Raze

Backstory
I don't talk about the details of my background, it's bad enough reliving it in my sleep. The gunfire, the explosions, the violence, the blood, the bodies, the screams. I was deep in the war for too long. Now it comes back to me every time I see my scars and cybernetics in my reflection.

Since I returned home to the city it's been like society is trying to drag me back into the warzone. The streets are full of violence and every time I see a confrontation or hear gunshots, it's a struggle not to step in to personally suppress the entire incident and turn the slums into my own personal warzone.

I have to get away from that mindset, I have to get some distance to clear my head or I'll never be able to leave war behind me. There's no way I could stomach the 'help' the authorities would offer, they would only classify me as 'Techshocked' and keep me under observation. But with the things I know, they'll come for me if I try to leave. I need to disappear completely.

Raze's interview
Cerberus - "Today we're talking to a Nightlancer that was very difficult to get here."

Mongoose - "That's right! Now it's time for the Veteran aka Raze."

Raze - "Hi."

Cerberus - "So Raze you were military before you became a Nightlancer?"

Raze - "Yeah

Mongoose - "What happened that made you do that?"

Raze - "I finished my tour and needed a break from the service. I guess when I saw what the country had been turning into while I was away, I couldn't see what I was in the service to protect."

Mongoose - "Oh yeah? What did you find?"

Raze - "Seeing the police enforcing the whims of politicians, crushing anyone who didn't fall in line and agree. Academics dictating what is true and silencing dissent. Then after that, I see the slums of the city, the people left to the mercy of the Shock packs, Death cults and crime lords. The government keep everything peaceful in the inner city and have no resources to spare for everyone else."

Cerberus - "That's a familiar story."

Raze - "So after putting so many years, doing what I did, sure I was doing it for a good cause, I come back and see what the government thinks is right. I can't believe the orders I followed were for the greater good any more. I signed up to protect this country. But now…"

Mongoose - "Now? Now what?"

Raze - "What I've done has damned me in more ways than one. I don't know how, but I need to redeem myself. I need to do something worthwhile."

Mongoose - "Oh yeah, being a career criminal is a GREAT start."

Raze - "Watch your damn mouth before I choke you with your kidneys."

Mongoose - "Uh…"

Raze - "Fighting trash for money does far more good for the people in this city than anything I've done before. Maybe I can turn the money into something good, or use it to get myself some distance so I can… sort out some memories."

Cerberus - "Alright you said you were damned in more ways than one. What's that about?"

Raze - "The things I've done is one. The other is - I'm being watched. They're scared of what I'll do or say about what I've seen if they lose track of me."

Cerberus - "Are you telling us we're in danger here?"

Raze - "No, I wouldn't endanger you. This meeting is costing me more than you know."

Mongoose - "Uh…"

Cerberus -"Okay, good. Well thanks for coming to talk with us, then."

Raze - "No problem."

Raze leaves

Mongoose - "Uh…"

Cerberus - "I'm pretty sure he meant that threat. He didn't bat an eye or tense in the slightest. It was like he said 'I'm going to have a snack now'. Like your life is nothing to him."

Mongoose - "You're not helping!"

Cerberus - "Not trying to."

Mongoose - "I hate you!"

Cerberus - "Stop being a drama queen. It's over."

Trivia

 * Raze is one of the Nightlancers with a military background.
 * Extensive parts of Raze's background will remain secret, his life depends on it.
 * Raze started his life in the inner city, and was a "good citizen" for much of his life.
 * Most of Raze's pictured cyberware is just functional to replace battle damage, with little in the way of enhanced capabilities.
 * The illustrator Manolis based this illustration on himself.

Featured in

 * Nightlancer core game
 * Nightlancer limited edition