Archival Science Databanks
Communications intercept. Transmission detected Tue 11th of Sep 2007 at 08:15 AM by Othinn. Communique follows:
Note: All references to "Gray" in the section below are actually referring to Grisaille. "Gray" is the name that character had before it was changed to Grisaille during beta.
And yes, the character locations are straight from the guide book. Seems they used some old beta information.
Lotus
Location: Jurong, Jade Room, club
Lotus is an Exile that has taken on the role of a lounge singer in the Jade Room, whispering sweet ballads and belting out tunes. Fans from all over the city come to the Jade Room just to see her.
Lotus speaks softly but directly, and a fair number of Redpills consider her to be a source of information and even freelance employment. Unlike many Exiles, Lotus has garnered a certain degree of trust from the Redpills that have had dealings with her. However, like all Exiles, she certainly has her own agenda.
She's never been caught in an intentional lie, but Lotus often does withhold information, and she has a bad habit of overestimating the abilities of those she hires.
Indigo
Location: Guinness Lake, Barrens
As the eldest and most powerful of the siblings, Indigo is the master of Club Dante, a popular nightclub and hangout in the Guinness Lake neighborhood. Indigo is interested in amassing and consolidating power for an eventual attempt to usurp his father's position. He has operated cooperatively with Dame White for the most part, and is generally believed to be "Mother's favorite" by the rest of the family.
Indigo often enlists his siblings as pawns in his plans, which they hate, but tolerate because Indigo can help them in their efforts to thwart the other siblings. This allows Indigo to keep his siblings at each other's throats and continually weak, simply by shifting his favor from one to the other (a technique he no doubt learned from his parents). Indigo has a frightening chill demeanor, and is almost impossible to agitate.
Molly-B
Location: Moriah, Slums
Molly-B is the "sweet young thing" of the Elements. She presents the picture of civility, dressed in a flower-pattern 1950's-style dress. Molly-B has taken it upon herself to try to curb the more unruly behaviors of the other Elements, or repair their transgressions when she can. Because she's not as ruthless as the others in her bid for power, she is significantly weaker than the others, and thus her activities have not caused significant damage yet. Molly-B feels protective of the other Elements, as they do of her, in spite of their differing viewpoints. None of them can imagine hurting Molly-B, no matter what other repugnant business they may be into, and no matter what she might do to their plans. She is their conscience. That doesn't mean they won't strike at her powerbase, though. Argon makes her heart go flip-flop, but she's well aware of what kind of man he is, and would never consent to be with him.
Sammy "Lilac" Wien
Location: Lamar, Westview
Sammy is a big man with big appetites. He can often be found at The Vault, nattily dressed in his trademark color. His form, mannerisms and presence are only slightly out of place in his environment. Like the other buildings of Lamar, Sammy appears to be from a time past, a bygone era, when deals were sealed with a word and a handshake. Overtly, his history is pretty shady, and he seems to like it that way. Everyone knows who he is, and gives him a wide berth and a lot of respect. His methods are old-fashioned but effective, and his living enemies are few.
Sammy is comfortable in his neighborhood, and will typically try to hire Redpills to assist in maintaining his position of luxury and power. He is not above putting Redpills in conflict with his gang - he justifies it as a training exercise for his boys, and as a test of strength for the Redpill. Sammy is not entirely trustworthy, however, he will not endanger his position by sending known operatives of other factions into suicide missions. Instead, he may add a task or two to a mission in order to use a Redpill's special talents to his own ends.
Mandarin
Location: Lucero Point, Barrens
Second youngest of the siblings, Mandarin is a spoiled brat prone to rants to Dame White and Mr. Black about his siblings treatment of him. Neither of his parents really care, but it's a convenient excuse for punishing someone on occasion, and they know Mandarin is the most likely to tattle on his siblings when they are planning something against their parents. Mandarin is seen as rather a dim bulb by his siblings, but actually has a shrewd and devious (if intensely selfish) mind. He is absurdly fixated on creature comforts, gorging himself in rich fabrics that he is ill equipped to appreciate. He lacks even the rudiments of style or grace.
