The Tethered from 'Us'

 Once upon a time, there was a girl and the girl had a shadow. The two were connected, tethered together.



The Tethered

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tethered were an experiment by the US government to clone citizens as possible replacements for greater control of society. Although physically perfect, the clones could not mirror their counterparts emotional range and/or personalities, and when the project was effectively ended, hundreds of thousands (Perhaps millions) were left in large underground bunkers that were maintained in near darkness with only live rabbits as foodstuff.

Led by the Tethered Red, The Tethered escaped their confinement in present day and attempt to murder their counterparts, effectively 'replacing' them as they shared a single soul. In a moment mirroring 'Hands Across America', the Tethered join hands and begin their assault in the modern world.

Typical Tethered

 

 

 

 

F: Variable
A: Variable
S: Variable
E: Variable
R: Variable
I: Variable
P: Variable - 1cs

Health: Variable
Karma: * (See below)
Resources: Pr (4)
Popularity: * (See Below)

Talents:
The Tethered have few real talents, but mimic several physical skills of their counterparts and theoretically may possess additional skills outside of survival.

Powers:
Duplicate Twin
The Tethered are elaborate clones that near perfect duplicates of their counterparts. The Tethered are linked somehow to their opposites, able to determine where they are and are forced to mimic the actions, activities, and events of their counterparts with some variation. For instance, the Tethered are not so linked that they cannot do things themselves, but the do follow the same variations and choices that their opposites do. The link is considered to be Shift Y for the purposes of range and provides the Empathic Link ability (as Red suggested, they *had* to follow their opposites, even if it made no sense or had a choice...they could sense them no matter what).

The Opposites are not aware of the link, or the Tethered for that matter until confronted. The Tethered display an almost inhuman ability to withstand pain but are mortal and do take damage. The main driving goal for the Tethered is to 'replace' their opposite in the above (through murder), but not replace them as individuals - simply destroy their opposite. The Tethered do no actually replace their opposite, but instead are seeking to move above ground and link up.

For the purposes of the Tehthered's FASERIP, it is considered identical to their opposite with key exceptions:

• Tethered possess no skills of their opposite, only the raw FASERIP score. This means that while someone is trained or possesses talents for combat, the Tethered will not. The Tethered also do not know how to pull their punches or any of the subtle actions of their opposites, and any attempt to do so requires a Reason FEAT at -1cs.
• The Tethered begin the game above ground with no karma, and only start gaining karma when their opposite is eliminated. At the same time, The Tethered do not lose Karma for killing, property damage, or any 'villain' actions, even when they are 'above ground' and have eliminated their opposite.
• The Tethered cannot verbally communicate, instead making grunts, growls, and noises. The only Tethered that seems to be able to speak is Red, and the Tethered follow her lead.
• Empathic Link: The Empathic Link between the Tethered and their counterparts allows basic sharing of experiences, but it is only one-way (The Counterparts have no idea). The Empathic Link functions as a very specific form of Incarnation Awareness, granting a Shift Y ability to 'know' about the counterpart and their actions and 'forcing' the Tethered for follow. In addition, the empathic connection treats for the purposes of mechanics as Rm (30), and can be used when recognized by the counterpart as a means to 'control' the Tethered (As when Jason forces Pluto to enter the fire).
• Counterpart Mimicry: As seen between Adelaide and Red, initially Red is able to counter all attacks during their fight as she is able to 'read' her counterpart's actions. This seems unique mainly to Red.

Contacts:
The Tethered have no real contacts outside of themselves, but that's enough.

Limitations:
The Tethered have key limitations, which are almost all due to their creation and their situation prior to the breakout:

• Distinct Appearance: The Tethered, while mostly identical to their counterparts, can barely speak verbally and are known by their distinctive red jumpsuits and jarring appearances. The Tethered are considered to be -1cs for all social checks.
• Driven Purposes: The Tethered are driven to escape the underground, kill their counterparts, and link up (literally) with each other.
• Zero Popularity; Until the end of Us, the Tethered's existence was not public, and even until the revelation (and the weird Hand's Across America moment), the Tethered were not known or had any impact.
• Karma: Tethered cannot gain Karma until they kill their counterpart for any action.