User:Bill/Rifts Week by Week/Zebulon
The denlech were a peaceful agrarian people before the discovery of killaryte on their world. They had fled the trappings of technologically advanced civilization after the automaton wars and no desire to involve themselves in the conflicts of the three galaxies. Zebulon Adsovar was just a child when the naruni claimed possession of his world and brought their mining operations to strip the land of its hidden wealth. Forcibly relocated and threatened with death, the denlech attempt to strike back against these invaders destroying equipment and using their special abilities against to force back the tide of unwanted technology.
Some amongst the denlech have taken the fight further. Recognizing that the threat can only be held at bay on denlar, they adopt the weapons of the enemy and take the battle to the stars themselves. Zebulon was recruited by these avengers in his early teens and trained to fight a guerrilla war. Acting as part of a terrorist cell, he has destroyed hundreds of millions of credits worth of materials and personnel. He has infiltrated installations on a dozen worlds. Blown up factories and warehouses. And even assassinated executives. The avengers have no room for sentimentality. Until denlar is free, the rules of engagement must be victory at all cost.
Zebulon was on a mission to gather information from the Naruni Enterprises corporate offices on phase world when things went bad. Some how the mission was compromised. The insertion group was cut off from their support team. Zebulon and his partner, Vela, attempted to escape by fleeing into the deeper levels of the city. Pursued by a squad of repobots, they entered the rift levels. Vela sacrificed herself, turning on the repobots with all of the firepower at her disposal. The last thing Zebulon saw before the mystical energies of a rift consumed him was Vela going down under several of the deadly cyborgs.
When his vision cleared, Zebulon's situation appeared to have gone from bad to worse. He was caught in the middle of a firefight between a dozen armored men and two huge winged monsters. Immediately siding with the humans, a choice that he knew was not guaranteed to be the right one, Zebulon helped defeat a gargoyle assault on one of Konigsburg's suburbs and as a result was offered a place with the NGR's special tactical regiments. Zebulon understands that getting home is possible, but likely to be a challenge. Instead of pursuing that objective directly, he is attempting to cultivate allies among this human nation. He also recognizes some similarities between the plight of his own people and the Germans.
Notes[edit]
Zebulon is a basic gun-bunny who's tactical choices are highly variable depending on his equipment. I have elected for his primary weapon loadout to be a suit of power armor with a railgun, which should enable him to be a most effective anchor for the other characters I have made so far. He has the MDC necessary to take some hits and the range necessary to support Theophorus and Ashara. The T-31 Super Trooper also includes substantial anti-armor capabilities which should even the odds against tanks or giant robots.
The denlech avengers are described as terrorists in the Thundercloud Galaxy book, which may turn some folks off this character. However, I think this was intended to point out that the guerilla tactics used by partisans and freedom fighters are often the same used by terrorists, and that where one stands is really the only distinction between the two groups. As far as Zebulon's personal ideology goes, my description above doesn't go that deep and I will let the player figure out how far he is willing to go for his or her self. I would suggest that no matter what direction the player chooses to go with it, he or she keep in mind that Zebulon's current objective is to ingratiate himself to the NGR leadership, and it may be expedient to adopt NGR rhetoric.
That the character has an anarchist alignment is also worth some discussion. Strictly speaking, the character doesn't have to do anything that he doesn't want and he is capable of changing his allegiances in any way that is advantageous to him. However, he is intended to be a freedom fighter working toward the liberation of his world. His methods cross lines and he is likely to make sacrifices for the greater good that other characters would shy away from, but he's not unpredictable or insane.
This character will best suit two types of players. He is perfect for folks that really enjoy the wide variety of weapons available in the game. He can use all of the fun energy weapons and power armors to a reasonable degree of effectiveness. He's also ideal for folks interested in playing up the character's development as he assimilates into NGR society. Will the character look at his situation as an opportunity to leave his people's troubles behind or is the conflict he's embroiled in just another battle in his personal war? It would be best if the player selecting Zebulon wanted to do both, but it isn't necessary.
