Netsuckers
Of all the myriad threats to a person's life and livelihood, none are as indisidious as the Netsucker Virus. Part parasitic self-replicating nanomachines, part devastating ransomware, the Netsucker Virus is administered into the bloodstream, wherein it infects a weakened victim's cybernetics implants and uploads the victim's entire online presence into a hitherto unknown database, sharing the victim's most depraved browser history and Sense-Tank experiences with all other Netsuckers, creating an instant and vast blackmail network. Only those said to be absolutely pure of heart, or unabashedly perverse, are able to shrug off the threat of the ransomware's blackmailing effect.
Meanwhile, the victim's cybernetics are broken down and reconfigured in a painful and debilitating procedure to create the Black Hands; sharp, vicious talons used for combat and grappling potential victims, as well as the Neurosynaptic Bite; a pair of vampiric fangs used to inject the nanomachine virus into others. This act also often alters the physiology of the victim, depending on which strain of the Netsucker Virus is injected. These physiological similarities have caused Netsuckers to form hierarchal dynasties, eschewing any former familial ties to serve with and for those of their new clan.
These nanomachines, however, are exceedingly delicate, so much so that exposure to ultraviolet light cause Netsuckers intense pain. In an attempt to rectify their continual blackmailing, Netsuckers also dress extravagantly, and outright refuse to be seen anywhere but the wealthiest and most ornate locations. Netsuckers are repulsed by the squalor of lower level megacity dwellings, or the shacks and shambles of rural territories, and use their blackmailing virus to grant themselves access to higher quality and higher level abodes, or the exquisite plantations and rural mansions of retired directors. In fact, many notable directors and CEOs are suspected, if not outright admitted, to being Netsuckers themselves.
Unlike the vampires of myth, Netsuckers aren't sustained by blood, nor have any compulsion towards it. However, the threat of blackmail compels them to find victims, so as to move the spotlight away from them. The act of biting a victim causes the Netsucker's nanomachines to release an intoxicating restorative stimulant, healing any wounds they might have sustained during the procedure and allowing them to keep sharing the virus.
Many adventuring parties have come to an end at the hands of a single Netsucker, becoming Thralls for them in a bid to hide their browser history from their colleagues.
Some noted Netsuckers include:
Madeleine "Mama" Rie - The CEO of Estrostem, located in Cardinal Holdings. It's said that trace amounts of a personalised Netsucker Virus exist in her primary product, Mama Rie's Bovine Adjacent Milk, slowly turning customers into Milk Maniacs, a form of Netsucker Thrall that produces the same addictive milk.
Amelia Au Naturel - The white-haired queen of the Schwebenwagen based Au Naturel Dynasty. Possessing an ethereal beauty that hides her malicious intent, it's supposed that she holds the keys to the blackmail network datacenter underneath Castle Sansbelmont.
Count Samen Von Wurstchen - The current CEO of Schwebenwagen, and member of the Au Naturel Dynasty. His efforts in automating the Schwebenwagen production lines and manufacturing has coated the sky his territory in a thick black smoke, creating a haven and hunting ground for Netsuckers and Beastmen alike.
Aerial Waterfall - A noted pacifist among the Netsuckers, Aerial is that one in a million pure-of-heart Netsuckers that was unfazed by the ransomware threat the virus imbued into his bloodstream. Aerial lives among the Stonesmokers of Mi Genna, preaching harmony among the people, playing his impressively small ukulele while touring the island in his Atlus as a self-appointed cannabis strain quality assurance consultant.
Craice The Bloodless - CEO of Claymores & Claymores, a small ordnance company based in Megacity Glasglow, Sarajevo, dedicated to producing huge swords and anti-personnel explosives. Craice The Bloodless spends the majority of his time wandering the streets of Megacity Glasgow, challenging other members of his Netsucker Dynasty; The Highlanders, to one-on-one combat. The ransomware virus would be worthless if no one else were alive to share it, he has surmised, and therefore there can be only one.
