Overview
So this began as an Alchemical game a long, long, long, time ago! I think I first began formulating this game back in 2011, and began kicking it around RPOL in like 2018. Never opened it for recruiting mind you, I was just playing around with the setting.

After a decade of planning I realized a couple of things. First, I don't really like Exalted as much as I did ten years ago. Second, I really wanted to alter the setting of Autocthonia to the point it wasn't Autocthonia anymore. I liked certain things, like the strange Magitech/Cyberpunk/Steampunk combination that just works. Also communism! And I like the idea of the main characters being Champions. One part religious figure, one part political actor, and one part super hero. I wanted to amplify the the celebrity portion of the characters, as well as make the world a bit more dynamic. I liked the alien reality aspect of Autocthonia's world body, but I wanted to see it grounded in a world we are comfortable with.

If I had to describe the state of the world in this game, I would say it's more similar to the Wyld in Creation. Humanity's toying with the Boundary has torn the fabric of reality. On the Earth there are places where the laws of physics have completely broken down. Humans and wildlife are mutated to the point of being unrecognizable. In the worst case scenario there are places where the Boundary has completely broken down, and Void Entities from the Imaginary Number Domain can enter into our reality.

Humanity's only sanctuary from this collapse in reality are the Mobile Cities. Flying crafts each roughly the size of Manhattan. These moving fortresses travel the surface of the Cursed Earth. They each house a population of over 2 million, and are composed of inner and outer cities. The reason for the Cities migration is to move into areas where the tears in reality are mild. Due to the chaotic nature of Earth's surface these periods of calm can last for weeks. A Warp Storm can appear at a moments notice, forcing the city to move to safer areas less they be overwhelmed by Void Entities, and other calamities.

At the heart of each Mobile City is a Nexus. This machine, once used to tear open the Boundary in the Age of Fools, is now used to produce a field that holds reality together. Should a Nexus ever be destroyed, the Mobile City will fall. Because the Nexus is located in the heart of the each city, the areas closest to it are populated by the higher echelons of society. Meanwhile the outer layers are heavily populated by workers, whose labor is necessary to keep the city maintained. The further away from the heart of the city, the more likely for Warp Mutations to occur.

Warp Mutations are similar to the transformations that happen to Apostates in Autocthonia. Men and Women who are on the lowest hierarchy of society are even forced to venture outside of the Mobile City, to preform repairs and gather resources from the Cursed Earth. If a worker is inflicted with Warp Mutations, the usual cure is amputation. The parts are replaced with Cybernetics, as metal is harder to mutate (but it's still possible). If multiple amputations happen the worker will slowly lose their humanity. Borgs are considered useful, but dangerous in society. If the Warp Mutations are not removed a human will slowly evolve into a Dreg. Dregs are mutated creatures who can retain their minds, but cannot interact with normal humans without also inducing more Warp Mutations (touching). Because of this they are cast out of cities, or killed on sight. Out in the Cursed Earth they gather together in tribes.

Finally we have the Arrayed. The heroes of the Mobile Cities, who are meant to exemplify everything virtuous to each specific city. In the Character Creation thread I go more into detail about what Arrayed are, but briefly they are very similar to the Alchemicals. Especially in regards to how they are chosen, and how many resources it takes to make one.

In following posts I will go over more specific aspects of this setting.

Timeline

Lexicon
Age of Fools: A time period marked by unrestricted use of Magitech. During this time the downside of using Magitech was largely unknown and ignored. This ignorance would lead to several Resonance Cascades that altered the minds of many OWG citizens. This would lead to the eventual downfall of the OWG, and the creation of the Cursed Earth.

The Arrayed: Created at the end of the Dark War as a possible evolution of mankind. The Arrayed were specifically designed to use Magitech without succumbing to Warp Mutation. In the years following the Dark War, and the formation of the Mobile Cities, the Arrayed became widely known as the saviors of True Humanity.

Ars Armiger: A weaponized form of Magitech. Their creation quickly spiraled out of control during the Dark War, to the point where little of Earth's surface is unaffected by them. Use of Armiger's safely by humans requires special suits to prevent Warp Mutations. Within the Mobile Cities they are exclusively used by the Arrayed who are the only ones who can use them safely without fear of mutation. Unlike the Ars Magus, Armigers will usually take the shape of something that can be worn or held in the hand.

