The Smoke War

Reason: The seeds of the war began at an Outskirts laboratory when its head researcher Carmen attempted , leaving a junior researcher by the name of Ayin to take her place. When their research was reported to the Head, the laboratory and its researchers suffered a devastating attack at the hands of its Arbiter and Claws. As the sole survivors, Ayin and Benjamin were forced to seek a way to continue their research in safety, ultimately choosing to take down and replace a Wing. The previous L Corp. turned out to be an easy candidate, given that many other Wings were already against them due to their high prices and smoke pollution. Ultimately, many had complaints, and the only reason that the Old L Corp. was not overtaken sooner was due to the lack of energy alternatives combined with fear of the inevitable war. To set the war in motion, Benjamin contacted the Udjat’s leader, Dias, who found it to be in her best interest. Dias single-handedly pulled many strings of the war, including recruiting R Corp.’s Fourth Pack. During the war itself, some Wings, such as K Corp. and I Corp., participated by hiring Fixers, while R Corp. and the old G Corp. both provided their own soldiers. There are still some parties whose involvement is unknown or unclear. Throughout the course of the war, combat eventually devolved into trench warfare. Different parties fought as they saw fit, with Wings using their Singularities to their advantage. This included the former G Corp., who had a unique approach in the form of bug-like augmentations for most of its employees.

Characteristics of the war: Throughout the war, a vast amount of smoke clouded the skies. The smoke could be traced to one source, known to be "outright hideous" and vomit-inducing, in the form of the Old L Corp.'s Singularity. When inhaled, the smoke invaded the mind and clouded one's judgement.

Supporters of L Corp. L Corp. The Wing was an energy supplier, but was widely unpopular amongst Cityfolk and other Wings for its high prices and smoke pollution.

G Corp. specializing in genetic augmentation. This was implemented in their soldiers, often in the form of insect genetics. The culmination of G Corp.'s biomimetic augmentation plan was able to create three truly successful specimens that were deployed as decisive weapons during the Smoke War.

The Lord of Flies: A monstrosity with precognition-like reflexes, flight capabilities, and corrosive acid that surpassed most conventional methods' ability to heal. The Maggot Prince: An entity spawned from the Lord of Flies upon its death, which if not killed would metamorphose into the Lord of Flies and birth it anew. However, the Lord of Flies must consciously spawn the Maggot Prince when in peril. The Moth Princess: A monstrous, moth-like woman who can heal quickly and fly, making her a difficult opponent. The Roach Emperor: The Roach Emperor was not seen in the war, being merely a rumor.

Opponents of Old L Corp.

I Corp. Participated in the Smoke War as a major party. Promised Smoke War veterans that they would be allowed first priority when moving into their Nest, but went back on this policy, ultimately not allowing any veterans whatsoever.

K Corp. Participated in the Smoke War as a major party. Promised Smoke War veterans that they would be allowed first priority when moving into their Nest, but went back on this policy, ultimately not allowing any veterans whatsoever.

R Corp. R Corp.'s Fourth Pack participated in the Smoke War to avoid elimination by R Corp. in a deal with Dias.

The Udjat Participated under Dias' command. Notably cooperated with the Fourth Pack. Formed as a Grade 1 Office, the Udjat is comprised of personnel that worked under their sole client and commander, Lady Dias. The group functions entirely to her whim, with most members willing to give their lives if it means she will be able to ascend in power.

The Thumb The Sette Famiglie of the Thumb, particularly the Famiglia Bognatelli, participated in the War, with their members gaining great prestige from their actions. They are mentioned to have fought against the G Corp. in particular.

Liu Association Specialized in fire power.

Important characters

Hermann Samsa: Hermann is a tall, middle-aged woman. She has pale skin and olive-green eyes, and appears to wear dark lipstick and eyeshadow. Hermann has wavy, dark brown hair swayed to one side, reaching just beneath her chin. renowned scientist and current Director of a Wing, Hermann is a cunning woman, ruthless to anyone that stands in her way. She appears confident and cold-blooded, maintaining a serene expression and a calm demeanor in most situations. As a former war-mongerer, she is the one responsible for gene-splicing the hapless feathers of G Corp. and ruining countless lives in the Smoke War. She maintains a mocking, yet affectionate relationship with her son and prized experiment, Gregor, whom she used as a poster boy for the war. Hermann is the director of G Corp.

