Post by Insano-Man on Sept 18, 2018 19:32:26 GMT -5
This topic is a child of the Cloneston article directory.
THE RICH & THE WRETCHED
Life in Cloneston is a miserable, wretched existence. Basic services are unreliable, freedom is dangerous, and criminal enterprises hold as much sway as the artificial intelligences ruling the city. Venturing down from the safety of the city's upper levels is a risk few are ready for; monsters, rejected clones, and hazardous environments abound at the city's floor. Many are trapped in cycles of poverty akin to living in a warzone. Displacement is common, violence is rife, and simply going outdoors is a brush with death.
Poverty's impact is felt everywhere throughout Cloneston. Drug abuse, senseless violence, limited education, homelessness - there is simply no limit to the city's depravity. Clone armies ebb and flow throughout the city to contain its wealth of petty criminals. The shortage of trained experts leaves the city's AIs to wallow in their own insufficiency, exacerbating the conditions of decay and recurring failures with every day that goes by. In the end, the city's cycles of poverty are as much collective as they are individual; the unending chaos infects every level of Cloneston, from top to bottom.
As a result, many owe their allegiance - often out of desperation - to many of the crime families and vigilante networks in Cloneston's heights. Some are no more than bandit kingdoms, beating down and dragging in anyone too weak to resist. Some operate as businesses, often times legitimately, and provide for their members as employees. Others still are nation-states unto themselves, using Cloneston's infrastructure to provide for their people in their quest for dominance. Factions and archetypes are endless in the city.
Above all, hackers rule the day in Cloneston. Cyberwarfare experts are among the most influential of human agents and the most valued of AI assets. Many rule parts of the city alone, aided only by stolen clones and seized systems. Many more command strong positions of power in various criminal organizations - and often rise to lead them in the end. Those at the top of Cloneston's pile of scum and despair live glimmering lives of luxury and power, fuelled by a blundering cityscape of endless resources and exploitable systems.
While mutants and rejected clones are somewhat common, genuine aliens are incredibly rare. Thanks much to their bias towards space life, most are educated and distant enough to know to avoid the city. In contrast, aliens within Cloneston are often striking success stories; their sheer presence baffles clones and AIs alike. Many of the city's police force regard them with mixtures of primal fear and pathfinding errors. Most of the city's AIs are simply incapable of registering them as possible threats. Whether as outlandish as the boglanders or as familiar as the redworlders, aliens in Cloneston command a puzzling invisibility.
As a result, they can often move silently and efficiently, with little fear of being arrested or attacked. Most are highly sought-after by the city's various factions. High-profile AIs often go to great lengths to acquire their services. Unionites and sorassan are preferred in particular for their ability to disrupt and disorganize clones and various systems. Redworlders are often close runners-up thanks to their ability to easily masquerade as humans. Aliens with cyberwarfare talents are virtually untouchable, and the small sliver that inhabit the city are nearly as influential as its prime senators.
Cultist and Looney activity is sparse in Cloneston. Loonies rarely venture into the city; there is simply nothing of interest for them beyond potential threats. Further still, AI activity - especially from the city's prime intelligences - has strongly discouraged Looney bunkers from establishing themselves nearby. Similarly, cultists have little to benefit from Cloneston, as the meat has little room to grow in its confines. The Space Loonies, however, make occasional stops at its tallest points, particularly rooftop plates. Most are there to make deals with the city's ruling AIs, others on repair or reconnaissance missions.
THE RICH & THE WRETCHED
Life in Cloneston is a miserable, wretched existence. Basic services are unreliable, freedom is dangerous, and criminal enterprises hold as much sway as the artificial intelligences ruling the city. Venturing down from the safety of the city's upper levels is a risk few are ready for; monsters, rejected clones, and hazardous environments abound at the city's floor. Many are trapped in cycles of poverty akin to living in a warzone. Displacement is common, violence is rife, and simply going outdoors is a brush with death.
Poverty's impact is felt everywhere throughout Cloneston. Drug abuse, senseless violence, limited education, homelessness - there is simply no limit to the city's depravity. Clone armies ebb and flow throughout the city to contain its wealth of petty criminals. The shortage of trained experts leaves the city's AIs to wallow in their own insufficiency, exacerbating the conditions of decay and recurring failures with every day that goes by. In the end, the city's cycles of poverty are as much collective as they are individual; the unending chaos infects every level of Cloneston, from top to bottom.
As a result, many owe their allegiance - often out of desperation - to many of the crime families and vigilante networks in Cloneston's heights. Some are no more than bandit kingdoms, beating down and dragging in anyone too weak to resist. Some operate as businesses, often times legitimately, and provide for their members as employees. Others still are nation-states unto themselves, using Cloneston's infrastructure to provide for their people in their quest for dominance. Factions and archetypes are endless in the city.
Above all, hackers rule the day in Cloneston. Cyberwarfare experts are among the most influential of human agents and the most valued of AI assets. Many rule parts of the city alone, aided only by stolen clones and seized systems. Many more command strong positions of power in various criminal organizations - and often rise to lead them in the end. Those at the top of Cloneston's pile of scum and despair live glimmering lives of luxury and power, fuelled by a blundering cityscape of endless resources and exploitable systems.
While mutants and rejected clones are somewhat common, genuine aliens are incredibly rare. Thanks much to their bias towards space life, most are educated and distant enough to know to avoid the city. In contrast, aliens within Cloneston are often striking success stories; their sheer presence baffles clones and AIs alike. Many of the city's police force regard them with mixtures of primal fear and pathfinding errors. Most of the city's AIs are simply incapable of registering them as possible threats. Whether as outlandish as the boglanders or as familiar as the redworlders, aliens in Cloneston command a puzzling invisibility.
As a result, they can often move silently and efficiently, with little fear of being arrested or attacked. Most are highly sought-after by the city's various factions. High-profile AIs often go to great lengths to acquire their services. Unionites and sorassan are preferred in particular for their ability to disrupt and disorganize clones and various systems. Redworlders are often close runners-up thanks to their ability to easily masquerade as humans. Aliens with cyberwarfare talents are virtually untouchable, and the small sliver that inhabit the city are nearly as influential as its prime senators.
Cultist and Looney activity is sparse in Cloneston. Loonies rarely venture into the city; there is simply nothing of interest for them beyond potential threats. Further still, AI activity - especially from the city's prime intelligences - has strongly discouraged Looney bunkers from establishing themselves nearby. Similarly, cultists have little to benefit from Cloneston, as the meat has little room to grow in its confines. The Space Loonies, however, make occasional stops at its tallest points, particularly rooftop plates. Most are there to make deals with the city's ruling AIs, others on repair or reconnaissance missions.
