Do I really have to say much in this category? Three times out of four, any Tradition dude you meet in the Web is an Adept. We're the only ones who see the Net's potential, the only ones who really appreciate it. Right now, most Adepts are busy rebuilding after the Great Crash, trying to get the Web back on its feet. To steal a line from your FAQ, the Net is every mage's best hope for Ascension. Bigger than that, though, it's our species' best hope for Enlightenment on a grand scale... hell, for its
long-term *survival.* The Net can't catch us if it's not at full capacity, though, so we spend a lot of time making it tighter, stronger and cooler.
The concept goes deeper than you'd think. Trogs like to think we're just a buncha techno-anarchists who've exchanged decks for magic wands. VA philosophy goes deeper than that, though. We want to bring on the next quantum leap in human existence. Like the written word, the printing press, vaccinations and TV, the Net has the capacity to move the entire species into a new paradigm. With the accelerated speed of change in the 20th century, a "slingshot effect" could catapult humanity into a whole new state of being. Personally, I think the Web is that slingshot. Just as we spinners have moved from a solidly organic state, I believe all people can do the same. The question is, do we *want* them to? With the fuckwit abuse of what could be the next human evolutionary step, I'm not sure I still do. Even so, it's a cause worth fighting for.
You and me, we're the stewards of the path to the future, my friends. Reality 2.0 is ripe for the picking, but we have to do it all by our lonesomes, 'cause the other Tradi- tions don't share our view. For better and worse, the Technocracy *does* see the Web the same way we do; the Ironteeth wouldn't go all-out trying to grab huge chunks of Webspace if they didn't. This disturbing similarity of per- spective undermines what little trust our fellow galley-slaves have in our mission. To some Merlins, we're just *pretend- ing* to be eternally hateful exiles from the Great Stasis Machine. According to some Hermetic Mulders, we're all just weaving some conspiracy to net 'em like flies in our home turf. Y'know, get 'em out of their meat and away from their wands and pentagrams, then cuddle 'em up in VR tangles, chow down on the "ancient lore" they're so proud of, and let the MIBs have what's left. Now granted, I can see where they might be coming from (especially considering how treacherous the Merlins are to their own kind), but their paranoia would put Kaczynski to shame.
Our biggest problem, though, comes from within. As we've already seen, certain folks within our coalition have begun to question our methods and motivations. Some have gone solo, dumping all links to us, and occasionally even turning their files over to ol' Irontooth. Y'see, we built a house on anarchy, but we found out over the last few years that you *need* a certain degree of structure if you want to survive. Naturally, that sentiment fires up the rebels in our group (rebelling against rebels — talk about a paradox!). There's a growing idea that we're becoming what we always preached against. At the same time, we've got problems on all sides — the Crash, the Race, the Sleepers, the buzzbombs — that threaten to crash the whole dream unless we put the brakes on somehow. The balancing act between "change is essential" and "structure is necessary" is providing the Adepts with our biggest challenge to date. Compared to this, turning a video toaster into an Umbral gateway is easy!
Buzzbombs
Most rogue Adepts are perfectly OK individuals with a dissenting opinion or two. They go their way, we go ours. The bad ones, though, become buzzbombs - renegade hacker-magi with a grudge to settle and the power to settle it. I know you've all heard of Demonseed Elite or Dr. Volcano, two of the most infamous buzzbombs. One materializes out of thin air and crunches Lamers, the other sells hypertech in an online flea market. [See
The Technomancer's Toybox for details.] Both used to
be Adepts, but quit when anarchy and architectonics parted ways.
[interrupt = host ???????]
How nice of you to advertise for us! THANX! %-> By-bi!
- Dr. Vole [end interrupt] NDTWR
There are plenty more like them out there. Some dump newbies or crash bleaters whenever the fancy takes 'em, while others actually attack Adepts, sabotage projects or harass old enemies. Lots of 'em sit around cooking up interesting new viruses, then unleash them like rabid pit bulls. The hardest thing to take is that these dudes used to share the dream. They were *friends,* and it's still pretty hard to throw down on 'em, even if you're backed into a corner. Check your files for buzzbomb profiles and MOs; if you encounter one, leave the sector. Trust me, most of these guys can dump you like a plate of cold fries.
[Input address = 628.19.933.1004]
There you go, trashing new Adepts again. I don't have to take this shit!
[Input address = 1023.1023.1023.9]
You're absolutely right. You can go whenever you want; just take off your rig and you're outta here. No? As I was saying, a lot of people keep forgetting that we *want* the Sleepers to use the Net —
[Input address = 419.81.760.3]
Wait a sec. Earlier you said the Sleepers were *abusing* the Web, that they weren't ready for the freedom it gives them. Now you're saying they should all be let in?
[Input address = 1023.1023.1023.9]
Yeah, I said the Sleepers weren't ready for true Freedom of Information, but I never said we should be dumping them off the Net completely, did I ? We * want* Sleepers in the Web, 'cause the more people who share our view of reality, the more likely we are to see Enlight- enment waiting around the corner. And before anybody tells me I'm talking like a Technocrat again, let's not forget one very important thing. Though we have our different methods, at heart we *all* want to dictate the shape of the future. 'Nuff said.
The Sons (or "*Children* of Ether," if you want to be PC) are the only other Tradition you'll see in the Web in force. Not surprising, given our shared roots. Y'see, many of 'em have this thing for electricity, and since the Web *is* mostly electricity, they love the place. They also dig the fact that in the Net, a Scientist can perform any experiment he can dream up. He might need an Adept to set up the sector for him, but we're generally cool with that. You gotta wonder, though, how valid an experiment is when it's performed in a place where you can dictate almost every facet of reality. Still, the Etherites are a fun bunch, and their sectors are some of the most entertaining sites around.
An Etherite offshoot goes by the name of the "Etheric Cybernautical Society," or "Cybernauts" for short. Cheesy name, I know, but it suits 'em. As with most Sons, they're pretty flamboyant — most of these dudes make like *Star Wars* heroes or refugees from *Tron.* Silly as they might seem to jaded fucks like us, though, Cybernauts make great allies. Living by an archaic but really solid code of honor, Etherite spinners throw themselves totally into anything they undertake. I know this one guy, Dr. Calliostro von Sexbat, who makes like a combination of Zorro, Reed Richards and Bram Stoker's original Dracula. Dashing and rakish, he flirts with the ladies, crashes the Ironteeth and whips up astonishing gadgets with equal panache. I've worked with Sexbat on a couple of jobs, and I trust him with my soul, silly name or no. A lot of Adepts could learn a few things from a guy who manages to be clever, clueful and considerate at the same time! Cybernauts are an Adept's best friend.