/ _\ ___| |__ _ __ ___| | __ /\ \ \/__\__ \ / __\_\ /___ \ \ \ / __| '_ \| '__/ _ \ |/ /____ / \/ /_\ / /\/ / _\//_\\ // / / _\ \ (__| | | | | | __/ <_____/ /\ //__ / / / / / _ \ \_/ / \__/\___|_| |_|_| \___|_|\_\ \_\ \/\__/ \/ \/ \_/ \_\___,_\ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This document was created by your Sire on 12-05-2006 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I. WHAT IS SCHREK-NET? 1.1 What is Schreck-NET? 1.2 Why? 1.3 How do I use this marvel of technology? 1.4 Where does the word "Schreck" come from in Schrek-NET? II. HISTORY (SCHREK-NET AND NYC ALIKE) 2.1 Who is this "Uncle Smelly" person I may or may not have heard of? 2.2 Why is he called Uncle Smelly? 2.3 What does any of this have to do with NYC? 2.4 What's up with Calebros? 2.5 So, where is Rafkin now? 2.6 Any other Nos of note? III. USING SCRECK-NET 3.1 What is "The first rule of Schrek-NET"? 3.2 How do I get set up for Schreck-NET 3.3 How do I find a terminal? 3.4 How do I get a log-in? (Don't fuck this one up) IV. THIS CD AND THE GAME AT LARGE 4.1 Why? 4.2 Why the game? 4.3 Why did I Embrace you anyway? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I. WHAT IS SCHREK-NET ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1 What is Schreck-NET? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Schreck-NET is a sub-network "piggy-backed" on Internet. It was created and maintained by The Clan during the late 1970s and allows conversation through a series of tiered and layered communication pipelines, encrypted e-mail messages, bulletin boards, encoded web pages, and other similar applications utilizing a system of chat rooms and Virtual Private Networks. Schreck-NET communication is broken up and bounced via cable and satellite transmission, and the packets are reconstructed at the receiving end and decrypted. 1.2 Why? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Essentially, because it's more secure than a phone. Sometimes. See, I'm not going to disillusion you if you're not sold on the matter. I'm not a Scheck-admin, admittedly, but I'll be blunt in saying that I find Schreck-NET to be one of the most over-rated "Clan secrets" the Nosferatu have to their name, and a testament to misplaced security in the novelty technology. It's *only* been in development since the late 70s, as mentioned in 1.1. The late 70s. That's thirty five or so years of work *MAX* by the date this FAQ was written. Clan Nosferatu, and all it's assorted enemies, have been around considerably longer. In a society where the people in power tend to have been born before the advent things like running water or horseless carriages, the problems of paradigm shifts in technology become increasingly more acute. I can assure you that the eldest of the Clan (excepting THOSE eldest, if you know what I mean yet...), are not up-to-date enough to keep their lines of power in place while adapting to new technology with the rapidity necessary to extend said lines along Schreck-NET - at least not very skillfully. As such there's a big divide between those who can follow the technology well enough to implement it, and those high enough up on the food chain to call the shots. When elders try to get control of a Schreck-NET node, it tends to get ugly. Reports have indicated that out-of-Clan Anarch cells in Seattle have already begun to intercept some Schreck-NET packets and decrypt them. As well as Schreck-NET works *in theory* it's not as infallible as you might have been led to believe, assuming you've been led to believe anything about it at this point in the game. Now. All those warnings aside and I much as I knock it, the network does it's job if you keep it's job simple. It allows for quick communication and information trade. Whether or not that information trade is *SECURE* can remain another issue. My advice is to try to keep on the receiving end of the whole mess, and deliver most information you find personally important by word of mouth, or failing that, word of rat. After that, just take in mind that Schreck-NET, has about the same quality control as the regular Internet. Overall, the whole damn thing is still about as safe as say... hiding a CD at the bottom of an old terminal underneath the Cloisters. But that's just my opinion, and I'm allegedly a bit of a crazy bitch if you ask around. 1.3 How do I use this marvel of technology? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- You read section IV. Very carefully. Especially 4.1 1.4 Where does the word "Schreck" come from in Schrek-NET? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Max Schreck, star of the 1928 black and white film, Nosferatu. I didn't find it very clever either. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- II. HISTORY (SCHREK-NET AND NYC ALIKE) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.1 Who is this "Uncle Smelly" person I may or may not have heard of? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Schreck-NET's inventor, Gerald Rafkin (A.K.A. Uncle Smelly), was originally a French tinker of some sort who came to the Americas in the late nineteenth century. He apparently always had an eye for mechanics, and was one of those few rare licks who knew how to progress with the times. He was originally responsible for stuff like Warren security systems and keeping the local Primogen's haven to appropriately outfitted for elder paranoia. Keeping paranoid elders un-paranoid apparently pays well, and he got his fingers into a fair amount of government contacts In the 70s he apparently started to develop the Schreck-NEt by putting the network on top of the military ArpaNet. And I will quote him as having allegedly said at the time, "because it's more secure than a phone." 2.2 Why is he called "Uncle Smelly"? