Editing Zed Sadler (section)

==Abilities and Art==
Zed is a [[Technomancer]] with a "retropunk" aesthetic. Focused on technology (especially older technology), music, and newer types of Others.

A big part of his Practice is finding cursed items, and often cleansing or modifying them so they can be used safely.<ref>A lot of devices and ‘found’ items tended to be… problematic.  When an Other got into an item, it tended to be frustrated or angry, or else a predator lying in wait, or a conniving thing trying to use the device as a vector to hurt people.<br><br>These items, from the scratch-a-sketch to the polaroid camera, were ones Zed had tended to.  Curses removed, Others managed or pulled out, bound, and put back in again.  In cases where those Others had been ones who preyed on fear or negativity, the items unfortunately became things that couldn’t recharge or sustain themselves. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/15 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.z]]</ref>

His [[Second Sight]] has been trained to let him see inside walls and objects, and shows the world as made up of pulsing neon lines<ref>He used his Sight to scan the area.  The world drawn out in neon lasers with soft curves, all of them pulsing with intensity that raced from one end of each laser to the other.  He’d trained his Sight to see into things, so he could decipher how certain things were put together, and find wires inside walls. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/15/out-on-a-limb-3-z/ excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.z]]</ref> on a dark backdrop.<ref>“Yeah.  I’ve heard people theorize that the Sight might lean on these sorts of things, depending on who we are.  Desolate ruins for anger, darkness for fear and apprehension.  Cold for mourning.”<br><br>“I See the world as dark with laser outlines,” Zed said.<br><br>“I see the world the Hungry Choir brought me into,” Brie said.<br><br>“Yeah,” Jessica replied.  “I don’t see anything too different.  I needed clear vision, going in.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2021/01/16 Excerpt] from [[Vanishing Points 8.3]]</ref>
===Tools===
He has an old station wagon with wooden sides<ref>The car was at least ten years old, a station wagon with wood panel 
sides that had seen better years, with an antenna sticking out the top. The headlights were bright enough to illuminate the dirt road. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/01 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.6]]</ref> that he's very fond of. The vehicle seems to be enchanted to have enhanced durability,<ref>It served to incapacitate the mullet man, giving John the opportunity to twist around and fire bullets into the hood of the car, apparently aiming at the cassette player from the outside.  The bullets bounced off the hood, hit the windshield, and sparked there too.  - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/01 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.6]]</ref><ref name=":9">Zed and Brie were in the car, and it looked like their whole setup was a nigh-indestructible car exterior and a whole bunch of gizmos that produced Others. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/01 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.6]]</ref> but this is dependent on keeping it pristine and takes time to build up again if the vehicle is messed with.<ref>He closed the trunk, then brushed dust off the car.  The enchantments he’d laid into the vehicle meant that the more pristine he kept it, the
 easier it was to keep it pristine.  Given time and power and attention,
 that could make it bulletproof.  It would be a while before it got to 
that point again.
- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/15 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.z]]</ref> It has a casette player he can use for magical purposes, and seems to be able to take voice commands to some extent.<ref name=":4">“Cassette!” Zed kicked the bumper of the car, and the car radio kicked on, blaring the opening sting of some old music.<br><br>“''Crying…!” the radio blared, top volume.''<br><br>John dropped his gun to point at Zed or Brie, when he twisted.  He was tackled by a man with a mullet, a wispy mustache, a tight shirt, and short-shorts.<br><br>“''…cold tears!''” the radio continued. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/01 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.6|Out on a Limb 3.]]</ref>

He employs a variety of minions,<ref name=":9" /> including:

