Akheron
Akheron sits on the eastern shoreline and is the largest Kumori city in the world. Akheron itself is physically divided into multiple sections called rings, the inner most ring being the smallest and most densely populated. The rings themselves offer transportation either through the rail system that runs through them or by the roads on top. The two inner rings are connected by raised highways, the second ring having a two tiered system while the first ring has three. Most of Akheron's arcologies are inside the second ring. Since the arcologies were being constructed during the same time as it was, they were able to plan for their size and incorporate them into the ring's design.

An explosion in the third ring left Akheron surrounded by wastelands to the south and west, effectively cutting it off from the rest of the continent, save for Akheron's ports. Both the Kumori government and the Council operate out of the first ring.


Akheron Police Department (APD)
The APD is the only police force that's been trained by the Akheron military to fight monsters. While effective against small numbers, they were incapable of handling the flood that invaded Akheron after the second ring was damaged and had no choice but to allow the OAS to assist them. The OAS's talent for hunting monsters made the APD look completely incompetent, but what divided them the most was their disregard for civilian casualties. Once the rings were repaired, the APD fought to have the OAS's aid dropped, but it wasn't until the Slaughter that the APD got their wish. The APD are still responsible for dealing with monster outbreaks, but they're not allowed to engage Oneiroi.


Chipped
Chipped is street slang for anyone who has a tracking device implanted in them. Anyone who lives inside an arcology is required to have one, but the term is mainly used to describe magic offenders and trade violators who've been caught. The chips allow for individual tracking, biometric readings, personal identification and monetary transactions.


The Council
The Council is a multi-national trade organization that regulates trading as well as the creation of new technologies. It was created by the megacorps to protect their investments. They're based out of Akheron and their rules are enforced by the OAS and Council Ambassadors.


Council Ambassadors
Council Ambassadors are really powerful customs agents that enforce trade laws. They dress like businessmen and act like businessmen, but they have the authority to arrest you. However, most prefer not to issue it on site but instead report you later, without you knowing, and let the OAS deal with you.


ESKE
ESKE is a small team of mostly ex-OAS put together by Moloch to protect Genar. Despite their pervious jobs as OAS, it's rumored that ESKE is involved in Akheron's black market. The company is constantly under investigation by the Council. ESKE and the OAS don't play well together.


Half-blood
Used interchangeably with half-breed, a half-blood is a Kumori whose blood has been mixed with an Oneiroi's, allowing them to store more magic energy, amongst other things. Half-bloods are incapable of transforming. A Oneiroi can only have one half-blood. Apparently Erebos doesn't get along with his, and refuses to talk about it.


Half-breed
Used interchangeably with half-blood, a half-breed is just that: a Kumori born from a Oneiroi and a Kumori. Half-breeds are born in Kumori form but at the expense of energy, are capable of transforming into Oneiroi for short periods of time. Since half-breeds have high energy counts, level three and four users are constantly under suspicion of being Oneiroi.


Kumori Magic
Kumori magic isn't really magic at all, but a manipulation of energy. Which abilities a Kumori's able to use depends on the amount of energy they can store, and most harder abilities build off understanding the preceding ones. The Kumori government has issued a ranking system from one to four, four being the highest. Every Kumori can perform basic healing and shielding no matter the age. Currently, most adult Kumori fall into the level two category, level three being the next highest. Level four is rare. The following are the abilities in the order learned…

LV.1

Heal: pulls energy from your surrounding to accelerate healing. The faster you go, the more you'll feel it later.

Energy Shield: stops an outsider from manipulating the energy in your body (ie: prevents monsters from draining your energy).

Mental Shield: uses the energy in your body to protect your mind from others.


LV.2

Energy Control: manipulate the energy in another's body.

Transfer: sending energy from one living thing to another, usually with the intentions to aid healing.

Telepathy: reading or transmitting thoughts to another living being.

Mind Rush: sending to much information to cause harm.


LV.3

Shroud: creates a mental block in another's mind to make the Kumori semi-invisible; can't work on machines, but is easy to use on humans and weaker Kumori.

Shield (self): pulls the surrounding energy to form a physical barrier around you to stop physical objects from passing through.