Gregor Samsa: Gregor is a man slightly below average height, with golden-brown eyes, dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and a 5 o'clock shadow. He wears half-rimmed black glasses. In most appearances, Gregor is shown with a cigarette in his mouth. His sleeves are both rolled up to his elbows, and a tattoo reading the word "UNGEZIEFER" is visible on his left forearm. His most notable feature is his right arm, a segmented limb that terminates in a massive, claw-like appendage. Gregor is a friendly, easygoing person with a casual manner of speaking. Compared to many of his coworkers, Gregor is considerably amicable, and tends to maintain a cursory attitude. He is not strict nor hostile to those around him, Gregor is someone who would willingly uplift the group's mood in dour situations. He also possesses a "cutesy" side to his personality, usually poking through when he is embarrassed. He try to act out a bit and failing miserably, leading to him growing flustered and sheepish. This comes with a tendency to use tacky phrases, such as "bugger", "shoot", and "whoop". However, in all such cases that end with him humbled, Gregor proves himself to be a good sport. Ultimately, his time spent on the battlefield leads Gregor to value the casual day-to-day. Gregor is genetically mutated by Hermann and, unknowingly, is Emperor Roach. Gregor is the manager of G Corp., trying to be a good leader for his soldiers. Gregor can only use his bug-like arm for combat because of its sharp shape, essentially having to live with only his normal arm. Gregor is afraid that his bug-like arm might hurt people who have nothing to do with the war, because it sometimes moves on its own.

Tomah: takes the form of a young man with blond hair and light-blue eye, with bandages on the right side of his face. He wears the Old G Corp. uniform, with his augmentations include a bug arm and two pairs of wings. Tomah is a proud soldier that views Gregor as a hero, able to list off several facts about the man with ease and is comforted by the fact that Gregor is on the battlefield, trusting in him to help turn the tide in G Corp's favor. Tomah is G. Corp.'s private assistant.

Salvador: Salvador is an old, white-haired man with a moustache. He wears a brown trench coat, a black blazer with a white tie, black gloves, and blue slacks. He carries 3 swords with him, 2 broadswords on his waist and 1 claymore on his back. Salvador is a kind old man who possesses prosthetic hands that enhance his strength and heat up, allowing him to heat his swords and inflict more damage. Salvador is a contracted Fixer for I corp.

Dias: Dias is a woman with tan skin and long, wavy brown hair. She has striking red eyes, and is described as a dashing figure. She wears a black outfit with golden detailing, consisting of trousers, a waistcoat over a layered white cravat, and a coat that reaches to her knees. Dias is a mostly nonchalant woman, having no doubt or fear that anyone would ever oppose her commands and ambitions. She often acts friendly and is quite talkative, although she is quick to turn cold and apathetic when her orders are questioned or if she finds herself bored by someone. Moses states that while Dias never lies, she also rarely tells full truths, and never reveals more than she intends to. Dias is the leader of the Udjat who ran various operations; not a soldier.

Moses: Moses is a short, middle aged woman with dark hair and white highlights, and visible wrinkles around her eyes. She has pale skin and dark grey eyes. Her main outfit consist of a white shirt with long sleeves with ruffles, a red ribbon tied around the collar of her shirt and an off-the-sleeves grey jacket with golden trimming and cross-shapped golden buttons. She wears high waisted black pants with golden stripes, and black shoes with white and gold accents. Moses holds a calm and analytical attitude to any situations, In the past, Moses was wholly devoted to Lady Dias as a result of being raised by her. Her entire sense of morality was based around what Dias wished for and what she did not, and Moses would do anything to help make Dias' dreams a reality. Through her time leading Udjat, Moses was ordered to commit horrible atrocities in the Smoke War. Moses is the captain of the Udjat.

Ezra: Ezra is a tall woman with red eyes and long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and adorned with a star-shaped pin. She wears a large gray jacket with orange trimmings, matching boots, and a black miniskirt over gray tights. Ezra always carries a dimensional bag with her, which contains all of her weapons and first-aid gear. Her coat and bag are covered in stickers, patches and pins, as Ezra is fond of decorating everything she owns. Ezra is a bubbly, boisterous person that is enthusiastic about many of life's joys. She speaks casually with everyone she meets, leading to her struggling to keep secrets or keeping up an act when attempting to lay low. Her favorite things to do are snack on good food, especially sweets, and research and discuss the latest and greatest weaponry in the City. Ezra is a member of the Udjat and Moses's assistant.