Grace
Location: Furihata, International District
Grace was once a Warrior of Zion. Today she carves out an existence for herself in the Matrix, assigned the unenviable task of keeping tabs on the Silver Dragons. Commander Lock is concerned that the Silver Dragons' activities will shatter the truce negotiated by Neo, and Grace knows the group well.
Grace met an Exile named Long in the Matrix, and allowed herself to become involved with him. Of course she kept the affair a secret, knowing that no one would have approved. She thought she was in love, but Long wanted more than just survival. He used their relationship to find and recruit Redpills into his gang.
When she discovered his activities, their love turned to hate. Since that time, Grace has devoted herself to stopping Long and his supporters and will let nothing stand in her way, not even official orders from Zion. She has not reported in for some time, apparently having found another broadcast point to enter the Matrix.
Regardless of her past mistakes, Grace is a consummate professional and insists on the same level of professionalism in those she deals with. She is known to hire mercenary operatives of any association to carry out tasks for her.
Argon
Location: Achan, Slums
Argon is an Exile who likes to think of himself as a careful planner and strategist, but in truth he is somewhat rash in his moves, pushing forward out of hubris and ego more than anything else. Under his expensive suit, he is truly just a thug. However, do not take that as an excuse to underestimate him. Argon has no compunctions about doing whatever is necessary to gain more power and influence over the Matrix.
As a program, Argon was a controlling routine. As an Exile, he still expects to be obeyed, and is known for his terrible rages when matters fail to go his way. He is jealous and posessive of his paramours, which has proved to be a vulnerability in the past. In the end, though, Argon cares for no one more than himself.
Silver
Location: Achan, Slums
With eponymously colored hair, Silver is the most focused among the Elements, valuing order and $information above all else. Silver is not an imposing physical specimen, looking like a bit of a nerd, but he's a self-possessed man with a distinct air of superiority over the dullards he's surrounded by. Silver is often called on by the other associates when they need $information about something, or require something very complex to be figured out fast. His prices are steep indeed. Silver is engaged in several lines of Matrix-research that require field tests to be carried out. Typically, this requires the movement of specific pieces of code to certain places for execution, e.g. "Take this umbrella to the top of the Network Media building. Open it. Then close it and return it here to me. You couldn't understand the reasons if I told you, Meatshadow."
Flood
Location: Nonspecific
Flood assigns missions for the Merovingian. He's clad in flamboyantly chic Italian couture, his hair bleached, his features androgynous. He's sassy and sarcastic. He laces his instructions with qualifiers that suggest you're incompetent ("if you're able," "should you astonish everyone and get that far," etc.). He also hints that his servitude to the Merovingian grates, and that he has better things planned. His catchphrase: "Do we understand? We do."
Amber
Location: Rogers Way, Barrens
As one of the middle siblings, Amber knows she is unlikely to ever gain the higest position, but she is committed to making sure she's there, to stand at the right hand of whoever wins the battle and siphon off the spoils. To this end she is exceedingly cautious, and craves all the knowledge she can about her siblings' operations. Amber always looks good. She is a smooth talking sycophant who excels at talking out of both sides of her mouth at once. She is willing to deal with any and all of her siblings, working both ends against the middle for Indigo or one of her parents, but always for herself in the end. She's working toward getting on Gray's good side, but is comingto the conclusion that he doesn't have one.
Hypatia
Location: Downtown, Chelsea
Hypatia believes that information is power; and that the most valuable information can best be gleaned by reading between the lines. She has spent her existence pouring through book after book, looking for any scrap of information that might reveal more about the nature of the Matrix and how to gather information to increase her own power. Consequently, she guards all of her secrets and her turf jealously. Her unimposing appearance belies her greedy and vicious nature.
