Robert Casner (born 1 January 2050 ) is a research scientist who works in a top-secret Whitelab.

Early life and family

Robert Casner grew up in the suburbs of Sauklund, the child of two university professors who specialized in philosophy and political science. An introverted, shy child, Casner had few friends and spent hours in his basement playing with his chemistry set, building robots, conducting physics experiments, and reading continental philosophy. Casner attended Majestic Lakes University tuition free, where his parents worked. As in childhood, he made no close personal friendships but gained a reputation for being an insightful researcher.

Casner's father died of heart attack in 2075 despite never having had a medical condition, and his mother was indefinitely detained for alleged terrorist organizing activities in 2079. Worried that his parents' political activism might carry over to him, he accepted a highly paid position at a sub-lab outside of Rivertown.

After decades of fruitful research, in late 2112 he lost a drawing of straws among the scientists to determined who would go topside to make contact with survivors in Rivertown. He traveled to the city with Gretl Tarstuber, the chief of security. She fell to her death scoping out a building in April of 2113, leaving Casner alone, struggling, and miserable.

Disposition and traits

Casner is long on intellect and short on social graces. He tends to be quiet, turning over some problem in his mind rather than engaging in conversation. When he does speak, he tends to unintentionally rub people the wrong way. This has made him even less interested in developing personal relationships.

Life outside the sub-lab has been very stressful on Casner, who is a fastidious cleaner and obsessive-compulsive when it comes to order and organization. He moaned to Gretl that he would wish he would just die rather than carry on with his duties. Gretl, it has to be said, shared that same opinion.

Goals and motivations

Casner is only concerned with whatever intellectual challenge he currently faces. Once he solves a problem he puts it aside, forgets about it, and begins work on the next problem. Unlike his parents, he does not consider the ramifications of work on the wider society, he simply likes to solve problems.

Primary residence

Casner lived much of his adult life in a sub-lab. He currently wanders Rivertown.

Attributes and Abilities

The archetypal nerd, Casner is off the charts when it comes to intellectual matters and has virtually no physical abilities or social skills to speak of. It could also be said that his interests lie firmly in the realm of theoretical possibilty rather than practical application, which can be both enlightening and unfuriating for those around him.