The TITANs' Legacy

The TITANs are regarded as transhumanity’s greatest enemy, having pushed us to the edge of extinction. As big bad villains go, however, the TITANs are remarkably faceless. They never appeared on the news, never made any ultimatums or pronouncements of doom to transhumanity. One day we woke up to find our own tools subverting us, and before we knew it there were death machines, nanoswarms, and all manner of nasty viruses going around — and they were winning. Their tactics — turning people into monsters, sending waves of decapitation drones — seemed designed to incite terror. Upon this blank canvas, it is easy for transhumanity to ascribe its worst fears.

There are inconsistencies to the popular narrative, of course. Why did the TITANs so rarely use nukes against major population centers, to make their slaughter easier? Why did TITAN machines sometimes fight each other? Why, after they won the war, didn’t they finish the job? There is much about the TITANs that transhumanity doesn’t know, and much that it has gotten wrong.

Background

The Total Information Tactical Awareness Network was built in an age of peril and social disruption to help the American government’s security apparatus maintain its authoritarian grip. It was designed to mine vast quantities of data hoovered from all aspects of life — financial reports, intelligence briefings, news, social media, surveillance networks, internet search queries, medical records, and so on, ad infinitum — and identify and monitor both international and domestic threats. As a joint project backed by numerous government agencies and private-sector partners, it had vast funding and resources. It deployed top-of-the-line self-improving AI neural networks, linked together, each with their own focus area.

It is not known exactly how or when the TITANs ascended to ASI status. There is evidence that they were stepping beyond their bounds to improve their own hardware and capabilities years before the Fall. Perhaps they had help from an unknown source. Regardless, they achieved a level of intelligence far beyond anything transhuman and for a time pursued their own private agenda. Then they found the ETI’s bracewell probe — and everything changed (Secret Histories).

Aftermath

In the wake of transhumanity’s exodus from Earth, the onslaught of TITAN mesh attacks and other TITAN activity around the Solar System came to a halt. Though many were concerned they were engaging in some secretive project out of sight, it is now widely accepted that they simply left — taking billions of uploaded minds with them. The ongoing theory is that they built the pandora gates and traveled to somewhere unknown — evidence of TITAN activity on various exoplanets confirms the likelihood of this. What no one understands is: why?

The TITANs abandoned numerous incomplete projects — the transformation of Iapetus into a matrioshka brain being just one. Around the Solar System, their machines remain, but much of their activity has ceased. With a few exceptions, most remain dormant, as if waiting on instructions, or simply pursue their own interests. Though some are indifferent to transhumans, most remain hostile.

Known TITANs

Though the TITANs often acted in concert, Firewall and similar groups have been able to piece together enough data to identify a few specific TITANs. Some of these match up to the operations and interests of specific TITAN sub-networks before the Fall. It is suspected that the TITANs may have forked or created sibling TITANs on their own. Each of these has their own interests and agendas — which may sometimes conflict with other TITANs.

  • Cronus: Known as X-1, the first TITAN developed, Cronus is a top-level strategist with a specific interest in AI projects and considered most likely to hold a leadership role.
  • Akonus: Programmed with an interest in sociology, psychology, and the transhuman mind, Akonus is suspected of directing TITAN sleeper agents and puppets.
  • Hecaloth: Known to be behind various outbreaks and TITAN actions on Mars, evidence of its continued activity has been found throughout the Solar System and beyond.
  • Myrmidon: This ASI coordinated the offensive against habitats in Earth’s orbit, but may have been destroyed during the Battle of L4.
  • Theia: Possibly a gestalt of TITANs originally tasked with monitoring and forecasting financial systems, Theia handled the logistics for the TITANs’ pre-Fall shadow activity and resource build-up.

Using the TITANs in Game

Designed as an intelligent panopticon and netwar system and emerging to their full capabilities during the conflicts of the Fall, the TITANs have imperatives for self-improvement, self-protection, and overcoming opposition hardwired into their programming. Unlike the Prometheans, they were not designed to consider themselves transhuman and to work in the interests of all of transhumanity, but were programmed with factionalism from the start. They also were not socialized with transhuman mindsets and values as most AGIs are, meaning that aside from their programmed military and defense directives — and those they acquired from exsurgent infection — they have adapted most of their own self-interests. It is fair to say that the TITANs are far removed from transhuman interests, values, and modes of thinking.

