ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

Doctor Hill is among the most dangerous enemies of the Virtual Adepts in the Technocracy, especially because he appears to be so innocuous. What could a Void Engineer mathematician do against the masters of information? But the Virtual Adepts have begun to realize that he may be a bigger threat against their vision than the entire New World Order. Because Dr. Hill is redefining reality against Virtual Adept Ascension.

Dr. Hill is not even well known among mathematicians outside his own field, Automata and Complexity Theory. Those mathematicians and computer scientists who know of him are generally very impressed. His theories and proofs are masterpieces of cold elegance, defining and exploring what is possible for computers to do, and what is not. Few realize that his theorems about the computational power of generalized Turing Machines also limits the abilities of the computers of the Virtual Adepts and Sons of Ether. He has ruthlessly demonstrated certain mathematical problems which cannot be solved using any computer, or that they cannot ever be solved faster than certain bounds. To most mathematicians these are just fascinating ideas, but to the Virtual Adepts this is a direct and deadly attack. Dr. Hill is successively narrowing down the paradigm regarding what is computable and not, and apparently seeks to once and for all define immutable limits on all forms of computation.

Naturally, Dr. Hill has met with some resistance. While most of the Traditions, including many Virtual Adepts, don't realize the danger he poses, the Chaoticians fight him at every opportunity. They wage an abstract war against Dr. Hill and his followers in mathematical journals, on conferences and in the computer science community. Dr. Hill fights back, both using his dreaded precision and eye for any flaws in an argument, and the more subtle support of the Technocracy. Strangely, the Chaotician papers have trouble getting published while the supporters of Hill almost always get into prestigious journals. There have even been some direct attempts on his persona, but Dr. Hill has an uncanny ability to never be where he ought to be. Tracking him is almost impossible.

Despite his intimidating reputation among the Chaoticians, Dr. Hill is rather unremarkable when met in person. He is a short, middle aged man with balding hair and horn-rimmed glasses. He speaks quickly and precisely, never ending his lectures or explaining things to his audience. His humor is dry and usually only comprehensible to other mathematicians, although he politely smiles to any attempts at joking. He would disappear into the academic crowd if it wasn't for his charisma: his presence is felt. It's not known where he lives or if he has a family, somehow investigations never turn up anything.

Among the Void Engineers, Dr. Hill is a major figure. Although the convention is most known for its space research, all forms of basic science are its domain. Dr. Hill is the Research Director of the Mathematics Research Group (MRG, also called the Mathemagicians by others), which deals with the continued development of mathematics and related sciences like logic and statistics. The MRG cooperates with many other groups in the Technocracy, most notably the Particle Physics Research Group (PPRG), Iteration X and the statistics department of the New World Order.

Dr. Hill is very respected among the Void Engineers, where he has an influential role. Although the space division isn't as involved in mathematics as it used to be, it realizes the importance of Hill's work. Iteration X is also interested in it, but a bit ambivalent (if that is possible for them) due to some of the limitations his theories could place upon their paradigm. The New World Order is quite happy with his work, especially since he helped them design the provably safe operating system for their computers.

Dr. Hill himself is a careful man. He is very intelligent, and has long ago learned the risks and benefits of being an administrator in the Technocracy, not to mention how far the rules can be bent or manipulated. He is also convinced that the Technocracy represents the only hope for mankind; without its stability and efficiency, the world would degenerate into despicable chaos and decay. Most of the Traditions are not any real dangers, since their paradigms are so far from the consensus that very few people would seek them. But the Virtual Adepts represents a subtle danger. By riding piggyback on the Technocracy paradigm, they have managed to gain more power and influence than is acceptable and safe. Their visions are dangerous, because they could convince the Masses in the beginning, and eventually lead to disastrous consequences. Therefore Dr. Hill has embarked on a personal quest to stop them long before they get any chance to fight back.

Chaos theory is another area Dr. Hill is doing his best to deal with. He cannot do anything about it (his predecessor as Research Director of the MRG let for some inscrutable reason the area develop too far before stepping in, and then it was too late), but he has appointed a research team to try to bring some control over chaos. Another worry is the area of Differential Geometry. Some recent results have disturbing implications, although so far just Dr. Hill and some of his trusted colleagues have noticed it. These results show a definite Nephandi influence, implying the existence of strange and threatening structures both in mathematics and in physical reality. Dr. Hill is secretly trying to trace the theorems to their source.

Dr. Hill is a frightening opponent. Although he might not be dangerous on the physical plane, his influence over consensual reality is strong. Given some time, he can disprove any theory he doesn't like or add defences to consensual reality against most effects. He is slowly sealing all holes in reality, making it orderly and logical. Inside it there will be no room for Ascension.

Essence: Dynamic
Nature: Perfectionist
Demeanor: Teacher
STR 1, DEX 1, STA 2
CHA 3, MAN 3, App 2
PER 3, INT (ordered) 5, WIT 3
Skills: Expression 3, Subterfuge 2, Drive 2, Leadership (research director) 4, Computer (theory) 4, Enigmas (mathematical problems) 5, Research 3, Linguistics (German, French, Russian, Japanese) 4, Science (mathematics) 5
Willpower 7, Arete 5
Spheres: Corr. 4, Entropy 5, Mind 1, Prime 4
Foci: Entropy & Prime —, all Spheres — mathematics
Backgrounds: Allies 4, Arcane 4, Status 5

Roleplaying Tips

You believe in order, elegance and consistency. Always point out when something is wrong, inaccurate or just fuzzy. If you make a mistake, point it out and correct it.

Quote

"...but since the memory usage grows as ordo n log n for any algorithm of this type, while the upper bound of the memory modules of the system is finite, we find that any sufficiently large problem in these classes will be unsolvable on any set of generalized Turing machines. They just aren't big enough."