Web of Pain

The Web of Pain is the the term Deviants use to describe the vast, global interconnectedness of conspiracies and the institutions that surround them.

Overview

Renegades are often aware of the conspiracy that changed them, or the one that is hunting them, but they rarely look beyond that at first. The deeper a Renegade delves into the conspiracy, however, the more threads become uncovered, linking the first conspiracy to others. Those conspiracies, in turn, link to still other conspiracies in a tangled web. A Deviant will often finally triumph against a conspiracy, only to find another one has moved in to take its place.

The nature of the relationship between two conspiracies can vary. The conspiracies might have a tentative alliance. For example, one conspiracy that focuses on studying Deviants may enlist the aid of another conspiracy that is proficient at capturing them. Other times, conspiracies engage in shadow wars against each other, fighting for resources or territory. The victor absorbs the surviving Nodes and accrues even more power.

Most of the time, though, conspiracies work subtly, influencing and persuading their counterparts through black-market deals, trade secrets, or blackmail. Knowledge of the Remade is a common currency among conspiracies; the common terminology for Origin, Clade, and similar subjects come from what the Web of Pain has settled on for ease of communication. The secretive nature of conspiracies means they can reinforce or sever ties with each other with relative ease.

It's not uncommon for conspiracies with seemingly little in common to work together. A biotech lab that creates Cyborgs might partner with a doomsday cult, and both might have connections in the local government. Such eclectic associations often serve to shield them from scrutiny; it's hard to believe such differing organizations have the same goals in mind.

Politics might lead a conspiracy to form a truce with a Renegade to take down a rival group. These conspiracies might put forth a façade of wanting to help the Deviant get revenge, or perhaps treat their Broken condition. Such alliances can end up with the Deviant turning Devoted.

References

• DTR: Deviant: The Renegades Rulebook ^{[citation needed]}