(Homo sapiens fortis)
Genetically-enhanced killing machines.
Avg. Height: M - 6'6" F - 6'3"
Avg. Weight: M - 500# F - 300#
Hair Color: Black, brown
Eye Color: Black, brown, gray
Blood Pressure: 300/220
Life Expectancy: 45 years
Dist. Marks: Bulky size, thick neck, prominent muscles, broad shoulders
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Ragers were created to kill. Bred for a short, hard military life, their
powerful bodies break down rapidly if not maintained at peak performance.
Throughout the 21st Century, the military had experimented with attempts to
create "super-soldiers," relying mostly on volunteers willing to undergo
increasingly radical genetic alteration. The experiments were eventually
perfected by the middle of the 21st century, at which time an Americorp
military program was specifically designed to certify volunteers for
"Genetically Enhanced for Cold Climate Operations", or GECCO. The first few
squads of these new soldiers, numbering in the thousands, were referred to,
as one might expect, as "Geccos." Since most of these soldiers were being
developed for a very specific war (World War III, with action in Canada and
the Pacific Northwest), their enhancements were geared towards this goal
(hence, "Cold Climate"), and included genetic alterations suitable for a
colder climate (more body hair, more subcutaneous fat, etc.). However, the
fact that they were created for a specific purpose meant that after their
initial usefulness was at an end, many of the soldiers in the program who
were unfortunate enough to survive action were "put out to pasture" when the
war came to an end.
These veterans soon found themselves unable to maintain the strict regimen
of diet, medical supplements and exercise that kept them in top shape, and
began to suffer from a variety of severe health problems. This was
exacerbated by the fact that their military was unwilling and unable to
financially support them (having problems of its own). As a result, the
media quickly came up with a name for these brawny military veterans who
were ranting and raving and raging about their problems to anyone who would
listen. Originally meant as an insult, the term "ragers" was born, and it
was soon adopted as an officially accepted way of referring to them.
Perhaps fortunately, their particular combination of genetic enhancements
led to a significantly shortened lifespan, and most of these original first
generation ragers soon died of "old age" (in their late 30s and early 40s)
just as the offspring of the GECCO program was being restarted in the
military with the appearance of new threats from abroad. Not wanting to dig
up old wounds, the military dropped the official designation, and focused on
genetically enhancing a broad range of soldiers for general combat readiness
anywhere around the world. These enhanced soldiers soon adopted the rager
moniker that their predecessors had embraced.
The modern rager is always human to start with and almost always male, since
those chosen for the program must be at least 6 feet tall and weigh at least
200 pounds, and few females can achieve this body mass. The genetic,
chemical and biological enhancement that ragers then undergo adds several
inches in height and more than doubles their weight by significantly
increases their muscle mass, giving them a large, hulking appearance, broad
shoulders and chests, thick necks and bulging arms and legs... not to
mention a significant strength increase. In addition to the muscle gain,
ragers also benefit from stronger bone structure, tendons and ligaments.
This combination of dense muscles and an enhanced skeletal structure gives
ragers the ability to easily lift twice their weight (about a half-ton), and
gives them the physical strength and endurance to operate heavy machinery
such as the powered armors that the late 22nd Century military uses in
combat situations. Of course, knowledge of how to operate such equipment is
also essential, and so ragers receive a lengthy period of intense and brutal
period of training that turns them into literal killing machines. Part
genetic tinkering, part mental programming, the net result is a berserk
single-mindedness that is truly frightening, to say the least.
In order to use their new strength and all that gear, ragers also need, and
benefit from, thicker blood vessel walls, a hugely increased lung capacity,
higher amounts of hemoglobin and improved cardiac strength. These augmented
circulatory and respiratory systems give them a much higher stamina,
allowing them to sustain a forced march for days at a time if necessary.
Altered body lipids insulate the rager's system in cold weather, giving them
an average body temperature of 100 degrees but allowing the body to vent
heat and cool itself quickly to prevent heat exhaustion when the rager is in
a warmer climate, or is becoming overheated. However, while the rager's
altered lipids do help him keep heat in when in cold climates, and vent it
more quickly in warmer climates, these systems do tend to get out of whack
if the rager does not properly care for his or her body. Their increased
body temperature causes them to sweat more profusely, which depletes vital
minerals more quickly, causing them to need vast quantities of water and
other minerals. Without proper care, a rager's internal body temperature
could easily hit 110 degrees, which could cause brain damage.
