Name: Devon Harris
Alias: Flatline
Race: Human (mixed Black/White/Amerind)
Sex: Male
Nationality: UCAS
Physical Description: Mulatto skinned, slim, bookish, with a serious face, a little skittish
There is a neighborhood in the Redmond Barrens that nobody talks about. Actually there are a lot of places in the Barrens that no one talks about, but this part of the Barrens doesn't get talked about because the people that live there want to keep it secret. The reason they keep it a secret is because the people that live there don't want the world to know that life in this little part of one of the worst hellholes on earth is not really all that bad, it is kind of an oasis in the brutality around it. In fact the folks that live there call it the Oasis. It is near enough to Touristville that you can still hear sirens most nights, but a little too deep into the district for the slummers and thrill seekers to risk making the attempt. The Oasis is not really any better off than the area around it, there is crime and desperation, and rundown buildings, but the folks here care a little more and actually look out for each other when they can. It is the kind of place that a married Mafia lieutenant can stow the dime piece he keeps on the side with his illegitimate kid if he likes her. Where a Shadowrunner can have his brother's family move to after the brother takes a bullet for him.
One of the reasons that the Oasis exists is the Harris Clinic, a place where locals can do for real care. One of the reasons that the thin, awkward looking young man walking out of the Clinic knows he can safely walk these streets without fear is that his name is Devon Harris, he is the son of Dr Maxwell Harris, the founder of the clinic.
Devon knows that after the 12 hour shift he just finished that he really should just go home and sleep, but he also knows that he is going to the 'other' clinic a few blocks away to check on the razorgirl's new mod and spend a few more hours going over rituals in his Lab. He pops his last Caff-Tab and cracks a new pack, walking a little faster so that he might sleep in his real bed tonight.
20 questions
• We are shaped by our heritage. Facial features, skin tone, height, build, metatype, even aptitudes are influenced by the genes passed from parent to child. Attitude, too, is taught by parents, informed by their own lives and their cultural heritage. Where does your character come from, what is her lineage, who were her parents, and what did she inherit from them?
Devon Harris’ heritage is marked by every major counterculture movement of the last century. His ancestors were Freedom Riders, Civil Rights Activists, Hippies, Bohemians, Feminists, and Peaceniks. They were part of Anonymous, Greenpeace, and Occupy. With the beginning of the Sixth World they just continued the struggle, putting in time for every cause and anyone downtrodden. Charity, community, and equality are as natural as breathing for him.
Devon’s father’s family has been in the medical field going back centuries. There has been a Doctor Harris in Seattle as long as there has been a Seattle, with varying degrees of fame, fortune, and success. The latest incarnation is the Harris Clinic, a neighborhood practice that includes a nearby shadow clinic for those requiring unique voluntary procedures and care without questions run by Dr. Maxwell Harris, Devon’s father.
Lydia Harris (Pinkskin Salish name - Walks With Deer) was a pretty little nymph that captured Maxwell’s heart in college, she has flitted in and out of his and Devon’s life, magic being both her nature and her calling. They have an interesting relationship.
Devon is their only child with a foot in both worlds.
• Parents can be proud of their children or regret ever bringing them into the world. Some are loving, and some are indifferent. All of them are only metahuman and have their own opinions of their children. Assuming they could speak, what would each of your character’s parents say about her?
Max would like Devon to buckle down and get a medical degree so he can take over the practice and Max can retire, whatever that means to old doctors. Lydia wants him to live life on his own terms and find his own path, she thinks he is too studious and loves to bring him out to the Cascades with her. Both are very proud of him for following their lead. Devon is a weird kid.
• Many people remember certain historical events for the rest of their lives. For those alive in the first decade of the 21st century, it could be the assassination of John F. Kennedy, or the Tiananmen Square protests, or the fall of the Berlin Wall, or the attacks of 11 September 2001. People remember where they were, and what they were doing when they first heard of these events. Shadowrun history has significant events as well, such as the assassination of President Dunkelzahn, the Crash 2.0, and the emergence of technomancers and artificial intelligences. Pick a few events from recent Shadowrun history and ask where the character was at the time, what does he remember about the event, and what was he doing at the time?
Most of those times have been marked by civil unrest in Seattle, which for Devon means a busy life, days with Mom out trying to fix things, nights with Dad putting folks back together in the clinics.
• Very few people choose to become shadowrunners. More likely, they are thrown into the life by a chaotic and uncaring world. Even if she made a conscious decision to enter the shadows, her decision is influenced by the world around her. How did your character get into shadowrunning, and why did she take that path?
Devon had known of Shadowrunners his whole life, one of his earliest memories is from the night of the Big D’s assassination, one of those busy days mentioned earlier. He saw a team of runners bring a comrade into his dad’s clinic and then guard the place from the violence on the street. There was a REALLY big troll that carried an HMG like a shotgun.
He didn’t really consider getting into shadowrunning until he began to understand that Runners funded the shadowclinic, which brought in a LOT of money. He figured that he can run for a bit and build up a nice nest egg to get him though Medical School.
• People have control over their own living arrangements. From the child young enough to use crayons and tape all the way up to the elderly shut-in who plasters her walls with family photos and cat pictures, everyone makes their living spaces more personally pleasing. What is your character’s living space like, and what has he added or changed to make it his own?
He lives in the neighborhood he grew up in, near the clinic, his space is simple and functional as he can make it, probably needing a woman’s touch, but clean. His real home is the Magic Lab that is off a hidden passage of the shadow clinic. That is where he cuts loose, as much as a hermetic ever does anyway.
• Everyone has beliefs, and many have beliefs strong enough to be convictions. Some are religious, some are political, some are social, and some are just about why people are here. What does your character believe in, what are her convictions (if any), and why does she hold them?