Cloak: energy surrounds the Kumori to disrupt the light flow to make them semi-invisible; consumes more energy than shroud but a level 3 can block it. Cameras will see a bunch of flashing lights, but not the identity of the user.


LV.4

Shield (others): same as shielding yourself, except you can shield another person.

Energy Rush: pulls the energy around you into a physical mass so you can send it flying at your enemy. If you can shield others, you can do this to some degree.

Telekinesis: uses energy to surround and move an object; requires extreme control; mainly used to fling objects during battle.


Magic Drain
Energy is depleted whenever a Kumori uses their abilities. The amount of energy drained over time depends on how difficult the ability is to perform. The more energy drained, the brighter the Kumori's eyes will glow. When their energy is nearly empty, the Kumori will suffer from "the drain". Common side effects are headaches, hallucinations, fevers, vomiting, short term comas and overall--feeling shitty. A deep sleep (one where all shields are disabled) regenerates magic quicker than a typical nap, but most Kumori are uncomfortable leaving themselves vulnerable like this and would rather tough it out.


Magic License
Any Kumori capable of performing abilities higher than level two requires a magic license. Attached to licenses is usually a commitment to a job under the OAS, APD, Akheron's military or Council.


Office of Akheron Security (OAS)
The OAS's time to shine was after the explosion that left the second ring exposed to monster attacks. Made of up ex-military and mercenaries, they were very effective at hunting down and eliminating any unwanted visitors. The OAS were also the only ones capable of killing Ferals, energy starved Oneiroi. While they worked alongside the APD during this time, the two groups didn't co-operate, and took most of the credit.

With the walls finally rebuilt, the OAS weren't as impressive as they used to be. With too much time on their hands, the OAS became increasingly obsessed with the Oneiroi, a new breed of monsters that were extremely difficult to kill and constantly bruised their ego.

The Slaughter, an unauthorized attack against half-breeds that ended in several civilian casualties, put the OAS in an awkward position with the Kumori government. While keeping the specifics of that night under wraps, the OAS was publicly exalted for their actions, but also secretly restructured. Since the APD were incapable of handling Ferals, the OAS was allowed to keep a small anti-Oneiroi team. However, they're not allowed to attack unless provoked. The current OAS focuses on enforcing trade laws and providing private security for the megacorps.


Oneiroi
Oneiroi are winged creatures that showed up around the time of the explosion. Unlike other monsters, they're intelligent and are able to interface with the net without the common problems that humans and Kumori face. Oneiroi are capable of changing into Kumori forms for extended periods of time, can perform abilities similar to Kumori and have enormous energy levels. But they can also fall victim to the drain.

Oneiroi feed on energy, be it from the smallest creature to the Kumori themselves. Even though Kumori seem more likely to be attacked, they're more likely to go after humans. A theory is that while the Kumori have larger amounts of energy, humans are easier prey to catch. When a Oneiroi runs low on energy, they lose control and go on feeding frenzies. The OAS call them Ferals. Even after a Oneiroi refills their magic, it's very difficult for them to regain control again.

No one exactly knows where the Oneiroi came from. A certain cult believes that the Oneiroi are the remains of the first Kumori, and that the explosion woke them up. According to legend, the Kumori's ancestors refused to die so they fed on energy to make them age slower. This is why Kumori live longer than humans and are able to manipulate energy.


Shield
A popular job for level three Kumori is a shield. Unlike normally bodyguards, Kumori are able to manifest physical energy barriers to protect their employers. Only level fours can hold a shield around another person, but a level three can still block bullets if they get between the assassin and its target.


The Slaughter
No one knows exactly what happened on that night eleven years ago, except that several people, including OAS, lost their lives. The official story is that the OAS staged attacks on multiple half-breeds, but once the other Oneiroi heard about it, they invited themselves to the fight. The OAS were left with only a fourth of their man power after that night. While the conspiracy nuts believed that they fled the country, it's hard to deny that when the missing OAS officers do turn up, they're in multiple pieces.

The conspiracy comes into play when one reviews the names of the alleged half-breeds, most which opposed the OAS in some way or another. While the event was heavily televised, not a single Oneiroi was captured on film.


The Wasteland
Several hundred square miles of dead ground now separates Akheron from her neighboring cities. This is the area that was affected by the explosion and is a new breeding ground for the most dangerous monsters.