Genetic Mutants

Summary

Genetic Mutants are individuals who were forcibly collected by people wearing face-covering clothing in the campaign's world. This dark historical practice forms part of Safia's traumatic backstory and reveals a persecutory element of the setting's past. The collectors wore zip-up hoodies that cover the face entirely, a detail that becomes significant when Sucks Benedict dons his negotiating hood during a scene in Session 4, triggering Safia's fear response.

The existence of genetic mutants and their collection suggests a history of genetic modification and subsequent persecution of those individuals in the campaign world. The trauma associated with these collections remains present enough in Safia's memory to cause immediate fear when confronted with similar clothing.

Details

The collectors of genetic mutants wore distinctive clothing—specifically, zip-up hoodies that completely cover the face. This type of garment serves as a trigger for Safia, who associates it with the people who came to take genetic mutants away. The practice of collection implies systematic targeting and removal of genetically modified individuals from the general population.

The nature of the genetic modifications themselves is not detailed in the available information, nor is the ultimate fate of those collected. What is established is that the collection process was traumatic enough to leave lasting psychological impacts on witnesses or survivors like Safia. The similarity between the collectors' face-covering hoodies and Sucks Benedict's negotiating hood is close enough to immediately evoke Safia's fear, suggesting the memory remains visceral and present.

History

Session 4

In Session 4, the existence of genetic mutants and their collection is revealed through Safia's reaction to Sucks Benedict's clothing. During a scene involving Sucks Benedict, the character Guzman, and Erin, Sucks Benedict covers his face with his hoodie as part of his negotiating attire. This action triggers a fear response in Safia, who recognizes the garment's similarity to what the collectors wore. As described in the session, "when sucks covers his face with his hoodie, she starts to feel really scared because, like the people that used to come collect, the genetic mutants would wear these clothes like that."

This moment serves as the first revelation of this element of Safia's past and provides context for the world's darker history regarding genetic modification and persecution.