He upholds the Hippocratic Oath even though he is under no obligation to do so, and believes in fighting for the little guy.
• Everyone has aspects of their personality that grate on someone. Even the best of friends annoy one another from time to time. The flaws in a person’s character are as important as the qualities. What do you dislike most about your character’s personality?
Kinda bookish, and I don’t like drugs
• The Sixth World is considered by many to be spinning out of control. If anyone could exert control over it, it would be the “Big Ten” triple-A megacorps. These transnationals exert a lot of influence on everyday life in the 2070s. Which of the Big Ten does your character hold in the highest (or least low) regard, which does he like the least, and why?
Doc Wagon and Crashcart are the best of the worst, because some of their guys actually care. The rest are just tools keeping people down.
• People make acquaintances and friends; we’re hardwired for it. Humans are social animals. This is especially true in the shadows, where often it is not the power you have, but the power you can borrow, and not who you, are but who you know. There’s a story behind each and every one of these relationships. What is the story with your character and her contacts?
Decker- Jimmy Nelson (Jammer) is another kid from the hood who wasn’t on the streets enough to fall in with the gangs and too smart not to make something of himself. Jimmy and Devon are the same age so they got on well and built a solid friendship. Jimmy also does IT for the clinic.
Fixer- Three-Toes is that guy from the neighborhood who handles the ‘business’ and keeps things cool. They have a purely professional relationship, but the dwarf is the one who Devon went to to put the word out that he was looking for shadowwork. For the record, Devon knows for a fact his feet are pristine, and will NEVER ask about his name.
Talismonger- The Curio Corner is a little shop on the edge of the neighborhood, it is run by a couple of old folks who met a long time ago. The man is a Cat shaman (Tom) and his wife is a hermetic (Theresa) so they make it work. When he decided to get into the game he went to them for his foci and was allowed to help make them, so there is a bond there.
Ganger- Danny Broxton is another kid Jimmy and Devon’s age from the hood. He was not nearly as lucky as the other two and went down a different path, but they have history, so he is one of those guys he knows.
• It’s Sunday morning, and your character has no commitments until tomorrow afternoon. What does she do for the day?
Unless he has specific plans, he probably is either sleeping or putting in a shift at the clinic. Or helping someone organize a protest for something on Monday.
• Your character has a specific skill set, a list of Active and Knowledge skills that define what she knows and her areas of expertise. How did she come to learn those skills, and how did she develop them to those levels?
From having a foot in two very different worlds and living in the same area his whole life.
• Everyone has their limits. People can be dark, but most people’s instinct is to draw the line at certain actions and thoughts, and they keep to their own moral convictions. Is there a moral limit that your character enforces on the jobs she takes, and in what shadow work would she refuse to engage?
Wetwork, anything that harms large groups of innocents, he is a Robin Hood runner (probably more Friar Tuck)
• If you have an Awakened or technomancer character, consider your character’s tradition and streams. Even within the major established magical traditions and the recently emerged technomantic streams, there is room for personalization. Ask yourself what drew her to that particular paradigm, how does it effect the way she views the world and her magic, how does it translate into choice of mentor spirit or paragon, and how does it affect the appearance of the spirits or sprites you conjure or compile?
It chose him, The Protector made itself known to him as soon as his abilities emerged. He thinks that it had been a Patron of his father’s line all the way back and was waiting for someone with the Talent to emerge. The Protector tolerates his mother’s shamanistic ways because of a deep connection to her totem (Bear). His spirits are tools, but they deserve respect, kind of like capable underlings.
• While acceptance and bias vary from place to place, augmentations— be they bio-, cyber-, gene-, or nanoware—are increasingly common and available in the Sixth World. However, personal technological enhancement is rarely cheap, and many implants that runners possess are restricted. How did your character come to have the enhancements she has, how were they paid for, and what motivated the choices she made (if she did make the choices)?
He doesn’t have any, but he has no problem with them, he just knows he doesn’t need them as long as he has magic.
• Life as a shadowrunner is by definition outside the bounds of “normal” life. Shadowrunners do not truly fit into the lives of ordinary people, whether they live in slums or mansions. What does your character think of ordinary life, mainstream culture, and those who abide by it?
He loves and protects ordinary people, especially the ones in his neighborhood.
• Everyone has nightmares. Sometimes, we forget the dream completely on waking. Sometimes, the nightmare haunts us or even recurs. If your character had a lingering nightmare or a deep-rooted fear, what would it be, and why does he find it so terrifying?
He has a doctor’s deep fear of making a mistake that kills someone, without arrogance that it can’t happen.
• People tend to attach sentimental value to items in their possession or people they are close to. They make an effort to keep these close by and safe. What is your character’s “sacred object” or “close one,” and how did they come to be so important to him?
His foci are precious to him, they are thick bracers, one with a sword and one a shield, he helped create them.
• One of metahumanity’s greatest assets is its ability to look toward the future and imagine a better life. Even small children have dreams about what they want to be when they grow up. What did your character want to become when he was a child, and what are his goals now?
Same, make his parents happy, help people.
• A person’s appearance can say volumes about him. From fashion sense, to the colors he prefers, to the way he walks and speaks. Sometimes, his personality determines his appearance, and, sometimes, the appearance he chooses to present the world effects his personality. What does your character look like, and what inspired his choices?
Form follows function, he doesn’t do a lot of frivolous things, but he understands style.
• Everyone has a name, but a runner’s street name is a representation of his connection to the shadows. Sometimes runners choose their own moniker, but more often it is given to them as a nickname or earned through some (mis)adventure. How did your character come to be known by his street name?
He was given the name because of his low key nature and skillset, and the fact that the hothead Samurai who gave it to him was convinced he would be dead in a year.
