Forlorn Hope

The Forlorn Hope was the name of a notorious bar in Night City, located in the former Hotel Sierra.

Overview
In 2020, the Forlorn Hope was located in South Night City, not far from Charter Hill and the Combat Zone. By 2045, the area the had become part of the Combat Zone of Little China.

2010s - 2020s
Forlorn Hope was founded by John Freeman and William Dolarhyde between 2011 and 2015, occupying an old Victorian-style building known formerly as Hotel Sierra. Although Solos comprised most of its clientele, the bar catered to other freelances, including Netrunners and Fixers. Its location was only known to its small group of very close-knit patrons, and it did not advertise.

2040s
By the 2040s, the Forlorn Hope's neighborhood was now firmly in the Combat Zone of Little China. It was described as a a quiet neighborhood bar located down a few stairs below street level, with a well-stocked bar to one side. Its clientele were mostly a mix of veteran edgerunners, experienced military or law enforcement, and a few of the best Solos in the Night City area.

In 2045, a dreadful event took place in the Hope. On a Wednesday night during the Bozos Hilaria 2045, a group of the prankster gang showed up in school buses and parked in front of the bar. When confronted by their choice of parking, the Bozos opened fire on everyone in sight, causing 11 deaths and damage to the exterior facade and kitchen of the bar. Former members of the Back Bay Brawlers — including Grace Steel — and a few Solos managed to drive them off. People who witnessed the event said the attack was unprovoked. An unknown party took the corpses of the Bozos and left no trace of their presence. When asked about this attack, other Bozos said they knew nothing about it.

This event stuck with the Solos who, while the Bozos were still participating in their Hilaria 2045, decided to give them some payback. While engaged in battle, a new group of Bozos appeared from manholes. The Solos recognized them as the ones who had attacked the Hope, though they were different. This new group had a twisted mechanical laugh and attacked everyone in sight, including other Bozos. Despite being shot down, they would continue to laugh unless their heads were smashed in. In the end, both the Bozos and the Solos came to an understanding after dealing with this new group dubbed as the Dirty Bozos. It was revealed this attack on the Forlorn Hope was perpetuated by Big Top, who wanted to outdo his fellow Bozos in the prank arena.

Militech Major Veronica Stiles contacted a crew of mercs to find the ones responsible for the death of her daughter, Jezz Stiles. She met them at the Hope's back office. Rogue Amendiares would occasionally meet up-and-coming edgerunners who were not qualified to enter the Afterlife at the Forlorn Hope, with the approval of the bar's owner Marianne, that is.

The Hope was the main meeting place from which Veronica Stiles guided a group of mercs in taking down the Reaper, an AI from the Old Net and the one responsible for her daughter's death.

2045

 * John "The Professor" Freeman
 * Marianne Russell Freeman
 * Doc Stoic
 * Grace Steel