*[[Ghost]]s trapped inside cassette-tape songs somehow. They can be copied, although the copies & ghosts will be increasingly degraded.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />
*A group of figures - "[[Nex Machina#Older Relatives|voices in the static]]" - surrounded by both audio and visual static, conjured from radios playing white noise. The radio volume seems to be tied to how clarified & powerful they are. At high volume they whisper-babble about a wartime transmission to nowhere.<ref>A radio from the car buzzed, ninety percent static, overlapping with the static from a smaller radio that sat on the hood of the car.  He reached over and adjusted the dial.  More television static than shadow, with very faint edges, a silhouette appeared by the car.  He adjusted again, and it became three.<br>[...]<br>Zed turned up the volume on the radio.  The static images clarified, the grey dots becoming stark white ones, the outlines firmer.  Now the static-y figures were making a static sound themselves.  In the midst of the static, Verona could hear murmurs, moans, and angry shouting, as if from far away, almost drowned out.<br>[...]<br>“That sounds ominous,” Zed told them.  “Let’s say that if you try that, I’ll end up turning this volume knob up all the way.  And the voices in the static here will get agitated.”<br>[...]<br>Zed had grabbed the radio, and cranked up the volume.<br><br>A static figure manifested out of nowhere, bright, and ''loud'' with static.<br><br>“''Wartime, people everywhere scared, loss of life, and fear, panic-''” the static man whispered at her.<br><br>The figure grabbed her wrist.<br><br>“''We’re cut off from everyone, we’re surrounded by darkness, it’s hopeless, and this message can’t get out'',” it whispered. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/01 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.6]]</ref> Unlike the casette-ghosts, these static-men are immune to blinding lights, although loud noises can interfere with them.<ref>John and Avery both covered their eyes.  Zed and Brie didn’t.  The card flashed, lighting up the area.
It served to incapacitate the mullet man, giving John the opportunity to twist around and fire bullets into the hood of the car, apparently aiming at the cassette player from the outside.<br>[...]<br>The flash hadn’t affected the static figures, but it ''had'' affected the goblins.  They were being overwhelmed with the static radio at full volume, swamped and swallowed.<br>[...]<br>
If the flash didn’t bother them… maybe the bang?<br><br>She threw a card, aiming to get it as far from her as possible.  The wind caught it, and it didn’t fly perfectly straight.<br><br>She threw herself sideways into the ditch.<br><br>The card exploded into a ball of flame.  Static figures flickered and paused.<br><br>Free of the interference of the static men, Avery had reached the car.  - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/01 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.6]]</ref>
*A serial killer type, surrounded by VHS-style flickering, able to manifest weapons for the others to use.<ref>Zed wasn’t idle.  In the background, flickering like a bad VHS, was a tall man, muscular, with a ruined face filled with splinters and bits of wood, until it looked like an explosion in progress.  He carried a serrated saw, like the kind two men would use in concert to bring down a giant tree.<br>[...]<br>The VHS flickering extended from the man with the saw.  The side of the road began to look like a cabin interior, with tools on the wall.<br><br>He reached up, grabbed one, and gave it to a static figure.  A giant, gently-curved spike.  The next one got a mallet that had been smashed through a skull, part of the skull still intact around the head.  It came away as the static figure gave it a shake. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/01 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.6]]
</ref>
*A Librarian [[Anima|Animus]] named [[Nina Lecerf|Nina]] which operates inside a computer, able to read through large quantities of data and make deductions from them very quickly.<ref name=":8" />

The first Practice he ever performed was crafting a "jammer" capable of 
interfering with technology, from computers to guns, from a button which survived a technological accident. He has a couple and always carries one.<ref name=":3">Jammer<br>Any beginner technomancer is going to be making one of these.  My teacher had me on the task in my first week.  It’s the kind of thing you use when the ghost in the machine starts howling a little too loud or the gremlins flip a positive charge to a negative.  If there’s moving parts and a power source, it should jam it up some.<br>I keep mine around because it’s useful in a pinch, as you saw with the gunman last night.<br>I don’t want to be a pain about this, but even though this is my spare, if you break it or lose it, I’m going to want you to find a replacement, a nice big button that survived a crashed elevator or plane when little else did.  Not so easy, trust me. - [3.7] [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/06 Confiscated Items]</ref> It briefly interferes with his own technology when used, of course, but can still be useful against a foe foolish enough to employ anything mechanical against him.<ref>He pressed the gun to the window.<br><br>“Don’t kill them!” Avery warned.<br><br>The car headlights, the static, and the blaring noise of the cassette player all stuttered at once.  Many of the static figures disappeared.<br><br>An advantage?  Had someone figured out something to do?<br><br>The gun made a dull sound as John pulled the trigger.  He looked down at it, then cast it aside.<br><br>A trick on Zed’s part. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/01 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.6]]</ref>

Some of Zed's other tools include:

*Walkie talkies that will function anywhere, even across different [[Realm]]s.<ref>He handed out the walkie-talkies.<br><br>
“You guys were using these when you came to get me in the Ruins,” Jessica said.  She was drawing out a circle.  Essential things had already been gathered within.<br><br>“They work anywhere.”  - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/15 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.z]]</ref> His phone is similarly enchanted.<ref>“Zed’s going to call us and let us ask, when and if things get that far,” Verona said.<br><br>“If the ritual’s active, it’ll be another space-”<br><br>“My phone works anywhere,” Zed reassured.  He smiled. “Don’t worry.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/08 excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.8]]
</ref>
*A toy gun which fires shots powerful enough to destroy a car, but curses anyone using it to get into gunfights.<ref>With all those different facets of him so eager to do well today, it would be easy to overdo it, and tap into stuff that would cost too much to use, in risk, or power, or Self.<br><br>He left that stuff in the car, and prayed he wouldn’t need it.<br><br>He almost reached back in to grab the toy gun.  Then he made himself stop.  The toy gun wasn’t technomancy, but he’d come across it while doing a job for a friend of Raymond’s, and hadn’t found a way to get rid of it.  It could hit a car and make the vehicle roll over several times, but it came with steep drawbacks.  As far as Zed had worked it out, pulling that trigger meant months of coincidentally finding oneself in gunfights, while also being something of a magnet for stray bullets and ricochets.  All six of the last people to use it had been shot a few weeks or months later.  Only two of the six had survived past the six month mark.<br><br>Zed was pretty sure he’d figured out the quirks in a way that would let him use the thing, but… pretty sure wasn’t ''totally'' sure.   - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/15 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.z]]</ref>
*A yellow plastic scratch-a-sketch<ref name=":10">Zed unloaded.  The scratch-a-sketch, with bright yellow plastic around a gray screen.  Walkie talkies.  A music player he could clip to his belt.  Tapes.  Headphones.  Power glove.  A radio with voices in the static.  A polaroid camera with blood in the creases.  - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/15 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.z]]</ref> used to draw out diagrams, which then expand out of it when it's tapped on the ground.<ref>Zed touched the scratch-a-sketch to the ground.  The diagram he’d pre-set into it began to spill out, in jagged black lines.  It unfolded,  encircling them, reached the bounds of the diagram that Jessica had put down, then began to elaborate, strengthening.   - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/15 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.z]]</ref>
* A bloody polaroid camera.<ref name=":10" /> When it takes pictures, it shows shadowy figures and the walls where the picture is taken bleed.<ref>Beyond the fifteen minute briefing, preparations took another half an hour.  Zed picked up the polaroid and took pictures.  As each image resolved, it showed shadows against the wall.  Some of the brickwork bled, but the rain quickly washed away that blood.   - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/15 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.z]]</ref> Actual purpose of this is unknown.
*A [[Wikipedia:Power Glove|power glove]]<ref name=":10" /> which can fully recharge technology with a tap.<ref>Verona nodded.  “Ten o’clock to bounce back.  My phone?”<br><br>Avery pulled Verona’s phone out of the hat.<br><br>Verona hit the power button, then mashed the other buttons.<br><br>Totally dead.<br><br>Zed, wearing his power glove, gave it a tap.  The battery icon flashed on and then went to full.<br><br>“Thank you.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/12/29 Excerpt] from [[Gone Ahead 7.8]]</ref> Possibly has other functions.
*An artifical heart that can create an echo to absorb the damage if something goes wrong with Technomancy.<ref>The artificial heart worked with technomancy, casting out a digital echo to absorb the brunt of anything that went wrong with technomancy.  A bodyguard to throw himself out in the way of a technomancy bullet for Zed’s sake.- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2022/05/25/wild-abandon-18-z/ Excerpt] from [[Wild Abandon 18.z]]</ref>
*A disposable camera that can provide him information about things.<ref>Zed took a picture with the disposable camera.<br><br>Then he rewound and looked.<br><br>He offered it to Brie, and she took it.<br><br>The image, distilled in negative, had gouges, broken glass, and the teal of negative-image blood everywhere.<br><br>But in all that destruction, the doll was untouched.- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2022/05/25/wild-abandon-18-z/ Excerpt] from [[Wild Abandon 18.z]]</ref>
*A drone that looks like a dead bird.<ref>He moved his bag around to be between his feet, opened it, and pulled out a camera case.  The B.E.V..<br><br>He opened that case and pulled out a dead bird- or what looked like one.  He reached past feathers, and it glitched, showing a small drone inside.<br><br>The bird animated, flapping madly, as he pressed the button.  Red lights shone in the center of its eyes.- [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2022/05/25/wild-abandon-18-z/ Excerpt] from [[Wild Abandon 18.z]]</ref>