Waitress Model Mk.19 "Alice" - An early Artificiate, Alice had been awakened long enough to accrue an embarrassing catalogue of data, and therefore the ransomware worked perfectly on her robotic sentience. Hunting exclusively Artificiates, she has formed a dynasty of her own known as The Priory.
Beastmen
The proliferation of Splicers and back alley gene therapy has given rise to a modern mythical monster. Beastmen are Splicers that have indulged in one too many genetic accoutrements, and have lost themselves to their added animal DNA. Of course, there is a spectrum of animalism across the Beastman psyche, from humanoids that occasionally lose their sense of self, to feral quadrupedal beasts with no human consciousness. Language ranges from full access to the common tongue, to single word answers and a rudimentary understanding, to the barks and roars of pure animals. But, deep inside the minds of all Beastmen lies the twisted intelligence and low cunning of humanity.
Beastmen are incredibly dangerous, and when one is accidentally created on the operating tables of back alley clinics, havoc breaks out as civilians run for cover and hunters are brought in to quell the threat. Beastmen are born in urban environments, but quickly make for the fringes of civilisation, where they can re-evaluate their situation, train their new bodies, and plumb the remnants of their mind to decide their fate.
Not all Beastmen are a threat to humanity, however. In fact, certain Beastmen have kept enough of their human mind to aid those that would otherwise scorn them. Some Beastmen - especially those near Schwebenwagen territory - become Beast Hunters themselves, hunting their ilk and protecting the downtrodden civilians of the realm. Others, those with only fragments of their humanity, often become mounts, beasts of burden, and loyal companions.
Beastmen are far more populous than Netsuckers, and the two races are often at odds with each other. The controlled insidiousness of the Netsuckers clashes with the animalistic indulgences of the Beastmen, and bloody melees often break out between the factions if they come into contact. That said, Netsuckers prefer ornate and high class urban environments, and Beastmen prefer the open air of rural territory, so it's only places like Schwebenwagen where the two are in constant close proximity.
Some noted Beastmen include:
Paolo de Borgia - Vicious and hate-driven Beast Hunter in the package of an adorable Pomeranian. Paolo's tiny frame and incredible swiftness suggest he was once a Gobbo, but even Gobbos tower over Paolo. A humourless and iron-fisted tyrant of a Hunter, Paolo is known to utter a quiet technoprayer before delivering the killing blow to his quarry.
Bacchus - Kept in the body of a great minotaur-like beast, Bacchus is an avatar of drunken revelry, gluttony and hedonism. Known for wearing little more than a toga and olive leaf wreath, Bacchus' exquisite manor house on the edge of Ur-Um territory is open to all and home to an extensive retinue of permanently sloshed and sex-drunk men and women. His command of language, masterful storytelling, wine-filled pools and open door policy make Bacchus Manor a must-visit for those in the area.
Wee Jock Simmons - A former Wukong in the body of an particularly large tabby cat, Wee Jock Simmons is a masterful infiltrator, able to scale the walls of any megacity to engage in espionage for those willing to pay. When partnered with his older brother Big Jock Simmons, who remains a Wukong, the two are infamous in subterfuge circles and heroes to their Conclave for the corporate wealth they bring home.
Shizuko Morikawa - A white serpent-like woman, formerly human, that founded the technocult The Purists, a bizarre mish-mash of ancient Eastern traditions that have transitioned into the digital world of Sense-Tanks. Purists believe that constantly downloading and uploading data keeps it "running" and "pure", while stagnant data is considered "impure". Purists also rearrange their digital furniture and tend procedurally generated bonzai trees.
Cuddles - A gigantic lycanthropic beast, its fur doing nothing to hide its incredible musculature. Cuddles is the mascot for the Sunshine Squad, an inter-territorial group of mechanics that provide swift repairs, spare batteries and rescue to merchants and travellers stranded in the desert. Cuddles is the first point of contact for those seeking help from the Sunshine Squad, as he is used to delivery the necessary spares to those in need, galloping across the desert ahead of the main mechanic team.