All of these augmentations cause a number of other significant health issues
as well. First of all, a rager's metabolism is very fast and inefficient,
requiring relatively high maintenance. When not in the field, a rager needs
to eat between 8 and 10 thousand calories a day to maintain his or her
muscle mass; when active, they need over 18 thousand calories. In addition,
all that extra muscle mass will quickly degrade if ragers do not keep in
shape and work out constantly, every day for hours at a time. Furthermore, a
rager's system is in a near-constant state of ketosis, their bodies
constantly storing fat as quickly as possible for future use, giving them
extremely high energy output over a long duration. As a result, they need to
eat a lot of protein and fatty foods, avoiding carbohydrates, so that their
body spends its time trying to digest the sugar, and lets the fat
accumulate. This can be difficult, since the state of ketosis suppresses the
appetite to the point where ragers often have to FORCE themselves to eat
more. This is exacerbated by the fact that high level of adrenaline in their
system actually steals blood from the digestive tract, causing them to be
constantly in need of more nutrition and always in danger of crashing, even
through they may not be consciously aware of it. This turns them into
virtual diabetics and hypoglycemics, which means that if they don't eat
enough, their blood sugar levels will crash and they run the risk of going
into diabetic shock.
A rager's circulatory system also causes several major problems. To start
with, because of their dense muscles and heavier bones, ragers need a
sickeningly high blood pressure to push blood through their arteries and
veins. Thicker vessel walls prevent them from rupturing too often, but
internal bleeding and bruising is always a concern when your blood pressure
averages 300/220 at rest, and 450/320 when active. In order to counteract
some of the threat of bleeding to death if an artery was punctured, ragers
have more platelets and clotting nanites in their bloodstream; this leads to
a greater clotting factor, but also greatly increases the incidence of
strokes. In addition, ragers need double the amount of hemoglobin in their
blood in order to supply oxygen to their dense muscles. Part of this is
accomplished through heightened levels of the hormone erythropoietin, which
increases red cells while unfortunately making the blood thicker as well,
increasing blood pressure to sometimes dangerous levels. But even this is
often not enough, and they frequently need supplemental oxygen from external
sources on hot days or at the end of a long march. Smoking, of course, is
out of the question, and even small amounts of drugs or alcohol can
seriously affect their delicate systems, damaging their heart and liver.
The fact that many ragers ignore these warnings and abuse drugs and alcohol
anyway plays a major role in their short average lifespan; many die from
stroke, heart attack, liver failure, hepatitis, suffocation or diabetic
shock, and if all of those things fail, there's always cancer. Overworked
glands can bring on a variety of interesting cancers, and experiments with
genetics tend to cause cancer along with the expected engineered alterations
(not to mention almost certain sterility; even those children lucky enough
to be born to a rager parent are unlikely to survive infancy, being
dependant upon chemicals that they have no way of getting).
None of these problems is truly significant as long as a rager is maintained
in top shape. Unfortunately, there isn't always enough work to keep ragers
busy, and a great many find themselves relieved of duty and discharged with
very short notice. Those unable to find jobs fight an incessant battle with
the military over unemployment pay, often sinking into a depression fueled
by alcohol and drug abuse. Many forego all hygiene, wearing their hair long,
unkempt and greasy and going weeks or months without bathing. Coupled with a
growing lethargy, some eventually give up and die miserably in the gutters.
For others, the "rager" moniker rings true in a number of ways. Lowered
serotonin levels in the rager's body cause a decreased attention span and
higher aggression, leading many to turn to violent careers such as thuggery,
arena fighting, mugging and assassination as an outlet for their problems
and a source of desperately needed income. Still others are lucky enough to
maintain careers with the military, or to find employment in the private
sector as security guards, hit-men, bodyguards, mercenaries and private
enforcers.
INSPIRATIONAL IDEAS
Music: Metallica"s "Kill 'Em All" & "Disposable Heroes," Slayer, Ministry
Stories: "Platoon," "Rambo," "Predator"
Quote: "The choosing of guns or fighting with swords,
The choice of weapons is done.
He'll tear you apart as soon as you start.
You know you don't have a chance." --Bruce Dickinson
Stats:
* Immense Physical Strength & Endurance.
* Below average Mental Strength & Agility.
Pros:
* Ragers are not the sort to get mugged in dark alleys; they are easily able
to hold their own in any situation.
Cons:
* Ragers stand out in society, and are often met with a mix of disdain and
fear.
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