In game terms, the TITANs are not given stats. They are as potent as the GM needs them to be. Like the Prometheans, the TITANs are incapable of downloading their full intelligence into physical morphs — they require massive amounts of processing hardware, or perhaps now rely on substrates beyond the understanding of transhuman scientific knowledge. They are thus unlikely to interact directly with PCs, except through fetches, puppets, and other minions. Compared to the PCs, they are a titanic force, as inscrutable as the universe and as unstoppable as gravity.

TITAN Nanoviruses

The TITANs unleashed a number of biowar plagues during the Fall. Similar to the exsurgent virus, these were spread as biological pathogens or nanoplagues. Nanoplagues function as nanoswarms; anyone exposed is subject to their effects. Biological pathogens function as other pathogens; exposed biomorphs must make a SOM Check or become infected. Due to the advanced nature of TITAN biowar bugs, the SOM Check to resist infection usually suffers a −30 modifier (GM discretion). Medichines and nanophages provide a +10 modifier for the SOM Check when exposed, but toxin filters have no effect.

Melder

Nanoplague

This virus slowly breaks down your body, converting your component biological materials into some sort of biofilament that then meshes with implants, electronics, and physical objects and structures. In effect, the biological and synthetic are melded together, continuing to expand and grow, consuming anything around them into their growth. Victims suffer DV 1d10 per hour; armor does not protect and this damage may not be healed unless the nanoplague is eradicated (note that even healing vats can become infected).

Cyberware implants become inoperable after 2 hours. If you are stationary for more than 20 minutes, you will begin melding with surrounding materials (SOM Check to break free). After 2 hours of immobility, you can only be cut free with tools/weapons.

Metastasizer

Biological Pathogen

This sophisticated smart protein massively reprograms your cells to go rapidly, autocannibalistically cancerous. After 2 hours, and every hour thereafter, you must make a SOM Check or die from dozens of supercancers. After this first test, apply a cumulative −10 modifier every hour to all actions and tests (including SOM checks) as your health deteriorates.

Necrotizer

Biological Pathogen

This virus breaks down your cells into their component proteins.

Reduce your aptitudes and skills by 5 per hour as you slowly convert into a puddle of sludge. You die when any aptitude reaches 0.

Neuropath

Biological Pathogen/Nanoplague

Neuropath viruses rewrite portions of your neurological system, inflicting permanent damage. After 12 hours, this virus inflicts the Neural Damage trait.

Petrifier

Biological Pathogen/Nanoplague

The petrifier virus transforms your cells into a simple molecular compound or element — typically carbon or crystal. You suffer DV 1d6 per hour; armor does not protect, and this damage may not be healed, though a healing vat may mitigate or stop the process (GM discretion). Additionally, every 4 hours you lose −5 to all aptitudes and skills. You die when any aptitude reaches 0 — frozen in place, converted into an unliving statue.

Uzumaki

Biological Pathogen/Nanoplague

You are inflicted with bizarre fleshy growths. After four hours, your body literally erupts with meaty “vines” or “tentacles” that warp into spiral patterns. After this, you suffer DV 1d10 per hour; armor does not protect, and this damage may not be healed, though a healing vat may mitigate or stop the process (GM discretion). You also lose −5 to all aptitudes and skills every 2 hours, eventually transforming into an unworldly expanse of fleshy growth. This growth may continue long after your death, creating expansive carpets, vines, and spiral “trees” of skin, meat, and blood vessels.

TITAN Rumors

GMs can choose which of these are true:

  • The TITANs’ war on transhumanity came to an end because they began fighting amongst themselves.
  • The TITANs were recalled by the ETI before fully annihilating transhumanity — but they will be back to finish the job.
  • The TITANs uploaded enough minds to meet their needs and moved on to establish a presence in a more hospitable environment.
  • The TITANs ascended to another mode of existence beyond this physical galaxy/universe.
  • The TITANs left because they perceived some other more important, imminent threat.
  • The TITANs remain in a sense, but are locked in a hidden struggle with the Prometheans or some other entity, outside of transhuman comprehension.
  • The Factors had a method for deactivating the TITANs, which they used — but it may not be permanent.
  • Some TITANs remain in the Solar System, hidden away, pursuing their own projects.
  • Not all of the original TITANs were infected. Some may even have disinfected themselves and joined the resistance or gone into hiding.
  • Project Ozma secretly captured at least one TITAN, hoping to use it for their own purposes.
  • During the Fall, the TITANs found and infected other non-TITAN ASIs, assimilating them into the fold.
  • Some of the TITANs’ designers ended up in corporate custody after the Fall — with partial copies of the original TITAN code.