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Rafkin had to set up a series of nodes to support the network on a global scale. As such he took his brood wandering to most major locales, circuit board and copper wire in hand. At some point, he concocted a bit of a stage personality to mesh with his sudden folk-hero-esque status as the Johnny Appleseed of computer-savvy Nos everywhere. This persona was an over exaggerated caricature of the Clan as a whole. Filthy clothing, old top hat, unnecessary amounts of hacking, coughing and spetum flinging about the Elysium, that sort of thing. The idea was apparently to put the non-Clan Kindred at a disadvantage, or something. The name's supposed to be reminiscent of Uncle Tom. 2.3 What does any of this have to do with NYC? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Rafkin eventually settled in the NYC region, after the 1999 battle for New York landed Clan Nosferatu with Calebros in the Princeship. Rafkin apparently had high hopes for things around here. Lot's of us did. He settled in the region and started to experiment with something allegedly quite *big* on the NYC node. We all thought the Clan might have a shot at something *big* here in general. It wasn't to be, however. You see: Calebros quit the throne. Bromme Friederich and the Ventrue moved in. While I hear NYC had a Sheriff (Marcus Landrit) and a Scourge (forget his name) on board for a while, it became rapidly evident that the Clan was drifting back to the gutter where it's normally found. Rafkin got irate. He felt Calebros betrayed the Clan, and started to foster a bit of "internal factionalism". In the meantime, his Schreck-NET project got put on hold while he tried to renegotiate for a position of power. You can probably tell by the language that this is about the point I skipped out. I'll get to that later. 2.4 What was up with Calebros? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Nobody really knows. He's made himself scarce. Apparently his reasons for ceding the throne to Friederich weren't politically motivated. Not entirely. Rumors abound though - and they point to everyone's favorite seven letter word. Reports say he's still in New York. 2.5 So, where is Rafkin now? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Nobody really knows. The big node apparently got disassembled at one point - you most likely found it the way I left it, unless the something happened to it in the meantime or you're damned slow at following the trail (I'm expecting it to take you one year or so to get to this FAQ, unless I was sorely mistaken about you.) In any event, Rafkin vanished. It was around the same time Landrit got taken out, and regime changes apparently started becoming a monthly thing here. Seriously. I'm not even sure if Evans wills still be on top by the time this reaches you, promising as people say he is. 2.6 Any other Nos of Note? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I've mentioned the name Marcus Landrit once or twice. He was a bit of a dick (although I never met him IRL) - He apparently got on the wrong side of the Giovanni back in 03. He was actually the last one of us on the Net. That brings me to my next point, Nos have become scarce in this Domain. As I write, I've never seen more than three on the surface side of this city. It's an odd place, and I have my reason's for latching on - possibly relating to that 1999 event. The course of how this game was running took a turn back then. Other than Marcus, there was been Clara Bowden (Sweet girl. Also dead.) and that Scourge I mentioned earlier. As far as I know, the current Primogen is somebody named Goldman, but that info's from way back in March. By the time you get this, I won't be surprised if you're alone. We don't last long above ground here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- III. USING SCRECK-NET ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.1 What is "The first rule of Schreck-NET"? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DON'T FUCKING TALK ABOUT SCHRECK-NET. Honest. While I'm not going to give much of a damn (See 1.2), you can bet somebody will, and you'll be brightening sunrises fast if they catch you. Schreck-NET is a CLAN SECRET (tm). DOn't spread it around. 3.2 How do I get set up for Schreck-NET ----------------------------------------------------------------------- You'll need the following: - A working Internet ready computer - Access to a pre-existing NYC Schreck-NET Terminal - Some form of data storage device (Hint: This CD will do) - A usable login 1.) Take data storage device. Insert into applicable part of terminal machine. 2.) Log-in to the Schreck-NET software interface on that terminal. 3.) Go to the root directory. Download ROOT/S-NET/R4DCL1-ff-iii.exe to the data storage device. (Trying this without 2, will fuck you up) 4.) Log out. 5.) Install that file to your own machine. 3.3 How do I find a terminal? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- You follow the next step in the game. 3.4 How do I get a log-in? (Don't fuck this one up.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- login: isabella_6 password: chariot33r No bullshit here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. THIS CD AND THE GAME AT LARGE ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.1 Why? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The man whose accounting I was under had a love for the aranta-shadur when he raised me. Perhaps I should leave it at that. I won't though. I'm not sure if you've guessed the meaning behind the game by now, but it has a pattern. A lot of things do in this world, and you struck me as somebody who'd be able to pick up on them. You also struck me as somebody who'd have the drive to keep playing. Not everybody did. The game's non-lethal and it's easy to walk away from. In any event, this CD was a bit of a gamble. If you've found it soonish, you've probably gotten the impression I've been keeping closer tabs on you than you first might have guessed. I've been doing so for a while. 4.2 What are the rules of the game anyhow? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- You keep playing until you win. Winning conditions are met when I say so. Other than that, it's pretty self explanatory. 4.3 Why did I Embrace you anyway? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Seemed the thing to do.