Running the Shadows | A Literate Individual Roleplay

The Confluence's Effects

The Confluence is the name given to the event that introduced a new form of energy, now called Magic, to our world. The location of the initial event, as estimated from seismic readings from around the world, was in the Atlantic Ocean, a ways off the coast of Greenland. It was a seismic event, accompanied by a wave of energy and pressure that managed to spread around the world.

An immediate effect of this wave of energy was a series of "Sympathetic Pulses," much smaller waves of the same energy that were triggered when the initial pulse passed their location. The location and strength of these neigh innumerable pulses were seemingly random, but there were 14 much stronger locations that dwarfed the other Sympathetic Pulses, though those 14 were nothing compared to the location of the initial event, which would become known as "The Nexus".

An effect of the Confluence that only became recorded 6 years after the event was a drop in the average life expectancy, caused by organ failure that started long before it should have. These effects will be diagnosed as "Magic Poisoning" which was caused by the body absorbing too much of the magical energy from the atmosphere without a proper way of ejecting it from the body. During this time there were reports of people with strange abilities, but these reports were not properly documented and are unreliable.

The next generation after the Confluence had a far greater variance in hair and eye color, with some colors that were previously considered unnatural. Then after a few more years, people with more extreme mutations started being born. The most populous of these mutations were small differences in bone structure, these mutations varied between making bones longer or shorter and thicker and thinner. They were exceedingly rare in the first generation, but then in the next generation, they were more widespread, but still only at most 4% of the population.

Also starting with the second generation were genetic changes that further compounded upon these existing mutations. The children of those with thinner bones, both long and short, had strengthened proprioception and inner ears, leading to an enhanced sense of balance. In addition, the children of short, thin-boned parents also had a noticeable decrease in size, as well as changes to the skeletal structure of their back for an (at the time) unknown function. Children of those with shorter, but thicker bones didn't change much except a slow decrease in height through generations. Longer but not thicker bones produced taller children with sharper canines and a slightly grey complexion from thicker skin. Still, the biggest changes were the ones occurring to the children of people with overall larger bones, their children had a 132% increase in average height, a 157% increase in average muscle mass, as well as a few of them developing thin patches of keratin near some joints and on the scalp.

These mutations were the start of the diversification into the 6 basic "Races of Humans," or Metatypes as they are known today. There is still the standard human, who was not changed by much. There are the Dwarves, from future generations of short, thick bones, who are very sturdy people. The thin, long-boned people eventually become known as Elves, as their ears eventually grew to a point. The Elf's cousin in those from a line with short, thin bones are the Fae, who are physically the smallest Metatype, however, they do have the ability to fly on colorful wings that grew from their backs. Longer, but standard thickness bones produced the Metatype known as Orks, a rough and tough Metatype. Lastly, the Metatype stemming from the overall larger bones is the Troll, roughly 150% the height of a standard human, averaging 200+ pounds of muscle, with rocklike plates growing near their joints and horns growing from their head, Trolls are built like tanks.

It was in this same second generation that the first Mages and "Geeks" were born. Mages were people with an ability to manipulate Magical energy within and without their body to create a myriad of effects, with some inborn talents and some who needed teaching to properly use their power. "Geeks," or their more technical term Technopaths, were people with an ability to directly interface with most machinery, using Magical Energy to do so.

It was around this time that the 14 most powerful Sympathetic Pulse locations had another seismic event, one in which the earth at the site appeared to be torn open. This event was disregarded by most, seeing as Humanity had more important things to focus on. However it was at this time that the changes to the Earth's Ecosystem began to noticeably change, forests grew faster than ever recorded, and brand new species began to emerge. As more time passed, it became clear that nature would not be a friend of Humanity, with new species emerging that were bigger, stronger, or faster than most anything seen before the Confluence, with many of them being hostile. This is what caused Humanity to condense down into new "Tower Cities" that had several vertical layers, with those of higher social standing living on higher levels. Most of the world's political power was and is no longer held by countries, but instead by Megacorps, giant companies that have acquired massive wealth along with extraterritorial status making them unbound by most forms of government.

And today, travel between these Cities requires heavily armed transports or at least a very well-trained mage. Within the Tower Cities, there is rarely an opportunity to climb the layers, leaving many unsatisfied with their lives. This unsatisfaction often leads to crime, and in overpopulated Tower Cities, police presence at the lowest level is laughable, leaving most crimes unchecked by them. And with crime being unchecked it became the place for profits to rise. Megacorps began hiring goons to ruin their competition, and then other people started during the same at lower levels until it created a new job. The job of being a Shadowrunner, a criminal mercenary.