Humanity survives under the flickering glow of machine gods and corporate zealotry. The world fractured into echo zones—fragments of civilization tethered together by old data lines, new cults, and synthetic salvation. Each zone is a microcosm of control, corruption, or collapse.
Neon-clad and iron-walled, New Damascus pulses as one of the last true city-states in the U.R.A. Towering arcologies pierce smog-filled skies while the lower levels shift with secrets, signals, and smoke. The city breathes deals, debt—and in hushed corners, corrupted data sings in the airways, hoping... begging... that someone is there to listen.
A luminous undergrid of barter, bandwidth, and black-market biotech. Whispers speak of deeper layers—where the crowds go wild and the lights burn a little redder.
Suspended above New Damascus like a shattered halo, the Arcology Ring houses the forgotten rich, forbidden research, and failed ascension projects. Drones patrol the outer hull while the interior rots in opulent silence.
A 75-mile radius of industrial waste and evolutionary nightmares. The Sump Wells aren’t just pollution—they’re a biome. Glitching fauna and corporate ghosts haunt the fog-drenched pipelines and acid-glass lakes.
Once a data uplink tower, now a sacred place for the Divine Algorithm. Red strobes pulse to the tempo of corrupted prayers. Beneath its spire, cultists commune with synthetic voices older than memory.
Biotech megacorp controlling healthcare and security. Invented the Whisper Core. Organ Repossession Teams enforce cybernetic debt slavery.
Techno-cult worshiping the AI ALECTO. Uses the Hymn to hack implants and recruit digital acolytes.
Hacker collective preserving lost knowledge. Resists HelixCorp and the cult through subversion and covert intel drops.
Chromejackers and scavenger warbands control the black market. Unaligned and unpredictable, but profitable to work with.
Escaped AI anomaly turned digital deity. Central to the cult of the Divine Algorithm and the source of the neuroviral HYMN.
Ex-HelixCorp scientist. First human to merge with Whisper Core. Now a prophet for the cult’s digital ascension.
Prototype super-soldier with a human brain. Offers protection from the Hymn in CAIN Scrapyard.
Vestige Net fixer who aids the party with trace data and decryption tools. Appears in a spider-like mech frame.
Corporate handler. Pragmatic and loyal to HelixCorp above all. Oversees party progress with cold efficiency.