It is rumored, however, that certain Exiles who have a relationship with Hypatia can gain access to the information repository for a quick scan. Redpills and Exiles lucky enough to make it to the Library's restricted stacks should not overstay their welcome.
It is further rumored that Hypatia maintains contacts with the owners or employees of many bookstores in the city, to keep her apprised of new or used books that arrive in their shops. Many of her contacts are also members of the Bookwyrms, but maintain a low profile and will contact Hypatia before taking any action against Zionites or Exiles.
Yttri
Location: Tabor Park, Slums
Yttri was a late addition to the Elements, a subroutine added in the later days before their flight to the Matrix. She is an exotic woman with unique viewpoints. Think of her as the exchange student thrown into the Sorority House. Some of the other Elements resented the attention she garnered at first, others sought to take advantage of her, but nobody really understood her. Yttri is given to long, thoughtful pauses in her conversations, and insightful comments that imply she knows a great deal. She has settled into a comfortable existence on the fringes of Bluepill society, as a street musician in Tabor Park. She is the one other Element most in touch with Ruth, but she's had cause to run up against Argon in the past, as he's tried to intimidate her.
Ruth
Location: Mara, Slums
Ruth is the oldest of the Elements (think of her as the one who was a senior when the others were freshmen). She's also the one who appears to have fallen the farthest, taking on a menial role as a cleaning woman for the Church in the Slums. In reality she has simply learned a lot more about how the Matrix works than the others have. She believes that the key to getting into the heart of the Matrix's $information is to be an innocuous pary of it. Standing atop an office tower puts you too far up to see what's really going on. She prefers to be right down next to the Bluepills that drive the $information flow, moving about completely beneath their notice. She has a semi-cooperative relationship with the other Exile who lives at the Church, Sister Margaret.
Mercury
Location: Uriah, Slums
Mercury has a head for crafting things that require vector and movement calculations, including vehicles and speed buffs. He wanted to make a big name for himself, but found himself locked out of the market by the Merovingian after a faux pas at the Frenchman's restaurant. He now operates a garage in the Uriah neighborhood of the Slums, and has developed a relationship with another Exile named Pepper (whose slavish devotion to her buffed muscle car keeps her tied to him). In spite of his relationship with Pepper, he still carries a torch for Raini and occasionally sends her gifts or letters.
The Oracle
Location: Nonspecific
A program who is seen as a guide to the Zionites, the Oracle was the one to speak of a prophecy and an anomaly who would end the war by reaching the source. She has an ability to read future events in the Matrix, though it is somewhat limited, and she is reticent to give straight answers to questions about the future. She often claims that "we cannot see beyond the choices we do not understand."
The Oracle is the mother of the Matrix, and it was she who discovered the need for choice in order for the illusion to work. She realizes that the best way for both worlds to progress is together.
Violet
Location: Sobra Shores, Barrens
Though she's not the oldest, or the youngest, or the smartest, Violet takes pride in the fact that she's the toughest. Dedicated to the fighting arts, Violet is easily the most martially proficient among the siblings, though she has lost to the bastard Gray in a straight up fight before. That was a flue, she claims. Violet often acts as an enforcer for Indigo, or one of her parents, though she's been known to form temporary alliances with others for one reason or another. The allegiances in the family are fluid, and nobody expects promises to last. Violet is egotistical about her "fighting form," and a little flattery goes a long way with her.
The Merovingian
Location: Nonspecific
The Merovingian is the hedonistic crime lord of the Matrix. He is selfish, and self-interested, with "business concerns" that range from harboring Exiles to hoarding rare illegal codes and eventually taking over sections of the Matrix. He has remained in power through several iterations of the Matrix, and claims to have faced off with Neo's predecessors and survived.
