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The City
What is The City?
The City is a far-future supernatural setting in which reimaginings of folkloric beings from every corner of the old earth coexist with humans, and technology, myth and magic exist side by side. The realms of the city are always shifting, with the land and architecture itself warping to match its inhabitants as abstract forces and powerful individuals seek to stake their claim.
The strange merging of myth and technology means almost anything can be found in the city, from multiple versions of the same gods fighting against each other, to eldritch robotic horrors descending from the skies. Whether in the packed metropolis of the human realm or the ever-changing fiefs of the Shadow Realm, to live in The City is to be at the whims of deities, star entities, ruthless organisations and more. Yet there is a power beyond even these, as the universe itself seems to manipulate people through destiny, pushing them towards unknowable outcomes.
Almost everything in the setting comes from, or is inspired by, mythology and folklore from around the world. All manner of beings can be found wandering the streets of Lorewire City, from werewolves and vampires to the ant-like Anu Sinom and the giant-cities of the Nart. In the Shadow Realm, pantheons of Gods, armies of demons and wandering loa fight for control over the land itself or seek to cross over into the Human Realm, their motivations ranging from simple curiosity to a desire to kill or conquer. Whilst many of these mythological beings exist as they did in legends, yet more have been artificially created or adapted into new technologies, such as the cyclops exosuit or the Ekendriya gene packs. As well as technology, magic also plays a large role in the City in the form of artifacts, rituals, spellcasters and more, offering another powerful tool to be used for those willing and able to.
The City is at once both a darker and wackier setting. The combinations of different mythologies combined with the far-future setting and technology can lead to crazy stories, such as heisting Asgard or riding a dragon outfitted in power armour. At the same time, the City is often a darker setting, both literally due to the perpetual night of the Human Realm, and in terms of tone. Stories set in the City often contain more gothic or horror elements than other adventures. Whilst good will still triumph over evil most of the time, the threats of the City will often have dark and disturbing motivations, and even good intentions can have dire consequences.
Myths and Folklore
Almost every aspect of the city is linked to its deep connection with myths, folklore and urban legends of the old world. Vampires, faeries and others are just as commonplace as humans, with hundreds of different species inhabiting the realms. Many of these species have different strains and can vary wildly, such as the Talbotan werewolves, who can change back into humans at will and are completely different from their Kitsunian counterparts, whose multiple tails and slender form resemble foxes more than wolves.
As well as these commonplace races, many much rarer species exist. Sphinx are rarely seen but can be a dangerous foe, and many myths, such as the sinister Krampus or Shula'kma, the King of Serpents, are unique even in the city. Many of these beings are very different to their imaginings in the old world, ranging from technological replicas and genetically modified beings, to fusions with other myths.