As the old world, back in Terra, started to fall apart, new society began to attain new, gruesome shapes on the Ether Islands. The breakthrough year of 2101 brings the rise of many while plaguing much more. As the Terra government commenced tightening the regulatory grip on society, some unrelenting elements refused to conform. The strict authoritarian tendencies forced out the rebelling misfits who constituted the advent of a new society. And the forming hierarchy on Ether Islands had little sense of remorse.
Ethics got dated, and the mad race for dominance took over. Suddenly, there was no place for sympathy. The stand-alone newcomers were the first to go. Luck started to favor selfishness. The little gangs and street crews soon found out that without the community, no one is likely to make it through another day. As the waves of Terra escapees commenced flooding the Ether Islands, like-minded individuals started to form syndicates. Unsurprisingly, the unrelenting waters of social turmoils opened the gate for calculative corporate extortionists, deranged technologists, and, lastly, the worst scum gathered on the filthy streets.
KORPO Syndicate — The White-Collar Dictators
Reigning over the shaping of a new society, the Korpo syndicate represents the legacy of old money. All the former bankers, brokers, lawyers, and old wealthy families gathered in the gargantuan glamor of the Metropolit City - the most ostensible business hub, spiring high toward the darkened skies.
Since its early inception, Korpo Syndicate has managed to take over every money-making asset. From factories, mines, and production plants, to business centers in the higher districts, all of it pays dues to the arch-extortionist, heartless white collars with emotional range on par with lizards and vermin.
Getting on the top of the social pyramid leaves Korpo Syndicate magnates with many skeletons in the closest. Furthermore, retaining their unshaken position at the pinnacle of the emerging social system indeed calls for a class of apt dictators. Korpos, needless to say, are goddamn good at it. Are you a calculative sociopath whose feelings fit into graphs and financial reports? Don’t hesitate. Roll up your sleeves and fasten your tie, for Korpo Syndicate longs for the ones of your kind.
Korpo Syndicate’s Values & Motivations
- Resources
- Political control
- Power
- Profit
In-Game Talent
Wealth: The control over every strategic point in a single district grants Korpo Syndicate players a bonus enabling them to purchase resources, such as vehicles or equipment, for a 50% discount off the original cost.
Midnight Crew - The Royalty Of The Night
The low-class rebels found common shelter in the Whaleland, the industrial area shrouded by smoke and reeking of factory exhaust. Midnight Crew has little sense of subtlety. The bloodthirsty scum, rugged punks, and wanna-be gangsters swarmed as the worst abomination of comely manners.
The self-entitled royalty of the night consists of former dead-end workers who gave up on the inhumane drudgery in the Korpo-owned factories and mines. Nowadays, Midnight Crew haunts every dark corner of the poor districts and rules casinos, strip clubs, whorehouses, and stinky pubs. No one is safe from their cruelty, and their means of persuasion are not limited to conventional ways.
The bloodshed in the erratic urban jungle of blue collars, rats, and filth broke loose, and Midnight Crew made it as card dealers. Are you starved for in-your-face violence and have no patience for the subtle moves? Look no further. The Midnight Crew scum keeps the door open. Maybe the royalty of the night will find you a new home.
Midnight Crews’s Values And Motivations
- Survival
- Loyalty
- Violence
- Nightlife
In-Game Talents
Urban domination: The Midnight Crew needs 25% less time to take over points in cities. In addition, they receive a 25% credit bonus when they purchase resources in each urban point they control.
HackHunters - The Tech-Savvy Lunatics
Hiding in the shadows, aside from the misery of the poor and the wealth of the rich, Hackhunters are evanescent wraiths who favor the gloomy chambers of Ether Islands’ underground. Hackhunters found their home in the poignant environment of the South Moon, once a theme park, soon after a contaminated shithole of toxic air. These deranged geeks are hard to be seen, yet you can see the traces of their trade everywhere. Soon enough, Hackhunters rebuilt the South Moon as a theme park again, albeit in their image.
Hackers, neuroscientists, and biochemical engineers, along with many other like-minded autistic lunatics, united in common obsession - pushing the limits of science and technology. Their main goal is to proceed in directions Terra government has strictly prohibited. Their fascination with connecting technical advancements with human flesh and AI with the human brain made them do horrible things. Not seldom, Hackhunters are buying up kidnapped kids and retired workers to practice their mad experiments on. If the results meet their expectations, Hackhunters sell the newly built cyborgs to Korpo Syndicate.
Sky’s the limit in tech and science. Scaling up their progress, Hackhunters are heading toward the futuristic dystopia. Well, what happens in the lab, stays in the lab — or you wish it did.
HackHunters’ Values And Motivations
- Technological advancement
- Science
- Knowledge
- No limits to experiments
In-Game Talents
Networking: HackHunters get a 10–40% credit bonus when they control several neighboring strategic sites that form a network, and this way, they gain resources. The benefit increases as they control more strategic points in a row.
Beyond The Syndicates
There's no happy ending here, despite the fact that the islanders managed to flee the universally despised Terra government. The three rival syndicates flaunt their authority and luxuriate in their haughtiness under the new chaotic administration, which dabbles in blood and guts. There is no such thing as "nefarious," hence nothing can stop them.
But avoid being misled, though. Midnight may flex their muscles, HackHunters may feel invincible in their cyborg skins, and Korpos may believe they tower high above them all. They occasionally just tend to forget who gives them the authority they exercise and how evil the shadows they serve are. The top of the pyramid is immune to guilt or regret. The Order continues to rule over every living and breathing thing from their unreachable home in Arcadya.