The Merovingian's control of events in the Matrix is far-reaching, but not complete. He is still an Exile, and still must fear the Machines, though he would never admit it. His unique assets include a construct called the Mobil Avenue station - a place between the Machine City and the Matrix that programs can use as a secret conduit to reach the Matrix if they are to become Exiles. Expatriate programs often find themselves indebted to the Merovingian when they reach the Matrix, and must serve him in return for their passage.
In addition, some Exiles have given their children over to the Merovingian at Mobil Avenue, sending them into the Matrix rather than allow their code to be deleted in the Source. These Exile orphans usually end up at the L'Ecole de la Tour--an elite boarding school run by his organization, where Exile children are schooled in academics, culture, business, and combat. Graduates of "the Tower" (as the students call it) often go on to become his most effective and trusted operatives; valuable assets to his organization.
The Merovingian is married to Persephone, an Exile who he once coveted enough to force to his side through trickery, but whom he now cheats on regularly. Their relationship has deteriorated greatly, but the Merovingian is trapped by his own past deeds into spending at least half of the year with Persephone in residence at his Chateau.
The Merovingian is not an easy man to see, but he can most often be encountered at his restaurant, La Vrai, or at the ultra-exclusive Hel Club, both located Downtown.
Raini
Location: Apollyon, Slums
If there's an unstable personality in the Elements, it's Raini. She is emotional, passionate, full of everything that makes life exciting, and completely unable to turn it off, even for even a moment. Her drives are laudable, but she is also rash, her temper hot, her relationships tumultuous. She is ready to act at the drop of a hat, heedless of the voice of reason. Were she not so clever, she would probably be long dead.
Her relationships with other Exiles are legion, but fleeting, like bright sparks that quickly die. Raini is powerfully attracted to you one moment, slapping your face the next: utterly unpredictable, and seemingly desirous of conflict. If there were a gauge to represent Raini, the needle would be constantly in the red. Raini can usually be found at the Jacob's Ladder, dancing, drinking, and talking Redpills into all sorts of crazy over-the-top schemes. She gets no trouble from the 5 Points gang, who revere her almost as a goddess for her thrill-seeking ways.
Rose
Location: Southard, Barrens
Youngest of the siblings, Rose is extremely insecure, and is obsessed with proving herself to the others. She is currently trying to impress her eldest brother, Indigo, believing that he will elevate her to his side if she pleases him. In reality, he is only interested in using her as a tool against the others. Rose's emotions are fragile, and volatile, making her prone to tear-filled rages if she feels embarrassed or insulted.
Gray
Location: Stamos, Barrens
Created by Mr. Black without the involvement of Dame White, Gray is essentially a bastard stepchild, reviled by his stepmother who would as soon see him dead. Gray is equal in power to Indigo, and acts primarily as an agent of Mr. Black, though he knows that his father thinks of him as only a powerful tool. In spite of their similar attitudes towards their parents, Indigo and Gray are dire enemies. Gray lacks the resources that Indigo can call on, but is more personally powerful, and more intelligent. It is only the fact that he is opposed by all of the siblings that keeps him in check. Mr. Black disavows knowledge of Gray's actions ("he's just an unruly bastard") because it is most often to his advantage. Gray considers the other siblings to be incompetents. They despise him for being Mr. Black's favorite when he's an outsider to their family. In truth Gray hates both Dame White and Mr. Black, and would eagerly see the entire twisted Spectrum destroyed, even if he had to sacrifice himself to do it. For the time being he simply acts as a spoiler.
Madame T (Naomi Tarasova)
Location: Historic District, Downtown
Naomi Tarasova, known more popularly as Madame T, is one of the few Redpills to take up full time residence in the Matrix. Contributing further to her eccentric reputation is her habit of taking on the mannerisms of a gypsy fortune teller. When she speaks, she's always vague and full of mystery, even when giving out the specifics of the mission.
