride the webs and develop his abilities. He soon learned about others like him by piecing together news reports from around the world. Hoping to find another like him Chaske began to scour the Matrix for any leads, even breaking into corporate nodes. What he found shocked him: The corps knew all about Technomancers, and not only that they were kidnapping and experimenting on them. Disgusted, but unsure of what to do Chaske reached out to his brother, sharing with him all of the information he had gained. The two decided to free those that they could, and prepared themselves as Iktomi taught Chaske how to summon sprites to do the data-mining for him as he toned his body for the inevitable fight that would occur. Through Misun's extensive travels he made a large number of contacts throughout the NAN, and was able to equip his brother and himself with the best gear available. As a religious figure he took Chaske's tales of Iktomi with equal parts suspicion and gratitude to the capricious Trickster for teaching his brother what he could not, and in reverence to the Spider commissioned a beautifully crafted monofiliment whip for his brother to use as a last resort.

Chaske trained dutifully with the weapon until his sprites had returned with the necessary intel: An MCT warehouse where a pair of technomancers were to be dropped off by a runner team. Chaske and Misun hit hard and fast, Chaske sending a swarm of sprites to wreak havoc on the runner's communications and vehicles while laying down covering fire for his brother as Misun conjured up a maelstrom of debris to pelt the runner's van. As the door slid open he directed a number of cinderblocks to go flying inside before throwing a manaball right into the middle of the group. With the runners unconscious the brothers managed to drag the technomancers away and set them up in a squat in the Sioux territory.

The brothers did this for awhile: searching for possible technomancer extractions and then running an extraction of their own before the Runners could make their drop. Eventually however they were made. A routine interception turned out to be an ambush, lead was flying everywhere and the air crackled from Misun's spells. With blood trickling from his eyes at the sheer strain of the magic his shamanic mask began to grow in intensity until he called out for Chaske to run.

Blinded with fear Chaske ran until he couldn't take breath any more. He collapsed behind a dumpster and then passed out. When he awoke it was bright morning, and he came to with a start. He hurriedly pinged his brother's commlink, but it consistently timed out. Chaske rushed home and tried to ring up all of his brother's contacts, hoping he was just laying low.

A year passed, but Chaske couldn't dig up any information on his brother, he spent weeks at a time attached to an IV drip as he searched and cracked every node he thought might have a clue, but to no avail. Disgusted with himself for leaving his brother behind, when by all right he should have been the one to be captured Chaske packed up his gear and fled south on his bike, hoping to outrun his past.

He's made his way by hacking low level corp nodes for paydata and occasionally doing a stint or two in underground combat biking competitions. He's kept the whip his brother gave him, and has practiced with it to the point he can tear off an unruly ganger's cheek to let the rest his gang know he's not looking for a fight, but he won't be fucked with.

Chaske's been on the move for awhile now, and his hoping to lose himself in Caracas. He's found a nice apartment with an underground garage for his bike and passes himself off as a hispanic when he's out buying groceries or paying the rent. The rest of the time he's trying to forget himself to little success; his parents raised him to be proud of his heritage, and try as he might he'll never be able to let that go. But money is starting to run tight, and he needs to pay the bills.

Chaske Mato -- Human(Sioux/Lakota) -- 0 BP

ATTRIBUTES - 200 BP


SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES - 60 BP


QUALITIES - (-43) BP



ACTIVE SKILLS - 140 BP


KNOWLEDGE SKILLS - (24 Free) 0 BP


COMPLEX FORMS - 21BP


CONTACTS - 7 BP


GEAR - 73,900¥ (1,100¥ left over):: 15 BP