River Ward
| River Ward | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Side Character |
| Role | Romance option |
River Ward is a detective of the Night City Police Department. He believed nothing could top becoming a detective, and then learned that doing the right thing in Night City is harder than earning the badge. Every day is a moral struggle for him: play the game or give up a piece of his soul. He still shows up for work every morning ready to help. He is a romance option for a V with a female body.
Biography
Childhood
River and his sister Joss grew up on a small family farm that went under when the big corporations took over farming. Their parents opened a grocery shop and the family lived above it. One night, drugged thugs broke in looking for money. One of them killed River's father, then put a gun in the boy's hand and told him to shoot his own mother. River could not do it, and the thug killed her himself. The memory has never left him.
The Detective
River joined the police and became a detective. His first partner took his own life, sick of superiors who cared more about bribes than the law. River carried on, and later he partnered with Detective Han. He also helps his sister Joss raise her children after her husband dies, and he is close to her son Randy.
The Mayor's Death
River receives a tip that Mayor Lucius Rhyne is in danger and stops a cyberpsycho before the attacker can reach him. The press calls him a super cop. The mayor still dies later that night, officially of heart trouble. When V comes asking questions for Jefferson and Elizabeth Peralez, River helps track the mayor's last night to an exclusive sex club. They learn that Rhyne died from a poisoned braindance and that the deputy mayor ordered Han to cover it up. River tries to reopen the case and is suspended for it.
Randy
While suspended, River learns that his nephew Randy is missing and believes he was taken by Anthony Harris, the killer the press calls Peter Pan. Harris lies in a coma and cannot be questioned. V and River break into a police lab to study braindances of Harris's dreams, search Randy's room and follow the clues to the farms of the Badlands. If they reach the right farm in time, they rescue Randy and other children. River then goes to the hospital to kill Harris, but remembers the night his parents died and walks away.
River Ward Map
River Ward map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Personality
River is honest, warm and stubborn. He believes in the law even when the police force he serves does not. He is easily hurt by injustice and quick to act on it. He loves his family and puts them first, and he hides his pain behind jokes and a gentle manner.
Relationships
Joss is his sister, and her children Randy, Dorian and Monique are like his own. Jefferson and Elizabeth Peralez bring him into contact with V. Detective Han was his partner until the cover-up. Yawen Packard, a doctor at the police lab, is an old girlfriend. Anthony Harris is the man who took Randy.
Romance
River can only be romanced by a V with a female body. With only three side jobs, his is the shortest romance in the game: I Fought the Law, The Hunt and Following the River. In Following the River, a family dinner at Joss's farm ends with a quiet moment on top of the water tower, where V can kiss him. He also gives V his revolver there. After the romance begins, River stays in touch and invites V to visit.
Jobs
River first appears in I Fought the Law, a side job about the death of the mayor. The Hunt is the search for his missing nephew, and Following the River follows with a visit to his family.
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| Nocturne Op55N1 | Main Job |
| Following the River | Side Job |
| The Hunt | Side Job |
| I Fought the Law | Side Job |
Endings
After his side jobs River leaves the police and becomes a private investigator who looks for missing people. In several endings he sends V a message during the credits. In some he talks about his new work, and in others he jokes about giving seized weapons to more people like V.
If V turns away and never helps him search for Randy, River goes to the farm alone and dies there. If the search comes too late, Randy is dead, and River later sends V a message saying that he has killed Harris.
Notes
River can be called after his side jobs. In the romance, he becomes a regular part of V's life for the rest of the story.
His revolver, a gift on the water tower, can be added to V's collection.
All Side Characters