Character Sheet

Vitals

Stats

Injuries

Aspects

• 1. Narrative Tropes

Skills

Yogang skill: Contacts [INT]

As a GoldenKid, you know power comes from the ability to know (and use) important, powerful people.

Having Contacts means you know somebody important who can help you in Corporate (Average) or Government (Difficult) circles, sometimes even at the most exclusive places (V. Difficult).

Note: This skill only works as long as the GoldenKid is not publicly exposed as a member of the CyberEvolved. But as most GoldenKid families will use any means to hide the scandal of an infected child, you are unlikely to be exposed unless you commit a very, very public action (something that makes the national news) while using your Evolved powers. Even then, they're more likely to cut you off without cash than publicly denounce you.

Weapons

Stuff

• 1. Gold smartcard with $1,850

  2. Eden Cabal smartcard with $300

  3. Personal V-Term

  4. Snoopbox privacy sensor

  5. Cardlock smartcard to family luxary corpzone conapt

  6. V-Narcotic.

Bio:

Description, Apparence, Personality

Background, Upbringing & Family

Family

Mother and Father

Tandra & Austin Cordelle

Austin comes from media, and is head of advertising programming for Network 54’s NorCal PCPT (Prime Channels, Prime Time) segment. His immense skill in high-level advertising design and placement / programme management has made him a revenue generating asset and given him creative control of the most lucrative broadcasting segment. His talent is not so much in the detailed design of an advert to appeal to the masses, but more an almost intuitive grasp of what the high level feelings it should invoke and what to pair it with, which, he says, is much like pairing the correct wine with dinner. He has been successful enough that he has enormous high level input to the advertising division and control of the almighty schedule for when they run.

This has made him a few enemies in the advertising branch, who resent his control over their work. He is also famous for micromanaging and last minute schedule changes - “to accommodate the pulse of the moment” - which causes his staff no end of stress and again annoys people who have to make changes to their advert at the last minute or get cut in favour of another add “that became more suitable”.

He’s right much more often than he’s wrong though, so any complaints fall on deaf ears.

He credits his success with his obsession with “having his finger on the pulse” so is as obsessed with the news feeds as the most narcissistic glitterkid. He always needs to know what’s happening, what’s trending, what is the up and up, what is the gaff or on it’s way down so he can tailor his programming accordingly. He has a whole collection of sound bytes and words of wisdom.

During the cyberpunk era Net54 considered him a high extraction risk and he had constant security. With their more dominant position in the ISA his risk profile has been lowered, but he almost never leaves Westwind without a small contingent of bodyguards.

He travels the ISA reasonably frequently to consult (e.g. advise on their programming) with other Net54 broadcast hubs, which he refuses to do via virtuality or teleconference, because he can’t have his finger on the pulse without going to a place and living it.

Tandra was goldenkid herself, and comes from old money in (Pick foreign country of your choice). She spent a short time as city manager for Network 54 in New Denver before moving to Night City as head of New Media.

Technically taking a demotion from going from city head to the mere division head - and new media, it was a calculated risk as she correctly identified that Night City would be the cultural centre and therefore the place for the best career opportunities. She managed a number of acquisitions of technology companies and human resources to significantly improve Net54’s braindance production and oversaw the long overdue transition of braindance out of new media and into a medium in its own right.

She met Austin after she had taken over the Screamsheet division. Uncharitable comments are that she married him as a tool in her own career and at the behest of network 54 as another reason to keep the up-and-coming programme director loyal to the company. Tandra has never commented on this, ever.

What is true is that they established themselves as a power couple of Network 54, with her management ability and his advertising talent they drove up the lucrative scream sheet margins and transitioned themselves in TV and later prime time.

While Austin is in his element, Tandra wanted more, and has since moved upwards to head political coverage for the West Coast. She has lower level executives reporting to her for the various states and regions, while she has overall jurisdiction for how Network 54 covers anything political on the west cost across all mediums.

She does most of her conferencing via virtuality and spends most of her days on calls with her minions up and down the coast and with her peers across america as they decide the day's message.

Despite their marriage and feelings breaking down, neither Tandra nor Austin relished the prospect of the divorce case once they realised that the chances of them agreeing to an amicable settlement and share of wealth was next to nill. Tandra had higher rank, income and power, but Austin was a favoured asset with enormous amounts of soft influence so a bitter divorce battle would cost them massively financially and sully their reputations and thus careers with the company, and probably be quite hard on their teenage children (afterthought).

Also, much as they were now loathed to admit it, professionally they were a power couple, even when not directly working together anymore. That and their reputation was a tool in and of itself. So after a short and acrimonious argument about who was sleeping where in the house, it was agreed that they would maintain the facade of a marriage while leading their separate lives. Communication between them, even around you is cold and professional, ironically about the only time you see this break is when they are deep talking about work and get lost in shop-talk about what the message is, how to manipulate it and how to adapt around it.

Despite their dislikes, neither have made particular attempts to turn you or your siblings against the other beyond sarcastic comments if you complain about the other parental unit. Birthdays do involve a degree of one-upmanship for who can get you the biggest present.

