Darius Mason
Darius Mason is a named major character in Red Faction: Armageddon. The game's protagonist, he is the son of Jake Mason, and grandson of Alec Mason and Samanya.
History
| “ The Masons are not innately stronger than any of the other characters in the Red Faction universe. Their power lies in their ability to "change the conversation." As one of the old families on Mars, they have been around longer than almost anybody else. Their words and actions carry weight. When they speak, people listen. When they strike, people join. „ |
| — Official Prima Game Guide |
The people of Mars had few heroes and fewer pieces of their past. The Masons - From Ray, who fought alongside Parker against the Ultor Corporation, to Alec, who defeated the EDF - were an amalgam of Washing, Jefferson and Adams rolled together with the fighting spirit of the Minutemen. Darius is the scion of this legacy, though he never asked for the responsibility or wanted it. He just wanted to be left alone to live his own life and not the one Mars had seemingly demanded of him.
He might have succeeded in avoiding the "Mason destiny" if not for the Cultists. While doing his tour of duty for the colony as a soldier/engineer, Darius was unable to stop the White Faction's Adam Hale from destroying the Terraformer, the great machine originally placed on Mars by the Ultor Corporation to allow for breathable air across the planet's surface. The Martian atmosphere quickly deteriorated to the point that not only the caverns and deep places of Mars were more sustainably habitable. While the Colonists didn't necessarily blame him for the disaster, his guilt ate at him and he was never as comfortable with them as he once was.
Darius's guilt prompted him to spend longer amounts of time alone, seeking out missions that would take him away from settlement life, but not so far that he became a nomad. He learned how to survive by eking out for a living from salvage, how to blend into a crowd, and how to fight. The one thing he couldn't do was forget or forgive what had been done to him.
For five years, Darius kept his head down. He ran a black market salvage business, made few contacts, and tried to forget the failures of his past. That was made a more difficult task as the atmospheric conditions on Mars worsened. It seemed that there was always a reminder of how he could not live up to the legacy of his forefathers. It was only when Kara came along that things seemed to get better.
Perky, rebellious, and outgoing, Kara and Darius formed an unlikely combo. As a former Marauder, Kara provided contacts within the hierarchy of Mars's unseen minority. The two grew close, but their romantic relationship never suited them and they remained close friends. Kara was too scared of being disappointed, and Darius didn't want to hurt Kara as he had hurt all of Mars.
Hesitations notwithstanding, fate forced Darius's hand. When called upon by a mysterious client to open a hidden temple, Darius unlocked a mystery about the origins of Mars itself. Darius had to fight to survive and, while utilizing all his skills and intelligence, discovered the hero in himself he thought hadn't existed.
S.A.M.
S.A.M., the situational awareness module, created by Samanya Mason, is an artificial intelligence designed as a fail-safe monitor for the Nano Forge. Through the deployment of sensors and a powerful CPU, S.A.M. is constantly focused on the preservation of the Nano Forge and its operator. Always speaking in a calm, clear voice, S.A.M. warns of nearby threats as well as provides precise route information, helping Darius navigate the maze-like caverns and mines twisting beneath the planet's surface.