Valencina: Valencina is a tall, older woman with sea green eyes and long, bushy dirty-blonde hair that covers her right eye. She wears a Thumb uniform consisting of a rose-red jacket, trousers, wide brimmed hat and untied ribbon over an ivory shirt with the top buttons undone. The right lapel of her jacket has a golden pin with one arrow pointing rightwards. She is seen smoking a cigar, and has black gloves with light palms. She carries two swords, one being a rapier with a revolver barrel at its guard kept in a red sheath, and the other, a curved sword with yellow ribbons on its grip kept in an orange sheath. Both have golden, ribbed blades. Valencina is an arrogant, booze-loving woman with a violent, foul-mouthed personality. She has an excessively short temper, taking to whenever she feels frustrated regardless of if she lacks excuses to justify the behavior. In rare moments of lucidity, Valencina is capable of demonstrating fairness and passivity. Although her disagreeable attitude remains, she will at times admit to facts that damage her pride or hold herself back from extreme cruelty, particularly when she's in a good mood. Valencina enjoys the violence of Smoke War; the name of Valencina's fighting style is "Palemirtan Style," created by the Famiglia Bognatelli. Valencina often calls others Weaklings. Valencina is a Sottocappo of The Thumb.

Roland: Roland has black short hair, pale skin, black eyes, and wears a simple black suit with a white shirt, a black tie, and black shoes. Roland has a casual and relaxed personality. Being a person who has hit rock bottom, he has come to accept what he cannot change or control, while trying to survive and do his best in any situation, expressing this through his saying "That's that and this is this". He also believes that everyone is responsible for their own choices and that any resulting consequences are entirely their own fault - even if someone else's choice led to those consequences. He is shown to have a rather deadpan and sometimes sarcastic demeanor. He wears a black, perception-blocking mask that covers his entire face, so that no one will come after him for revenge after the war. Roland is a Grade 1 Fixer employed by I Corp.

City: The City is a massive urban complex the size of a small country,[1] and has a population of around 7 billion.[2] The City is bordered to the south by the Great Lake, and to the other directions by the Outskirts. Underneath it lie the Ruins.[3]

Districts The City is divided into twenty-six Districts, quite diverse in culture and aesthetics, each of which is governed by a Wing, a corporation that has ascended to claim complete control of said area. All Wings respond to the Head, the supreme governing power of the City. The arrangement of the Districts seems to be static, as there has been no mentioned case of a District expanding into a fallen Wing's territory.

Each District is split into a Nest, a territory directly governed and protected by its Wing, and the Backstreets, expansive spaces of wilderness or slums, largely neglected by the Wings, where the Syndicates of the City run free.

Districts tend to have similarities to their neighbors, and are typically grouped into four sections: the northern, eastern, southern, and western quarters.[4][5] These quarters may be distinguished by commonalities including culture and temperature, such as the same Fixer Associations differing in garb and fighting style across different quarters, or the northern quarter having colder weather.

District 26, while confirmed to exist in current times,[6]

The Head The Head is the leader of the Wings and the central governing body of the City. It is in direct control of A Corp., B Corp., and C Corp., the three Districts at the very center of the City. The Head's identity is completely unknown, although it appears the term refers to a group of people rather than a singular entity;[7]

The Head, through A Corp., retains control of the entire City. It is responsible for authorizing Wings, managing patents, and the minting of Ahn, the currency used in the City.[8

Despite this, it does not typically interfere directly with the affairs of the various Wings in their own Districts; rather, the Head's greatest involvement in the life of the City consists in establishing and enforcing the rules that relate to the overall ethics of the City.

The Head's will shapes the image of the City, as it wields the ability to decide when a part of it no longer fits in the vision, and to chase it outside its confines. Some speculate the Head's decisions in these matters aren't aimed at maintaining order, but rather that the Head wishes to preserve its ideal image of the City, and that for this reason they allow the various Stars of the City to keep existing.[9] This is corroborated by the agents of the Head themselves referring to their work as cultivating the ecology of the City.[10]

To preserve this vision, the Head retains the unique power to assign the highest risk level in the scale of hazards of the City, that of Impuritas Civitatis, or Impurity of the City. The risk level of Impurity signifies a hazard that violates the ethics of the City,[11]

At a certain point in history, sapient beings that weren't humans were driven out of the City and into the Outskirts, and their existence within the confines of the City was deemed a Taboo. This marked the beginning of the City's "age of humanity".[7] As part of this action, the Head introduced the Artificial Intelligence Ethics Amendment, which established a series of City-wide Taboos against the creation of machines that resembled humans, outlawing the creation of both mechanical copies of a human body and machines with an intelligence comparable to that of humans.[7][12] Furthermore, a Taboo was established by the Head against the resurrection of a human being.[13] Ultimately, all of these are considered to be unethical pursuits.