Siblings

Bennet Cordelle (25)

Climbing the greasy corporate pole, has until recently been taking advantage of mum and dad by working in the night city political coverage section but has now been told to spread his wings. He made a minor gaff at a meeting that embarrassed his boss, and while it was smoothable, Tandra realised that his failures in her division could easily be used against her - he needed somewhere to grow that was not under her feet so she encouraged him to move on.

Has transferred into the “up and coming” division homed in Pacifica - it’s a strategic risk - pacifica has the up and coming trendy vibe, so controlling the message, and being there to adapt net54 to the trends will be a very good career move if it succeeds. Of course the major currency of “up and coming” is the latest stars, and this is the place most likely to find them.

On the other hand pacifica is hard to break into for net54 precisely because of the trendy vibe and small-up coming nature, and if he flops it will be a career setback (but nothing insurmountable).

He’s recently moved out to an apartment in Coastview, he’s not ranked highly enough enough to afford Westwind on his own or be assigned a westwind residence, and a lesson from father is to be successful in this you have to have you finger on the pulse, so living in Pacifica is a sound plan.

Calista Cordelle (21)

Has always had more political aspirations. With the Federal government reannexing the state, and focusing its efforts in night city, the ability to control the message is going to be key and she can get in on the ground.

With mothers help on introductions she has got in with all the right people in the CEP to assist with the takeover. Being quite young it is going to be hard for her to get a big break and properly get her name on something, but by playing cards right she should be close enough to someone else's break to use it to set the stage for her own ambitions if she can’t get lucky on her own.

She is currently focusing on North Oak, because both parents are certain that the privatisation of the base-services and the transition from an effectively independent nation to part of the city and corpzone is going to involve enormous fuckups by other people, so controlling the message there will get influence, power and favours from lots of important people.

She still lives at home and spends time between the house, government and corp offices in North Oak and and city centre.

Associates

Corporate

Delila Stoyer - Austins PA

Tandra’s PA

Tandra on the other hand goes through PA’s on a regular basis, and none of them have lasted long enough to make more of an impression on you than “standard corporate dog”. When both your siblings were still at home you used to hold a betting pool on how long the new one would last. They don't rate their own character page.

Diego Markell - Chaperone and Bodyguard

Other

In general Net54 has its own in house solos and there are a constant stream of lugomen that come and go. You are used to being tailed by a single bodyguard if you are going outside of a central corpzone or if you ask for one - Diego will either accompany you himself or call one in. For any major event where more security is required they will hire muscle from Arasaka.

You are also totally used to Arasaka security everywhere in Westwind. While the individuals rotate, Arasaka is careful to never rotate an entire team at the same time, so if you are in the “home block” any given security team will recognise you and are unfailingly polite and friendly. Outside the home zone it is less likely they will personally recognise you, but they have your face on file so know who you are very rapidly without needing to ask, and again, are unfailingly polite and respectful.

Juve

Network 54 manufactures Glitterkids. Thus your social circle at any one point will include an almost equal number of glitters to goldens. Most glitters cycle over time, and having many of them together is problematic - they are all prima donnas who want to be the centre of attention at all times. Constantly chasing fame and not realising that in reality the important thing is power.

Their need for fame does make them extremely useful to have around when you want to do something naughty. They are so busy self publicising they set themselves up perfectly as the fall guy/girl.

Resources

Apartment in the corpzone that you have access to is not specifically dads loveshack - your parents have always had it in your memory - having somewhere separate, upmarket and outside of Westwind was very useful for them when they wanted to entertain or something had happened that send the media into a shitstorm and nobody was sleeping.

Your entire family have keys, but you know that mother has acquired her own for if she is not sleeping at home.

Camden Court in Central Night City Map (48)

20 Questions

So, I have a ‘generic for any setting’ set of 20 questions (the last five are about your part in the roleplay group, so have cut those! :D)

• 1. What emotion best describes your character? Booooooored.

  2. What emotion does your character evoke in others? Depends on the person. To a lot of the Glitterkids who know who she actually is, probably intimidation? Cadence probably comes across very put-together (and almost rehearsed?) because she has grown up in a household where when public-facing, everything you do is scrutinised.

  3. What does your character need most? Escapism. She has everything she could materially want, but has no companionship and very little to do. Is looking for adventure!

  4. What is your character’s goal in life? I’m...not actually sure she has one. That’s part of the problem. Her goals have been set out by her parents. She’s probably expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and climb the corporate ladder and is already building the right networks to do so. She, however, would like to have a life a bit more like the stories that she spends her time in.

  5. How does your character believe this goal can be accomplished? She doesn’t. Which is why she spends so much time in virtual realities -- because it’s the ‘safe’ way of having both worlds at once. Recently, those have started getting boring/predictable, so she’s started to get interested in experiencing people’s lives which have actually been exciting/interesting/dangerous. (I’m sure nothing will happen that would make life more interesting any time soon...)

Background

For any campaign, a character should have come from somewhere. Spend any length of time with someone and their history is bound to come up. These questions give your character history, and therefore dramatic and emotional weight.

