Romer Shoal

**Romer Shoal** is the main protagonist of the single-player campaign in Disintegration.

## Summary

Shoal is a former Gravcycle pilot and leader of a small Integrated resistance, the Outlaws, who hope to overthrow the Rayonne forces and restore humanity.

Romer was once a celebrity and host of a popular Gravcycle show called Cradle to Grav. When the vehicles were outlawed, he turned to repossessing and smuggling them, which ultimately landed him in the Iron Cloud. He has a self-serving checkered past. His story is one of second chances and redemption. Name origin: ‘Romer Shoal’ is a place name, adopted early on in his public career. He may have been an influence for other rebellious types, who chose to use pseudonyms after Integrating, to redefine themselves and allude authorities.

## History

**Family**

As oceans rose and seawalls failed, millions of displaced residents of coastal cities were relocated to ever expanding inland metropolises. Romer’s mother, father, and older sister were among these people, destined for the prefabricated slums of a city that would resent the influx of these domestic refugees. Inadequate medical facilities resulted in his mother’s death soon after his birth. Romer’s father, an engineer by trade and disabled veteran, took on high risk manufacturing jobs just to make ends meet. Some of these components would later be used in early armature prototypes. Most of Romer’s early rearing was left to his disapproving sister. As soon as he was able, Romer spent all his waking hours running with the neighborhood youths in the lawless housing projects.

**Early-life**

Romer quickly gained a reputation as the kid who would always take a dare. His stunts led to petty crime, but it was never about money. It was the thrill of the chase and his friends’ awe that he craved.

**Gravcycles**

Consumer gravcycles at the time were insanely expensive, so Romer used his charms to convince owners to allow him to ride their precious machines. He bought a set of leathers and sold himself as a hotshot "gravcycle pilot." He managed to have these owners pay to pilot their own gravcycles, just so they could ride like him. It was the name ‘Romer Shoal’ that sealed the deal. More for himself than the potential clients. Changing his name allowed him to fully commit to this new persona. And since his birth was never registered, he seized the opportunity to erase his humble beginnings.

**Jobs**

Romer parlayed the profits from his personal piloting business into competing in the GC-T (Gravcycle Trails). These extravagant events featured performance gravcycle piloting that required precision and nerve. Over the top obstacles guaranteed impressive stunts and spectacular wipe-outs. Even though Romer never set foot on the winners’ podium, he excelled at playing to the crowd and quickly became a fan favorite. Sponsors and gravcycle manufacturers took note and it wasn’t long before he was approached by a production company. He was offered a co-host gig for a brand new gravcycle review show called ‘Cradle to Grav’. At first, he was simply required to run the gravcycles through their paces while his broadcast veteran partner delivered the review. But it was Romer’s hotdogging, charisma, and catch phrases that outshone his co-host, and by season two, it was solely Romer’s show.

**Cradle to Grav**

As the Rayonne began its insidious rise to power, Romer became less significant. His ratings plummeted and sponsors withdrew. Having never been fiscally responsible, Romer found himself in debt. In an act of desperation, he began to solicit payment for favorable reviews. This decision soon backfired, as even his diehard fans began to doubt his credibility.

It was at this time when his management team suggested that he integrate. Romer jumped at the chance to hit the reset button. For a while it worked. The public’s curiosity was piqued and Romer’s celebrity status was back. But the desire for his show waned once more as world economies began to nosedive. The final nail in the coffin came soon after, when Human Liberty Coalition (HLC) radicals displayed a gravcycle with mock weapons attached, at an integration protest rally. The powers that be, immediately outlawed gravcycles and pressured the manufacturers into recalling them.

**Smuggling**

Romer was out of a job and now owed money to some serious people. As the Rayonne began to step out of the shadows to take control, one of Romer’s creditors sold his debt to an ambitious integrated man. This man was steadily rising through the Rayonne’s ranks, gaining notoriety as a ruthless hunter of those who opposed integration. He was known as Black Shuck by those who feared him.

Faced with a choice of prison, serious physical harm, or repossessing gravcycles, Romer chose the latter. Stealing gravcycles was easy, it was the uncertain fates of the owners that weighed heavily upon him. Romer was powerless to do anything for them, so he eased his conscience by smuggling gravcycles to the HLC, who were now arming the illegal machines and using them in skirmishes against the Rayonne. It started with one or two at first, but the admiration of the humanitarian movement emboldened him to take greater risks. His smuggling was eventually discovered by Shuck, and landed Romer in a solitary cell on an Iron Cloud.