Madame T owns a small tea room off of the main street, with a simple sign out front that reads "Fortunes Told." When telling the "fortunes" (missions) for those who "cross her palm with silver," she will use either tarot cards or her crystal ball. Much of her insight into the workings of the Matrix comes from observations of her tarot cards and other clairvoyant tools (tea leaves and so forth), and she has been known to make accurate predictions of future events, though not very often.
Her tea room is dark, close and filled with all sorts of mystic esoterica. Skulls, candles and ancient tomes fill the walls surrounding the table where she reads customers' fortunes. While her motives are unknown, she provides keen insight about the Matrix, whenever her mysterious signs and portents can be interpreted.
Dame White & Mr. Black
Locations: Stratford Campus, Downtown (Mr. Black); Shinjuku, International District (Dame White)
The leading group of Exiles in the Barrens are a dysfunctional family created by two Exile programs that have come to be known as Mr. Black and Dame White. The two parents each covet the other's power, but never admit it. They work against each other covertly through their children. The siblings compete for the attention and favor of both parents, as well as playing their parents off against one another. The emotional turmoil of the conflict and the mental and physical exercise involved in waging it are the family's bread and butter.
Anti-M
Location: High-rise Office, Financial & Corporate Center, Downtown
A stylish and sharp businesswoman, Anti-M is one of the few Elements who's truly satisfied with the way things are going now. No longer suffering under the subroutine dictates of Argon, she's pushed out of her number-cruncher's box to become a savvy dealer of $information in The Matrix. She wears expensive Italian suits and makes her own rules now.
Greene
Location: Manssen Park, Barrens
As the second oldest sibling, Greene is intensely covetous of Indigo's status as eldest, and the perks and power that go with it. He will do anything to get what Indigo has, and will tear down whatever he can't take. Greene is aware of Rose's desire to get in good with Indigo, and has convinced her that he intends to help her acomplish this goal. In reality, he plans to use her as a Trojan Horse if she succeeds in getting into Indigo's good graces. Green and Gray have worked together against Indigo in the past, but Greene still hates the bastard as much as any of the others.
Cerulean
Location: Bathary Row, Barrens
A middle child, Cerulean is the only one of the siblings to turn primarily to her intellect as a source of influence. She invested heavily in understanding the infrastructure of the Matrix in an attempt to learn how to control it better and use its power against her siblings. She is convinced that Indigo's power base can be wiped away or redirected in this way, but she suffered an enormous setback when the Matrix was reconfigured in the wake of the Peace Treaty. Much of the code she had stockpiled was wiped out, including parts of her own personal code that she had tried to hide. The result was a loss of her RSI's rendering subroutine; Cerulean is effectively a ghost. She is now dedicated to accumulating more $information than ever, and proving that her mind is more than capable of overcoming any amount of power her siblings can amass.
Mockingbird (Note: This isn't from the guide book. It's information that Rarebit revealed some time ago, and this seemed to be the best place to put it, at least for now)
Mockingbird runs Osiris Antiques, a curio and book shop dealing largely in "magic" and "occult" items, many of which are actually items that let the user circumvent or bend the rules of the Matrix. In other words, her magic is real. She is willing to deal with others to get things that she wants, but she has no morals about cheating or stealing to obtain her goals. She deals with the Collector and often acts as his agent in the Barrens.
Below are some pieces of neighborhood information from the guide book that, as far as I know, aren't available anywhere else.
Dannah Heights
This is a mostly residential neighborhood, where the cold war between the forces of urban decay and gentrification has settled into a long, uneasy standoff. Some of the old tenements of Dannah Heights are trying to make the leap to respectable apartments and condos, while others are falling into abandonment and ruin.
Magog
Magog has a bit of spillover gang activity from the nearby Mara neighborhood to the north, but is overall a better area. In addition to its apartment buildings, Magog also has some one- and two-story storefronts, mostly in the area around the open space where the Magog Monument stands.
Uriah
Located in the north end of Richland, Uriah is a purely industrial area that is given over to the gangs once night falls.