• 1. Where did your character come from? I think Cadence is either the product of an affair, given the age gap between her and her siblings, or a last-ditch attempt to ‘make the marriage work’. Either way, her parents haven’t been particularly present while she’s been growing up. She’s close(ish) to her sister, who is more of an influence on her than her parents - but honestly, she’s more used to technology/AI as an educator/companion. She’s grown up always in luxury, and probably doesn’t have much of a realistic understanding of money, or what life is like for other people -- not out of spitefulness, but just ignorance of how the rest of the world lives. Her father, doing what he does, has a lot of ‘mottos to live life by’. (I’ll make a list at some point.) One of the one she hears the most is “wishing doesn’t make a poor man rich”.

  2. When did you grow up? Still have that to come! :D

  3. What values does your character hold? She absolutely believes in hard work being rewarded - it’s something ingrained by her upbringing. Similarly, she values public appearance - she has been taught that what people see you do/say/how you dress is what makes you, and she is firmly stuck in thinking that’s important. Outside of the ‘standard values’ of her family, imagination is what she considers the most important thing of all. She spends her life in stories, and she has an obsession with fiction. Other than that, her moral values adhere to societal norms - even though it is a source of entertainment among her friends to do ‘risky’ things, those have never been criminal.

  4. How does your character dress? Cadence is, much like the rest of her family, wholesome, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, picture-perfect all-American, (and she is under fairly strict orders to stay that way.) She dresses well, not necessarily ‘following fashion’, but it is normal for her to have tailored outfits and designer originals. She doesn’t have much need for practicality - her clothing and footwear is designed for style, not substance. She often wears gloves - a carry-over from a past obsession with detective fiction, and has a necklace made by a Tinker friend of hers that she’s fond of, even though it doesn’t really go with the rest of her ‘look’.

  5. What are your character’s means? Cadence’s main resources are obviously social status, and money. While she has contacts, they aren’t so much friends or allies as acquaintances. While it’s likely they would do favours for her, they wouldn’t put themselves at risk for her without it benefiting them as well. She hasn’t really dealt with adversity before, but she is intelligent and quick - and she enjoys puzzles, stories and adventures. I don’t think she’s ever had to actually deal with the difficult side of those things before, however.

Details

Now we’re picking nits. These five are all about texture and color. These answers take your character beyond an adventure serial persona and into reality. Answers to these make your characters memorable for years.

• 1. What are your character’s personal tastes? Cadence still has a sweet tooth that she hasn’t really grown out of. Though she likes a wide range of genres, she has a bit of a weakness for cliché romance in her stories; and she occasionally ‘borrows’ her mother’s favourite perfume, which is one of her favourite smells. She enjoys target shooting, because it lets her feel closer to some of the protagonists in the adventures she enjoys. She dislikes sycophants, particularly those who don’t do their homework, she’s not good with dirt and she has no patience for being told that she is ‘wasting her time’ on her hobbies.

  2. What are your character’s opinions? She /hates/ the majority of the Glitterkids that she’s met - because they either haven’t put in any actual hard work (hypocritical, yay!) to get where they are or are too desperate to always ‘catch up’ with what’s fashionable to the point of having no actual personality or interests. She doesn’t really consider any of the other Goldenkids friends - they are contacts, and all of them know to be wary around each other about what information they share with each other. Telling stories about each others escapades is fine, but say -- complaining about your home life could give a competitor ammunition; so relationships are superficial at best. She’s not overly fond of her own parents and expresses a typical-teenager disinterest in their work. The house is fairly frequently full of Network54 previews, so by the time they air, she’s probably seen it on loop for a few days first -- another reason why she started seeking out bespoke entertainment. She has a soft spot for both V-Punks & Tinkertots - due to how much she values imagination and creativity - they’re a little....unsanitary, sure, but fascinating!

  3. What is your character’s comfort zone? She has a few virtuality stories that she goes back to repeatedly which are her go-to comfort zone, and she has a story for a range of emotional states -- the fairytale romance for when she feels lonely, the detective mystery for when she’s upset and needs a distraction, the wild adventure for when life seems too boring.

  4. Who has had the biggest impact on your character’s life? Very sadly, probably her educational AI. Her parents don’t really interact with her than much, her siblings taught her some things, but by the time she was old enough to form proper relationships with them, they were focusing on their careers. Cadence probably has a bit of a idealised view of Alt Cunningham ((tbc - what’s the propaganda version?))

What are some of your character’s unexpected quirks? Cadence gets bored easily, and so flits from one hobby to the next. Because of that, she knows how to do a lot of things at a very basic level - especially skills that have come up in stories she’s experienced. She has read up on basic forensics, psychology, poetry, biotech, and many more -- and while she definitely isn’t an expert in any of them, none of it is really something you’d expect from someone of her social standing. She’s a good enough liar, but has few tells - she touches her hair too much when nervous, and is much more conscious about making eye contact when she’s not telling the truth. Normally, she’s fairly deadpan - uncharacteristically so for her age - made more obvious because she gets very enthusiastic when talking about things she’s actually interested in.