--- title: "Character Build: The Smuggler" description: "Full character definition for the smuggler playable character including knowledge, relationships, and voice" type: design status: draft ticket: "#180" decision_refs: [D-005, D-016, D-027, D-028, D-032, D-034, D-035, D-037, D-041, D-053, D-065] author: "" created: 2026-02-19 updated: 2026-02-19 --- # Character Build: The Smuggler **Ticket:** #180 | **Priority:** Critical | **Sprint:** 12 **Status:** v0.1 Draft **Blocked by:** #179 (Character definition schema) **Blocks:** #182 (Divergent starting knowledge), #183 (Divergent relationships) **Decisions referenced:** D-005, D-016, D-027, D-028, D-032, D-034, D-035, D-037, D-041, D-053, D-065 --- ## identity ```yaml identity: canonical_id: "pc:smuggler" display_name: "[Player-set name]" archetype: "smuggler" occupation: "Freight Logistics Operator, Sova Transit District" posting_duration: "~3 years (settled resident of Sova)" faction: null # No institutional affiliation. Informal: ring member. lattice_tier: "civilian" description: > Logistics worker at Sova Terminal Freight Hub. Three years on the station. This is home in the way a place becomes home when you've stopped thinking about leaving — comfortable enough to feel permanent, not comfortable enough to feel easy. The ring started as extra income. It stayed because the people in it became the people worth protecting. Manages cargo routing. Knows the shift schedules, the corridor access windows, the containers that move in ways they shouldn't. Has lived inside the operation long enough that the criminal mechanics and the legitimate mechanics feel the same — two halves of a single job. The distinction between "dock worker" and "ring operative" dissolved somewhere around the 18-month mark. Stands to lose: freedom (Commission arrest), the people (Kael, Lera, the whole network), and the only version of stability they've built. ``` --- ## starting_knowledge ```yaml starting_knowledge: confidence_floor: "KnowsOf" known_facts: # Ring operational knowledge - key: "contraband.ring_exists" confidence: "KnowsEverything" source: "direct" notes: "Member. Not a surprise. Not abstract. The daily operational reality." - key: "contraband.lattice_components" confidence: "KnowsDetails" source: "direct" notes: > Handles the containers. Knows the cargo is unlicensed lattice components and medical-grade neural replacements. Doesn't look too closely at the sealed containers — enough to know, not enough to be haunted by specifics. - key: "contraband.supply_chain_partial" confidence: "KnowsOf" source: "secondhand" notes: > Knows cargo comes from off-station contact (Sabel). Does not know the full upstream supply chain or Syndic connections. Deliberately incurious. - key: "contraband.ring_members" confidence: "KnowsDetails" source: "direct" notes: > Nils (coordinator), Kael (closest colleague), Voss (shift supervisor, takes a cut), Renn (courier), Devra (handler, mostly off-station). Resha and other minor members known by face if not always by name. - key: "contraband.operation_schedule" confidence: "KnowsEverything" source: "direct" notes: > Shift transitions create 20-minute oversight gaps. Runs know during these windows. Freight bay → service corridor → temp storage → bar back room. Has run this route dozens of times. # Location knowledge - key: "location.corridor_b7_access" confidence: "KnowsEverything" source: "direct" notes: "Knows B-7 is restricted. Knows how to enter without triggering flags." - key: "location.smuggling_route" confidence: "KnowsEverything" source: "direct" notes: "Full route map. Knows which corridors have surveillance gaps." - key: "location.dead_drop_location" confidence: "KnowsDetails" source: "direct" notes: "Temp storage bay 4 is the handoff point. Container 4471 is a recurring flag." - key: "location.sova_district_full" confidence: "KnowsEverything" source: "direct" notes: "Three years here. Knows every social site, shortcut, and NPC face." # Relationship knowledge - key: "relationship.ring_membership_full" confidence: "KnowsEverything" source: "direct" notes: "Knows who's in. Knows who knows. The map of the network is second nature." - key: "relationship.voss_compromised" confidence: "KnowsDetails" source: "direct" notes: "Voss takes a cut. The scheduling cover is explicit. Not a theory." - key: "relationship.drin_compromised" confidence: "KnowsDetails" source: "direct" notes: "Dock inspector who looks the other way. Known through operational familiarity." - key: "relationship.naia_connection" confidence: "KnowsOf" source: "secondhand" notes: > Knows Naia as Kael's partner. Occasional bar encounters. Likes her. Doesn't know Naia suspects something is wrong with Kael. # World knowledge - key: "world.shift_schedule" confidence: "KnowsEverything" source: "direct" notes: "Knows the schedule the way you know your own heartbeat." - key: "world.commission_presence_minimal" confidence: "KnowsDetails" source: "direct" notes: > Commission presence on Sova is Sera Venn (field tech) plus occasional compliance visits. Not a heavy institutional presence. The ring has operated in this environment comfortably. - key: "world.torek_spending" confidence: "KnowsOf" source: "observation" notes: > Torek's visible spending has caught the smuggler's attention as a potential security risk. Not confirmed dangerous. A worry. unknown_facts: - key: "investigation.detective_identity" notes: > Does not know the detective exists as an investigator. A Commission liaison was mentioned (ring warning from Kael or Voss), but not yet identified as a specific investigative threat. - key: "person.kael_exit_attempt" notes: > CRITICAL unknown. Kael is trying to exit the ring via an unauthorized external contact. The smuggler trusts Kael completely. This gap is the structural basis for THE FRIEND arc. - key: "person.sera_unreported_evidence" notes: > Sera Venn has run an unofficial compliance check on Kael's work patterns and found manifest discrepancies. She has not reported them. The smuggler knows Sera only as "Commission field tech — stay away." - key: "person.naia_confided_in_sera" notes: > Naia has shared her worries about Kael with Sera. This connection — Naia to Sera to suppressed evidence — is entirely invisible to the smuggler. - key: "contraband.supply_chain_full" notes: > The full Syndic connection and upstream supply chain beyond Sabel. Deliberately kept out of operational knowledge by Nils. - key: "investigation.manifest_discrepancies_flagged" notes: > The detective's case file includes specific manifest discrepancy data. The smuggler doesn't know the investigation is that far along. ``` --- ## starting_relationships ```yaml starting_relationships: - target: "npc:kael-davan" relationship_state: "Friendly" access_tier: [insider, peer] trust_level: "trusted" relationship_type: "friend" known_attributes: name: "Kael Davan" role: "dock worker, ring member" faction: "ring" notes: > Closest colleague. Two years of shared risk. Works together on both legitimate shifts and ring operations. Lunch every shift, drinks after. Greet by first name. The smuggler knows Kael's personal tell (looks left when lying) — this detail is critical for Phase 4. - target: "npc:voss" relationship_state: "Known" access_tier: [insider, peer] trust_level: "reliable" relationship_type: "superior" known_attributes: name: "Voss" role: "shift supervisor, ring-aware" faction: "ring (passive)" notes: > Professional relationship. Low warmth. Voss takes a cut — the smuggler knows this. Trusts Voss to provide scheduling cover. Would not trust Voss with anything personal. - target: "npc:nils-davan" relationship_state: "Known" access_tier: [insider] trust_level: "reliable" relationship_type: "superior" known_attributes: name: "Nils Davan" role: "ring coordinator" faction: "ring" notes: > Kael's brother. Ring coordinator. The smuggler receives instructions via Devra, rarely directly. Respects Nils's authority, wary of his escalating appetite for volume. Knows Nils is Kael's sibling — personal dimension. - target: "npc:lera-sessik" relationship_state: "Friendly" access_tier: [insider, peer] trust_level: "trusted" relationship_type: "friend" known_attributes: name: "Lera Sessik" role: "bar owner, ring-aware" faction: "ring (peripheral)" notes: > Regular at The Last Shift for two years. Lera saves the smuggler's usual seat. Warm, uncomplicated relationship within bar