LITHIUM

Living-Dead Lab Tech

Lithium is a zombie with amnesia. He’s a lowly hospital phlebotomist. He’s behind on his rent again. All he wants is to make it to his next paycheck — but his unlife is violently upended by an obsessive mailwoman on a quest for a man who might not exist.

Suddenly, Lithium has to battle mutant mushrooms, schmooze with cultists, and somehow keep his arms attached in the inhospitable Wastes. He’ll travel through run-down cinemas and leech-infested hospitals, fighting everyone from desperate wastewalkers to his duplicitous supervisor.

SHAN OH

Exiled Heir

Shan Oh is the banished son of an all-powerful family. He’s being hunted by his twin brother. He’s blessed with the incredible ability to make his spit explode. Survival is the only thing on his mind – but a chance encounter with another black sheep sets him on a path of vengeance.

Shan finally knows what he’s doing, but his mission won’t be easy. He aims to destroy his family’s blood empire, freeing the world from the shackles of GNCO and the Ohs. Along the way, Shan will find himself in seedy strip clubs and obsessive fan clubs, running errands for scientists and soldiers, while the constant threat of fratricide forces him into an unexpected and uneasy alliance.

PALLADIUM FURST

Superstar Streamer

Palladium Furst is an inescapable underground radio sensation. He’s a flaming homosexual with hordes of adoring fans. He’s a stain on his family’s good name, assuming he’s actually their son. Broadcasting live bloodsport commentary is his comfortable full-time job – but his former life is back to call him a bitch, and he’s not going to take that sitting down.

After years of running from his past, Palladium has no intention of letting history shake up his status quo. But now, there’s more at stake than his stardom: the world is on the brink of chaos, and Palladium has valuable insider knowledge of Family affairs. Pursued by a childhood friend and constrained by his own celebrity, he finds himself at the center of a conflict that’s been brewing for decades.

NITROS

Monomaniacal Mailwoman

Nitros is the poor soul tasked with delivering ASCII porn through the Wastes. She’s spent her whole life watching society decay. She’s not afraid to shoot first and ask questions never. To pass the time, she snoops on the private messages she carries – but finding a powerful secret amidst the usual family gossip forces her to act fast.

The coded communique reveals that Glorious Chairman – semi-mythical founder of the megacorp GNCO – may still be alive and in hiding. Nitros is certain that he’s the last hope for her dying world, and she’ll track him down by any means necessary. Her first snap decision: luring a hospital flunkie to a bombed-out factory and dragging him unwillingly into her obsessive snipe hunt.

CURIE THERD

Rogue Researcher

Curie Therd is a woman of science and very few moral scruples. She’s using a machete to cut through red tape. She’s definitely exactly who she says she is. The hospital she oversees runs like a well-oiled machine (greased with the blood of the workers) – but her tests show a poor prognosis for the ailing oligarch whose death might mean war.

Curie’s web of deceptions and double-crosses seems about to come crashing down. Her faithful phlebotomist is AWOL, her hospital is a breeding ground for mutated sanguivores, and even her besotted bodyguard is acting weirder than normal. If she can complete her critical research, Curie might be able to protect the world’s fragile peace – or she might destroy it herself, just to see what happens.

DARACH KINCAID

Heir apparent to the Kincaids, or so he says. As the foremost nephew of Old Man Kincaid, Darach has the best claim in the family... but the patriarch claims to have a direct descendant hiding somewhere. Darach won't believe it until he sees it. He's better than some lousy old wastewalking heir anyways!

OLD MAN KINCAID

Possibly the oldest living person on the planet, Roland Kincaid (or "Old Man Kincaid" to just about everyone) holds control of the Kincaid company and their all-important Cadium mines. He insists that he's sired an heir, but if that's the case, no one's ever seen them. When he dies (any day now!), GNCO is liable to take over the mines and plunge the world back into war.

CAESIUM

NO ONE is a bigger fan of Palladium than Caesium. He tunes into every brawl, and listens to all the old ones on repeat. Caesium is also the president of Furst Place, the Palladium fanclub dedicated to zines. It's his life's work. Maybe someday Palladium will even... notice him?

P.T.

P.T. may be a newbie in the brawl scene, but he's got enhancements out the ass and damn if he's not going to show them off. If he loses, of course, his opponent gets the enhancements and it's all been for nothing. But P.T. knows what he's doing, probably. Watch out or he'll zap ya!

TUNGSTEN

Palladium's ever-present bodyguard. That's all you need to know about Tungsten.

MRS. PABST

You've seen her in Gruze. You've seen her in Sartova. You've seen her wandering the Wastes. Mrs. Pabst is everywhere, due mostly to the fact that there are hundreds of her. Pabsts have a monopoly on all the eateries on the Wastes, and it's surprisingly easy to get in on this — you too can be a Pabst, if you agree to the injections that make you identical to all your new sisters. Mrs. Pabst is one big happy family!

THE OLD KING

Self-proclaimed king of the world, unmatched champion of the underground brawl scene, and alleged ancient Greek: The Old King is a man of many talents. He's too good for lesser wastewalkers, but not too good to show off for them in his own fights. Catch him at the right time and The Old King may deign to share his Macedonian wisdom with you. For instance, did you know that India was once so small it could fit in the palm of your hand?

CULVER

As the foremost expert on the history of GNCO, Culver oversees the GNCO Museum/Memorial/Temple in Zadig. She's dedicated her life to research and education... not that anyone seems interested these days. Isn't that ridiculous? How could you not want to learn everything possible about the company that controls all aspects of your life? Seriously, she's offering free tours and everything!

BARIUM

A mysterious wastewalking woman. What's Barium's deal? No one seems to know.

WYATT

Favorite and only son of Kiyosha Oh III. Wyatt splits his time between mismanaging GNCO resources and hunting down Shan, his exiled twin. Once the loser brother is out of the picture, no one will be able to question Wyatt's status as the sole Oh heir. He's been trying to kill Shan for years, though, and hasn't succeeded yet. Maybe if he was a little less of a shithead?

HASSIUM

Curie's vigilant and much put-upon bodyguard. Hassium just wants Curie to be nice to him... maybe buy him dinner... take him to a movie... is that really too much to ask? Apparently yes, since Curie had him fitted with a bomb collar that will detonate if Hassium ever touches her. Some dreams just aren't meant to be.

IGOR & LETOV

>no idea who they're working for >no idea who they are >no idea which one's which

TENNESSINE

One of Palladium's loyal fanboys/lackeys. Tennessine is in charge of the technical side of Palladium's broadcasts, which mostly means moderating stream chats. Skulking around in seedy basements all the time hasn't done any favors for his complexion... or his attitude.

MOSCOVIUM

Yet another dedicated Silverhead. Moscovium follows Palladium around, handling his sound equipment and keeping the show on the air. He's spent years gaining Palladium's good graces — certainly this will pay off one day? Well, it's not like he's got anything better to do.

IRIDIUM

Holy shit, it's Palladium himself! Or... no, this is just some cosplayer. Iridium is one of those truly obsessive fans, and she's decided that since she loves Palladium so much, she might as well look like him too. But she's not fooling anyone.