He was able to equip Brie with a large variety of spare and disposable technomancer trinkets (many later traded to the [[Kennet Trio]]):

*Several [[ghost]]s trapped in cassette tapes<ref name=":2">This is a copy of the original, so expect some corruption.  He should buy you time or give your enemies a few solid punches <br>[...]<br>It’s a song recording off a tape so the quality’s not all there, but Bessie Lee is quality enough to make up for it.  Most ghosts are miserable, but she’ll cheer you on and help you with your cardio. <br>[...]<br>This is the original, so it’d be swell if you didn’t lose it.  When you hit that yellow button, you might think it’s broken.  It’s not.  It takes a little while to start, but when it does, all hell breaks loose.  The band struggled so hard to record this track.  Blood, sweat, tears, and even fratricide. Never did figure out why it when that way.  Left a whole bunch of ghosts behind and no explanations.  We looked for the complete set of ghosts and didn’t find ’em.  Did find the music though.- [3.7] '''Confiscated Items'''</ref> (one traded to the Trio, the other recovered.)
*A card carrying a supernatural computer virus<ref>Computer Bug <br>If you get to a computer, and it’s an old fashioned one with a disk drive or cd drive then stick this in.  Ignore the ick factor.If you can find a computer or something that’s related to the devouring song, then this might get us in.  It will do the work for you, dredging stuff up. - [3.7] [[Technomancer|Confiscated Items]]</ref> (traded to the Trio.)
*A keyboard capable of conjuring [[Gremlin]]s<ref>Grungy Keyboard<br>Another big red ‘escape button’.  When dealing with some magic stuff, sometimes you need ugly to deal with ugly.  We know there are goblins in town, so when those little blighters show up, grab this nasty piece of work and smash the most expensive thing you can get to before the goblins can get to you.<br>There’s also a chance that if the [[Ontario|devouring song kids]] show up, the gremlins that this thing will bring running can deal with them.  A small chance.  They’ve got some techy know-how to how they’re put together, if they’re using the internet, and gremlins wreck tech.<br>The gremlines will give you a hard time, but not so hard as [[Kennet Trio|our Kennet foes]] will.- [3.7] [[Rad Ray Sunshine|Confiscated Items]]</ref> (traded to the Trio.)
*Key for travelling along wires via "the digital landscapes", but at the cost of electrocution. Can be used as a taser.<ref name=":1">Enter Key<br>A failed project.  Was a way to open doors and passages, but I got greedy and tried to tune it to the digital landscapes.  The good?  It’ll carry you to somplace distant.  The bad?  There’s a lot of bad.  You use it by gsticking it in a light socket.  It will do pretty much exactly what you expect if you stick something metal in a light socket.  Then technology will sorta fritz around you for the next week or so, you’ll have electric spirits sparking through your head, yadda yadda.  If you aren’t dead from the whole electro-cuton thing.<br>Also works as a crummy tazer.  Wear the gloves I gave you while using.
- [3.7] [[Blue Heron Institute|Confiscated Items]]</ref> (traded to the Trio.)
*Insulating gloves.<ref name=":1" />
*A "jammer" capable of interfering with technology, from computers to guns<ref name=":3" /> (traded to the  Trio.)
*"Mildly cursed" sunglasses that grant a mild form of [[Second Sight]] as long as they're placated with music<ref>Sunset Specs<br>
Owned by a pretty hip guitarist, he only took them off to sleep. They’ve pick up a few things in their time on the road.  A little moody and a teeny bit cursed.  Keep music playing to keep the specs happy, and they’ll reward you with a gnarly headache and a lightshow that lets you know the ambient mood. - [3.7] [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/06 Confiscated Items]
</ref> (traded to the Trio.)
*Roller blades.<ref>Zed gave me tricks.  Roller blades, weapons.  I put my leg-stumps into the roller blades, used a bit of a prosthetic leg to do it with the  one where my leg wasn’t long enough.  They let you bring in whatever you want on your eighth night.  - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/08 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.8]]</ref>