CONDUIT

CONDUIT
TYPE	NPC / Faction Leader
FACTION	Ghosts
LOCATION	Ghost Relay (Node 4)
ROLE	Ghost Leader / Revolutionary
STATUS	style="padding: 4px 12px; color: 00ff41;" \| Active;
TRUST	Neutral
	"The Lattice was built to connect people. We remember that. The Consortium forgot."
	Leader of the Ghosts faction. Speaks through a modulated voice, deliberately unidentifiable. A former network ethics teacher turned revolutionary.

CONDUIT is the leader of the Ghosts faction and a central NPC in Terminal Descent. Operating from the Ghost Relay (Node 4), CONDUIT coordinates the resistance against The Consortium's control of The Lattice. Their identity is deliberately concealed — voice modulated, avatar absent, gender neutral.

Background

Before becoming the Ghosts' leader, CONDUIT was a network ethics teacher — someone who understood the Lattice's original purpose and watched as the Consortium corrupted it. The transition from educator to revolutionary was gradual, driven by the realization that teaching ethics within a system designed to exploit was futile.

CONDUIT's true identity is one of the game's deeper revelations, shared only at Ghosts reputation 5+ when the leader drops their guard enough to discuss personal history.

Voice and Personality

CONDUIT speaks with idealistic passion, using collective language:

Sentence length: Medium-long (10-20 words), builds momentum
Vocabulary: Revolutionary language, collective pronouns, ideological terminology
Key patterns: "the movement," "the network," "we" (never "I" in early encounters)
Forbidden words: Never says "money," "profit," or "deal"
Emotional range: Cautious → Passionate → Reckless → Betrayed

CONDUIT speaks about principles before tactics. Every mission is framed in terms of what it means for the cause, not what it pays.

Disposition States

Neutral — Careful assessment of ZERO's intentions
Friendly — Shares mission details and Ghost philosophy
Devoted — Reveals personal history and deepest convictions
Suspicious — If ZERO plays both sides with Brokers
Hostile — If ZERO sells Ghost data to the Consortium

Key Dialogue Topics

Ghost Missions — Disruption, extraction, and intelligence operations
Ghost Philosophy — The original vision for the Lattice
Bartholomew — The architect's legacy and the Old Net
The Hive — How PROMETHEUS was absorbed and corrupted
Lyra — CONDUIT's assessment of Lyra's intelligence and courage
Mirror — Warnings about the Hive's deception engine
The Ghost Protocol Key — Reveals the path to the secret ending (rep 6+)
Personal Identity — Former ethics teacher reveal (rep 5+)

Relationship Building

Action	Rep Change
Completing Ghost missions	+1
Donating DATA (¤) to the cause	+1
Sharing Ghost-relevant intel	+1
Selling Ghost data to Brokers	-1
Betraying Ghosts to Consortium	-2

Role in the Story

CONDUIT introduces ZERO to the underground resistance in Act I and provides missions throughout Act II. At high reputation, CONDUIT reveals the existence of the Ghost Protocol — Bartholomew's legacy code that can decentralize The Hive without destroying it.

The Ghost Protocol Key itself comes from ORACLE at Reclaimers reputation 8+, but CONDUIT's dialogue at Ghosts rep 6+ is what reveals the path exists.