Ars Magus: The practical application of Magitech. Despite being the indirect cause of the Cursed Earth, Ars Magus are still required for humanity to survive even within the Mobile Cities. Municipal Ars Magus effect the daily lives of everyday citizens, controlling climate systems and food growth. Medical Ars Magus keep the population healthy, and are necessary to combat Warp Mutation that is a common threat to citizens. Unlike Armigers, Ars Magus are usually not hand held, or easily transported. The machine needed to create the field is usually hidden behind the interface, so people only see the effect, and not the process when using Ars Magus. This is considered a good thing, as looking into the Boundary can cause psychotic breakdown.

Borg: A derogatory word for Cyborg. While cybernetic implants have been available to humans for thousands of years, it only became widespread during the age of the Mobile Cities due to rampant Warp Mutation. One out of every ten adults will have a cybernetic implant of some kind. These can range to cutting edge implants that are much better than natural parts, to basic prosthetics that lack precision and strength. Cybernetic implants for citizens are provided by their Assembly. A worker's merit and station dictate they level of implant awarded if one is needed. Those who have an abundance of cyber modifications are seen as dangerous and inhuman. It is incredibly rude to refer to someone with implants as a "borg" to their face.

The Boundary: A dimensional wall that separates the Real Number Domain from the Imaginary Number Domain. The foundation of Magitech relies on breaking down this barrier in order to generate field that allows for reality altering effects. During the Age of Fools the Boundary required massive amounts of energy to pierce, but after the Dark War pockets of the Boundary will open naturally on the surface of Earth. This weakening of the Boundary is what has created the Cursed Earth.





Notable Inspiration
2000 AD (Judge Dredd)
Exalted: Alchemicals
Shadowrun
The Shin Megami Tensei Series (Notably Digital Devil Saga)
Blazblue
Guilty Gear
Warframe
Nier/Nier Automata
Xenogears/Xenosaga/Xenoblade
The Matrix
Snowpiercer
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Darling in the Franxx
Mobile Suit Gundam: Ironblooded Orphans
Robotech


Main Theme: Vanquish
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:08, Mon 02 Aug 2021.

Overview
Humanity as we know it has been concentrated in massive mobile cities that hover over the ruins of the old world. Around 50 of these Cities migrate across the world, coming into contact with one another every so often. Their populations range from 800k-3m, and have different sizes depending one when they were made. The oldest are the largest, while the younger ones are much smaller. The largest city, Elysium, has a diameter of 10,000 meters.

Sheol, the main mobile city in this game, has a diameter of 6,000 meters. It holds a population of 2 million. It was one of the original 10 Mobile Cities created, but it along with the 9th and 10th weren't fully finished by the time of the Last Resonance Cascade. Because of this certain parts of the city weren't finished until many years later, and it has only given birth to four daughter cities in the last 1000 years.

The Mobile Cities are notable for there adherence to Syndicalism, with each citizen being apart of one of the Eight Assemblies of Workers:

• The Encephalon
• The Pneuma
• The Dynamis
• The Kardia
• The Elpis
• The Ygeia
• The Eleutheria
• The Apistos

Technically, each Assembly is equal to the other. But due to each Assembly having complete control over certain functions of the city, some have precedence over others. In Sheol the Dynamis, Pneuma, and Kardia hold considerable power. Each Assembly has it's own emblem that is required to be worn on the clothing of every adult worker. At the age of 25 everybody is locked into the Assembly they will be apart of for the rest of their life. In most circumstances a citizen will be recruited into an Assembly around the age of 18-20. Those who weren't scouted, or could not pass an entrance exam, are usually forced into the Apistos at 25, the general labor force.

The city as a whole is presided by a Wiseman Committee that is formed of Autocrats elected by each Assembly internally. For many Assemblies the Autocrat is also considered the head of the Assembly as a whole, but for some like the Dynamis and Ygeia this is not true.

Each city is also presided over by The Exousia, an outside body that monitors each Mobile City and appraises them of situations in the wider world. It facilitates communication between cities, as signals over the Cursed Earth experience too much interference to be reliable. The Exousia monitors the world from above, as it's headquarters is in Earth's orbit. One of the last satellites to survive the Dark War.


Everyday Life in Sheol

Mobile City Theme: The Wretched Automatons
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:39, Sun 01 Aug 2021.

Cursed Earth Theme: Land of Morytha
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:15, Fri 30 July 2021.