urukhai — Roleplayer Guild

The year is 2055, and the world is a much different place. The world’s population has exploded in the past few generations, causing the already crowded streets of the world’s major cities to fill to near bursting. This plus upheavals in cultural and the international infrastructure, strained many of the worlds old governments to the near implosion point, a few actually falling in the upheaval. But the chaos was to be short lived, as mega corporations used this moment to seize power from most of the old governments of the world. They restored order, their kind of order, without much of a fight. 
To compensate for the population demands huge public works projects began. Great Hab towers began erupting from the skylines, soon coming to dominate the view. As the great towers reached their final heights huge platforms began to be constructed between them, sealing them as the crowns of the sky, and the Rich away from the masses. 
These cities were aptly named Neo Cities, for their new approach and the new order which they served.

That was the hope anyway.  

Welcome to Neo Roma Built over what was once called Chicago, it was one of the original Neo cities (Now commonly called hives by the people of the lower city). It was once the shining example of what the New Order and the new cities were supposed to represent, a fresh start for us all. For a time it embodied this dream, but as time went on and the population of the city just kept rising, due to immigration and natural births, the city changed. It began with the Police losing their already tenuous grasp on the Ground Level, allowing the crime lords to infest and control that part of the city, and has continued with the introduction of the drug only known as Red Spice.

Now what was once called "The city of dreams and new hope", seems to not be able to make itself dream past tomorrow. Still that has not stopped motivated individuals who have taken up the good fight in the under city, but theirs is an uphill fight as new players on the top and on the ground have entered the game. 

The only question I pose to you now is this. Will you be the one to save the city, or will you seize what its underbelly has to offer?

But no matter what you choose remember this, nothing in Neo Roma is ever as it seems.

Setting

Ground Level:
 The slums, the outcasts, the dregs of society. All of these names could describe the dark, dirty, cramped, streets of the Ground Level, or "Under City" as it is also known. It is here that Spice has really taken hold. There are no police here; as no person with a badge would set foot down here, out of fear of the street-lords. There is little light down here, besides what the shops, apartments and flickering street lights put out, this is because the entirety of the Under city is covered by the over hangs of the Mid-Low. 

Wealth Level: Poor – Very poor 

Average Living Conditions: Large “Apartment Buildings” where the “Apartments” are simply small sleeping pods built into the walls in large stacks and numbers. 

Above Average Living conditions: A small single room Apartment

Notable Places: Dosen Street, Hive block A, The ghost-town (ruined industrial complex from the old city)

Notes: The Under City is the most populous by a large margin, leading to very cramped conditions. Spice flows like water down here and crime is a common way of life. Most Healthcare is run out of free Clinics, which of often overburdened by the demand. Due to near to no police presence at the bottom,  vigilantes are usually the only thing keeping the Crime Lords and gangs in check. 

Mid-Low Level:
 The Mid-Low, or the Roots district, makes up the lowest spots on the Hab Towers and the surrounding platforms. The Mid-Low is also the beginnings of what one could call the “Middle Class” though even that would be a slight stretch of the truth of the matter. The entirety of the Mid-Low is split up into 3 “Rungs”. The first being the parts of the mid-low built on the platforms that form the roof over the lower city. The second Rung is the first homes and businesses located in the tower proper, with the smallest Rung being the third (which takes up the five floors beneath the Mid-Up).

Wealth Level: Lower Middle class - Poor

Average Living Conditions: Single room apartments, with most appliances being able to be stored in the walls, thus giving it a bit more space when required 

Above Average Living conditions: Two roomed apartments, usually a bed room and a living space (with attached bathroom), though this is not always the case. They can be fold away like the single rooms or can have (what we consider to be) normal furniture.

Notable Places: The outer deck, Lift C (The “Gateway to the ground level”, really it’s one of many, but is simply the biggest), The roof

Notes: It is here that one would begin to see Spice users out in the open, though not as prolific as they would be in the Under City. The police force will patrol this area, but only in large groups and only sparingly from time to time. 

The Veiw from the third Rung of the Mid-Low

Mid-Up Level:
 The unofficial buffer zone between the Upper level and the lowers, the Mid Up encompasses much of the middle portion of the Hab Towers, ending right before the Canopy begins. It is here that the higher parts of the middle class make their home and do their business. Unlike its sibling, the Mid-Low, the Mid-Up is not separated into Rungs and is instead treated as a whole.

Wealth Level: Upper Middle Class – Lower Middle Class

Average Living Conditions: Two (or three) roomed apartments with an attached bathroom. Usually using variable furniture, instead of the fold away furniture. 

Above Average Living conditions: Apartments that have more than three rooms, usually around four but no more than 5.  Almost exclusively using variable furniture, these apartments are the beginnings of the opulence that is most predominant in the Canopy, but can be shown here. 

