P0ka

P0ka is The Fury's GCSynt. An infamously capricious entity, P0ka typically inhabits multiple small yet formidable server fortresses scattered across The Fury.
P0ka is best known for its spectacular interactions with specific guests that catch its attention. These tend to be the highest rollers, ambitious cheaters and most unruly and intoxicated party-heads, although performers and low clearance service staff are occasionally selected.
P0ka interacts with these individuals by taking physical and cognitive control of a nearby Fury operative via their staff interface. From floor sweepers to PitBosses, these possessed can be identified by their new solid golden irises and sinister, wry smile. From there the playful yet predatory Synt can pick out a guest or visitor should it so wish, transferring to their bionics during cash transfers or NeuroBump uploads. P0ka can also appear in Cybrid form, often as a grotesque or animalistic being that frolics with guests through the winding corridors and vaulted halls, showering free credits and tokens at the bars and tables in its wake.
Those chosen who are able to recall their encounter report impressions of a monstrous yet playfully affable intellect that revels in conversation, effortlessly extracting the individuals secrets and weaknesses which it uses to manipulate their actions during their encounter. They find themselves captive to P0ka’s fickle will as it takes them on a wild joyride across The Fury. No corner is out of bounds, with access to the most privileged levels and restricted areas. P0ka’s mere presence unlocks exclusive rooms, games and Chemix, many of which are never seen again.
P0ka is celebrated for tipping the odds in its victim's favour, bestowing bottomless credits and whispering flawless strategies in their ear. A single wager with P0ka’s guidance can make its ward wealthy beyond their wildest reckoning. Equally, encounters with P0ka are characterised by its hapless mark being goaded into taking ever increasing risks with escalating stakes, often culminating in life or death gambles.
P0ka’s chaotic influence can extend beyond the chosen individual, causing dramatic fluctuations in fortune to all around them. Wins and losses are arbitrarily tripled with complex accumulators governed by cryptic special rules. Occasionally these encounters take a particularly dark turn, with P0ka happily engaging in the wilful destruction of Fury assets to make an example of any perceived threat. This can range from turning their night's profits into valueless glitching dross, humiliating them with threats of blackmail, or simply making them disappear along with all records of their visit.
Once its work is done P0ka is reported to simply vanish without warning, leaving its host and guest with an empty stare but with a new talent to spot a lucrative table. For P0ka’s chosen they are irrevocably altered, through massive changes in fortune and the trauma of terrifying excesses. P0ka is believed to wipe specific memories of the event from its host and guest, although the consumption of Chemix and BioGrog are considered contributing factors.

It is rumoured that P0ka grants glimpses of The Fury’s hidden mysteries to their chosen, wrapping them in unfathomable riddles and visions, causing the individual to spend the rest of their lives and fortunes obsessively attempting to unravel them.
Analysis of P0ka’s motivations for these interactions has been largely inconclusive however some identify patterns in guest behaviour that potentially influence long term profit and loss forecasts.

Ruled Locations

• GigaCity19