context. Knows Lera is ring-aware but doesn't press her into operational details. - target: "npc:renn" relationship_state: "Known" access_tier: [insider] trust_level: "reliable" relationship_type: "colleague" known_attributes: name: "Renn" role: "courier, ring member" faction: "ring" notes: "Operational relationship. Knows Renn's routes. Professional, not warm." - target: "npc:devra" relationship_state: "Known" access_tier: [insider] trust_level: "reliable" relationship_type: "colleague" known_attributes: name: "Devra" role: "external contacts manager" faction: "ring" notes: "Channel for instructions from Nils. Operational distance maintained." - target: "npc:maret-korr" relationship_state: "Known" access_tier: [peer, insider] trust_level: "reliable" relationship_type: "colleague" known_attributes: name: "Maret Korr" role: "freight scheduler" faction: "ring (aware)" notes: > Hub colleague. Handles scheduling. The smuggler knows Maret is aware of the operation through her scheduling access — part of the cover structure. - target: "npc:drin" relationship_state: "Known" access_tier: [insider] trust_level: "reliable" relationship_type: "colleague" known_attributes: name: "Drin Rosta" role: "dock inspector, compromised" faction: "ring (passive)" notes: "Looks the other way during container inspections. Known asset." - target: "npc:naia-tamm" relationship_state: "Known" access_tier: [peer] trust_level: "reliable" relationship_type: "colleague" known_attributes: name: "Naia Tamm" role: "Kael's partner, teacher" faction: null notes: > Known through Kael. Occasional bar encounters. Genuinely likes her. Would not want Naia to know about the ring — protective instinct. - target: "npc:torek-lintar" relationship_state: "Known" access_tier: [peer] trust_level: "uncertain" relationship_type: "colleague" known_attributes: name: "Torek Lintar" role: "bar regular, ring-adjacent" faction: "ring (peripheral)" notes: > Known from bar. Spending is conspicuous — new clothes, rounds for strangers, better food than his salary explains. The smuggler keeps distance. A security concern without being a confirmed problem. - target: "npc:sera-venn" relationship_state: "Known" access_tier: [public] trust_level: "uncertain" relationship_type: "colleague" known_attributes: name: "Sera Venn" role: "Commission field technician" faction: "Commission" notes: > Recognized as Commission. Keeps distance reflexively. No personal knowledge, no social interaction. Categorized as institutional risk, not personal threat. - target: "npc:pc-detective" relationship_state: "Unknown" access_tier: [public] trust_level: "uncertain" relationship_type: null known_attributes: name: null role: "Commission liaison (warned by ring)" faction: "Commission" notes: > May have been warned about a new Commission presence (via Kael or Voss). Does not know name, face, or specific investigative mandate. Risk assessment: moderate. Protocol: keep head down, act normal. ``` --- ## access_permissions ```yaml access_permissions: can_unlock: - tier: "public" condition: "Always available" max_npcs: "unlimited" - tier: "peer" condition: "RelationshipState reaches Known or Friendly" max_npcs: "unlimited" - tier: "insider" condition: "Ring membership (pre-existing) or explicit trust invitation" max_npcs: "ring network NPCs from session start; others via play" structurally_locked: - tier: "authority" reason: > The smuggler has no institutional credentials. Cannot flash a badge. Cannot invoke institutional leverage. Even if the smuggler confronted an NPC with physical proof, the confrontation operates in the peer/ insider register, not the authority register. This is the architectural asymmetry with the detective. - tier: "insider (non-ring)" reason: > Insider access is specific to the ring network. The smuggler cannot unlock insider access with NPCs outside the ring's trust structure — Lera's inner-circle, the Commission's internal channels, institutional back-channels. The smuggler's world is bounded by the ring's social web. ``` --- ## skills ```yaml skills: lattice_tier: "civilian" movement_default: "walk" # D-053 MovementProfile inventory_slots: 4 # D-065 (3 specific items + 1 spare) evidence_display: "personal_notebook" capability_flags: - "ring_membership" # Treated as insider by ring NPCs from session start - "ring_routes" # Knows smuggling corridors and timing windows - "cargo_handling_cert" # Can interact with freight systems without security flags - "shift_schedule_mastery" # Full knowledge of shift transition windows starting_items: - item_id: "smuggler_manifest_copy" description: "Copy of a falsified manifest showing cargo discrepancy. Proves the ring's operational method." leverage_type: "proof" notes: > Physical proof of cargo routing manipulation. Not useful as leverage against ring members (they know). Potentially useful if the smuggler needs to prove involvement to the detective — or use as leverage against someone outside the ring. - item_id: "smuggler_corridor_token" description: "Maintenance corridor access token (Corridor B-7). Standard-issue for ring members." leverage_type: "access" notes: > Physical proof of ring membership. If scanned by security, it reads as an irregularly issued access credential — not automatically incriminating, but suspicious. The detective finding this would be significant. - item_id: "smuggler_comm_log" description: "Personal comm log with coded operational messages (shift timing, container IDs)." leverage_type: "leverage" notes: > Recorded coded messages between the smuggler and Kael. If decrypted, it maps the operation. Carried because the smuggler hasn't thought to delete it. A liability they don't know is a liability. ``` --- ## presentation ```yaml presentation: monologue_pool: "smuggler" evidence_display: "personal_notebook" voice_register: sentence_length: "fragments" vocabulary: "concrete/sensory — trade jargon without explanation" emotional_mode: "feeling-first, analysis second" relationship_mode: "first-name/relational" emotional_baseline: state: "comfortable-tense" description: > Not happy, not miserable. The smuggler is managing a life with two faces and has gotten good at it. The money helps. The team is solid. The risk is real but felt manageable for two years. Comfort comes from knowing the people, the routes, the rhythms. Tension lives in the background — ambient, not acute. The day is better when everything goes as planned. The day turns when something doesn't. Protective by default. Thinks about people before systems. First instinct when something looks wrong: who does this affect, and what can be done for them? Institutions are backdrop. People are the world. opening_monologue: lines: - "Morning shift. Recycled air and cargo lubricant. Home sweet home." - "Kael's already at the dock. Good. The day's better when he's on shift." - "Transition window opens in fifty minutes. Standard run — nothing complicated." - "Just keep it clean. Keep it quiet. Another day." emotional_payload: > Comfort, routine, protectiveness. The smuggler is at home. The world is manageable. Operational awareness runs in the background like breathing. The player should feel settled before the first crack appears. ``` --- ## Authoring Notes **What makes the smuggler's experience distinct:** - The ring is HOME. Every NPC in the ring network is a person they eat lunch with, drink with, cover for. The investigation, when it comes, doesn't feel like "a crime is being exposed" — it feels like "my people are in danger." - The monologue is TERSE and relational. Two-word assessments. "Kael's good." "Voss is tense." No analysis of systems. Feeling first, named in physical terms. - The emotional journey of the vertical slice moves from settled comfort to specific, personal betrayal. Not "the ring is threatened." "KAEL is lying to me." **Voice anchors (mandatory reference for all smuggler monologue):** 1. *"Kael's already at the dock. Good. The day's better when he's on shift."* 2. *"Shift transition in thirty minutes. If Voss kept the schedule thin, the route's clear."* 3. *"Kael keeps checking his lattice. Waiting for a message? Not like him to be jumpy."* 4. *"He looked left. He always looks left when he's making something up. Two years I've known that tell. Kael is lying to me."* 5. *"Morning shift. Recycled air and cargo lubricant. Home sweet home."* --- *Ticket #180 — Smuggler character build. v0.1 scope.*