Notable Places: Sorinsen Library, The “Staircase” (large mall like area)

Notes: Any Spice done here is done behind closed doors, as the police patrol around this level quite regularly. It is also on this level that augments would begin to be seen. 

Upper Level:
 The home to the rich and their entourages. The Upper Level, or "Canopy", is the shining example of what money can buy. Always clean, police wherever they can be spared, trees and flowers running down the center of the streets from the recessed plant boxes, not a sniff of spice anywhere in the open. Holoscreens dot the sides of the streets, and in small kiosks, advertising things of all sorts, as well as running the news a set intervals during the day and night (this is in contrast to the ground level where near to all of the screens are bugged, broken, or behind protective barriers) . It is never poorly lit here as well, being bathed in the sun in the day, and illuminated with multiple recessed streetlights as well as overhanging ones during the night. Truly it can be said that here the only worry a person would have is when and where the next dinner party is, or if the business deal will go through. 

Wealth Level: Ultra Rich - Rich

Average Living Conditions: Multi room apartments that usually have the same square footage of a small house, or open concept with modular furniture.

Above Average Living conditions: Multi room apartments with the same square footage as an average sized home, or in rare cases slightly bigger. 

Notable Places: Tetri-Corvatta Headquarters, City Council chambers, The Gardens, Police HQ

Notes: Spice is almost unheard of here and is only used in private behind at least two locked doors, due to its Opulence police are everywhere. Augments are much more common here.

<///The history of the modern Augmentations is a long history, beginning in the early 2000's with breakthroughs in prosthetic limbs. The greatest breakthrough, however, can be traced to 2029 with the discovery of Amalgam, a synthetic substance which acts as a bonding agent and as a communication conductor between the non-organic augmentations (now commonly referred to as Augs) and the organic tissue of the host. At first the Augmentations were limited to large things like bones and full limbs, but recent breakthroughs have allowed doctors to weave augmentations into the muscle tissue of a host and even (reportedly) into synaptic pathways of the body. While the great expense of Augmentations has been historically seen as a limiting factor in who could receive them, Tetri-Corvatta (Neo Roma's foremost medical technologies company) has continued to express that it stands by its pledge to the people and will continue research into creating cheaper and more accessible Augs.///>  - Article snippet from the Neo Roma News, dated March second 2055.

The newest drug, Red spice has come into the scene in a big way. No one knows where it comes from, and it appears few criminal organizations can actually replicate it, driving prices up. It is inhaled or ingested and is usually sold by the half gram (or less). The drug itself comes in two forms, which dictate appearance and effects:

1) Unprocessed. This variation of Red Spice is untreated and unprocessed, making its appearance that of coarse crimson sand. It has the strongest effects with psychoactive elements (such as auditory and visual hallucinations), a state of absolute calm, and reduced metabolism. It is however the easiest to burnout (overdose) with, as no two cases are alike 

2) processed. Just as the name implies, this variation of red spice has been treated with a purifying process, giving it the texture and appearance of fine blood red flower. It lacks the visual hallucinations of the unprocessed and cuts down on the auditory as well, but keeps the feeling of calm and the reduced metabolism. It is the hardest to burn out with, as two and a half grams usually needs to be used within a very short span for burnout to occur  

What is Burnout?: Simply put, Burnout iw when so much red spice is used that the synapses of the brain literally begin to become confused and misfire, resulting in uncontrolled speech and seizing and ending with death as the synapses deteriorate rapidly.

The general aesthetic of this 2055 is easiest to be seen in Deus ex Human Revolution, with holo screens replacing the LED and plasma of today, as well as "dumb" AI's being used in various processes around the city (such as in smart homes, manufacturing, database maintaining, etc..). Another thing that should be noted, is that most of the maintenance work of the city is run by robots, and the police also have access to security droids.

Name:
Gender:
Age:
Appearance:
Equipment:
Job (Vigilante, criminal, crime-boss, Etc) :
Aliases (If necessary):
Notoriety/Fame Rating: 
Personalty:
History:

Notoriety/Fame is on a ranking scale of C-A with C being the lowest. The ranking of C means that you are a unknown, no-one knows your face or name, B would be you are well known among the lower levels (and this is where the divide of fame and Notoriety would begin) with a B rank in Fame security in the Mid-Low might turn a blind eye and most low level criminals will fear you. For Notoriety it is the opposite the Guards might fear you, but they will also pursue you with some amount of vigor.

The A rank is recognition in the Upper Level, everyone knows you, and loves you or hates you. Fame at this level would be an almost mythical status, you are known to everyone (or just the criminals you hunt, depends on how well of a low profile you keep). Notoriety at this level however is abject control and fear, at this point a Criminal or Crime-boss would probably be running a large operation and be known by all departments of the Neo Police, but most would be too panicked by them to even attempt an arrest, save for the most dedicated officers among them. 

If you need any more info on the system, feel free to ask.

and that seems to be it for now, if you have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to drop me a line!
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