Zia
This small, mixed-use neighborhood recently had its worst blocks razed to the ground, and they are now in the early stages of major redevelopment. It's hoped that once the new area is complete, Zia will become a model of urban renewal -- a mixed-use neighborhood that affordably combines the best of old and new.
Yuki
The Yuki (the name means "snow" in Japanese) construct is an idyllic recreation of ancient Japan in winter. It is a preserved piece of an earlier Matrix construct created by the Machine Civilization in their research program to find a more stable simulation for the human population. Created in the same era as the "fairy tale" Matrix, this project also followed the philosophy that humans would be happier living in simpler times, and attempted to replicate a medieval Asian setting. Once the fairy tale Matrix began to unravel, this project was abandoned, but an Archivist managed to preserve two pieces: Yuki and Sakura.
Ashencourte
Ashencourte is a dark, gothic, urban landscape populated with predatroy blood drinkers. The construct is a preserved piece of a past "fairy tale" Matrix established by the Machines, in which they hoped humanity would be forever content and uninterested in escaping. Unfortunately, the human psyche could not deal with perfection, and natural human anxieties soon caused a number of problems, including the subconscious warping of the simulation to allow for "monsters" and other deep-rooted fears. Exiles soon learned to take advantage of the changes to the simluation, and over the course of time their RSIs became optimized to fit the nich humans had unknowingly created for them: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and other boogeymen. Many of these creatures survived the resets of the Matrix between then and the present, some by riding out the reintegration process in a safe haven construct such as Ashencourte.
Though the original simulation was long ago destroyed by the Machines, this backup version of a portion of that world has been maintained by the Archivists.
One Zero Archive
In the distant past, before war had destroyed the surface of the Earth, the Machines fled the civilization of humanity to found their own city: Zero One. No one is certain why the Machines would want to recreate Zero One in a simulation -- historical preservation, a sense of loss, or just because they like it? -- but several pieces of the construct (including this One Zero Archive) have been copied by the Archivists for their own purposes, complete with Exiles who have tailored themselves to fit into the simulation by taking on robot-like RSIs.
Sakura
The Sakura (the name means "cherry blossom" in Japanese) construct is an idyllic recreation of ancient Japan in springtime. It is a preserved piece of an earlier Matrix construct created by the Machine Civilization in their research program to find a more stable simulation for the human population. Created in the same era as the "fairy tale" Matrix, this project also followed the philosophy that humans would be happier living in simpler times, and attempted to replicate a medieval Asian setting. Once the fairy tale matrix began to unravel, this project was abandoned, but an Archivist managed to preserve two pieces: Yuki and Sakura.
Widow's Moor
Widow's Moor is a dark, gothic, urban landscape populated with predatroy blood drinkers. The construct is a preserved piece of a past "fairy tale" Matrix established by the Machines, in which they hoped humanity would be forever content and uninterested in escaping. Unfortunately, the human psyche could not deal with perfection, and natural human anxieties soon caused a number of problems, including the subconscious warping of the simulation to allow for "monsters" and other deep-rooted fears. Exiles soon learned to take advantage of the changes to the simluation, and over the course of time their RSIs became optimized to fit the nich humans had unknowingly created for them: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and other boogeymen. Many of these creatures survived the resets of the Matrix between then and the present, some by riding out the reintegration process in a safe haven construct such as Widow's Moor.
Though the original simulation was long ago destroyed by the Machines, this backup version of a portion of that world has been maintained by the Archivists.
Zero One Archive
In the distant past, before war had destroyed the surface of the Earth, the Machines fled the civilization of humanity to found their own city: Zero One. No one is certain why the Machines would want to recreate Zero One in a simulation--historical preservation, a sense of loss, or just because they like it--but several pieces of the construct have been copied by the Archivists for their own purposes, complete with Exiles who have tailored themselves to fit into the simulation by taking on robot-like RSIs.