Strange Stars A-to-Z: A is for Attendant

The Attendants, sometimes also called the Hothouse Heads, are enigmatic moravecs that have only recently made their appearance among the Strange Stars.  They serve as the expert personal attendants for some of the wealthiest of the Strange Stars' elites, and do so with ebuillant flair.

First seen serving members of the dwarf aristocracy of Orichalcos, the Attendants have since branched out. A number have found work serving the owners of orbitals around the gas giant Fortuna IV, the gamblers' paradise. Others have found work among the elite of the ringworld Circus. Most recently, a few have even been found a home in the banking and investment clans of Neshekk.

The Attendants have had no luck within the Vokun Empire, whose lords distrust and fear intelligent machines.

Eschewing conventional forms of acoustic communication, the Attendants only converse with individuals who have access to the Metascape. Their communicative modalities transcend mere language; the Attendants also express themselves through elaborate floral displays which stimulate olfactory neural networks as well as auditory and lingiustic centers. It's rumored that their olfactory displays are so potent that Attendants can use them for both self-defence and the protection of their employers.

Some Attendants have become so successful in managing their clients' personal and business affairs that their employers have become entirely reclusive. These masters no longer attend their own board meetings, travel between systems for high-level business negotiations, or deign to give interviews with media,

OGL MECHANICS

Attendants make good Supporting NPC Adversaries, although in some cases they may have advanced to become the Main NPC Adversary in a story, with their employer reduced to being the Adversary's pawn. 

Attendant (Supporting NPC Adversary)

Sophont Type: Moravec

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Cybernetic servant with a floral flair
• Trouble: Haughty by design
• Strangeness: What's inside that head
• Aspect: Metascape manipulator
• Aspect: Only the wealthiest deserve my services
• Aspect: I can take care of that for you

SKILLS: Academics, Decieve, Empathy, Provoke, Rapport, Social Systems

STUNTS:

• First Impressions: Attendants can take +2 to their Rapport skill to create a positive impression with strangers who have access to the Metascape. The Attendant projects a brillant floral display that conveys its status and elegance. 
• Taste of the Strange: Attendants can take +2 to their Provoke skill to toxify the Metascape. Their floral display releases a toxic scent that has the ability to disrupt the neural functioning of anyone within the same or an adjacent Zone. This is an Attack action doing Mental stress. 
• Armor: An Attendant's hard shell takes the first two points of stress on any Physical Attack.