The Head has also set a number of restrictions on the creation and distribution of firearms[14] and on human cloning, which allow two copies of the same person to exist in the City for no longer than seven days. The Head is also responsible for various other Taboos of the City, such as not paying one's taxes, and violating a residential area during the Night in the Backstreets.[15]

The punishment for breaking any of these Taboos usually involve physical extermination, and for a Wing, the stripping of its qualifications and immediate shutdown.[16] The punishment for violating the Taboos established by the Head is noted to be different from breaking a Taboo of a Nest, which usually involves being chased by a small number of Taboo hunters; breaking a Taboo of the City is believed to be equivalent to a death sentence.[15]

The Head is backed up in its functions by the Eye and the Claw, the two authorities responsible for B Corp. and C Corp. respectively. In enforcing the laws of the City, the three Wings make use of three types of agents: the Arbiters, the Beholders, and the Claws. When handling an Impurity-level threat, these agents are qualified to expel an entity from the City itself and move it into the Outskirts.

The wings and nests: The Wings of the World are a group of the twenty-six largest, most powerful conglomerates in the City. Each Wing acts as the governing body of a Nest of the City's District, and is commonly referred to with a letter from A to Z, corresponding to the number of the District in their control. Wings generally oversee all facets of living in the Nest of their District, while leaving the residents of the Backstreets to fend for themselves.

A Nest is the urban center of a District, which is under the direct management of its Wing. The citizens and employees of a Wing are commonly referred to as "feathers"; the status of a feather is widely considered one of the best and most secure paths in life,[17] which the people of the Backstreets are often willing to go to great lengths to obtain. To gain access to a Nest, a corresponding Nest migration permit is required,[18] while to be granted temporary passage one must be in possession of a visa unique to the specific Nest.[19] Visas are implied to be relatively common, with corporate employees being provided with work visas that allow them as easy passage; Nest migration permits, on the other hand, are highly sought after, and implied to be expensive enough that even Grade 1 Fixers would struggle to obtain them. During the Smoke War, migration permits were offered as rewards to Fixers participating for K Corp. and I Corp., although by the end of the war the veterans were refused entry to the Nests.[20]

Each Wing has its own cultural style and social structure which are reflected in how it governs its Nest, and the policies that regulate the way of life in the District's Backstreets. The laws of a Wing are called Taboos, and are enforced by specialized Fixers called Taboo hunters that police both the Nest and the Backstreets. While all Wings have Taboos, the enforcement and punishment for breaking them varies.[21]

The Wings are directly ruled over by the Head, which bestows the status on a corporation that possesses and is able to successfully utilize a Singularity, a unique form of technology that is able to break the laws of physics.[22][23]

As such, the Wings closely guard any information about their Singularity, employing military forces from their own ranks or from those of their business partners to avoid losing its secrets to rival Wings, industry competitors, or other forces.[24] If a Wing's technology is stolen, fails commercially, or is viewed unfavorably by the Head, a Wing can collapse, resulting in the Nest losing its protection and being encroached by various factions that vie for its control, such as the Syndicates of the Backstreets. After a Wing collapses, a different corporation can attempt to ascend to the status of a Wing for that District.

Backstreets: The Backstreets are the areas of a District that lay outside the Wing's domain. The Backstreets are typically slums crowded with buildings, characterized by twisted and irregular roads, although there can be great differences between Districts.

Wings have differing degrees of presence, influence, and benevolence with regards to their Backstreets, although their relationship is ultimately exploitative. Citizens of the Backstreets are motivated to move up the ladder and into the Nests, while citizens of the Nests are motivated to maintain their statuses and preserve a more comfortable life under their Wing's protection. While not as secure as the Nest, residential areas are the safest parts of the Backstreets.[25]

Given how strongly Backstreets denizens wish for a life in the Nest, Wings tend to uphold strict divides between the sectors, including security checkpoints and physical divisions. Security of borders between Nests and Backstreets vary from plasma walls to mere chain fences, but the Wings' power is such that no one in the Backstreets dares to cross over into a Nest without express permission.[7]

As the Backstreets are not under the control and protection of the Wings, and even the Head's power struggles to reach within them,[26] various factions operate freely in their place. The Backstreets are home to the headquarters of both Fixers, a type of mercenary for hire, who typically operate their Offices in the Backstreets, and organizations and gangs called Syndicates. Among Syndicates, the most important are the Five Fingers, the five largest Syndicates of the City which most other Syndicates answer to, and whose power is said to rival that of the Wings.[27]

The Night in the Backstreets is another defining component of Backstreets life, as an 80 minute phenomena taking place from 3:14 to 4:34 AM. During this time period, nearly everything is allowed, as no one is held responsible for their deeds done during this time period.[28] It is considered a brazenly savage, brutal, and vulgar period, even for the City.[28] Beings known as Sweepers routinely become active during the Night in the Backstreets, and sweep through the streets in waves in order to consume any objects and structures located outside of permitted residential buildings, erasing all evidence of crime.

The Night in the Backstreets are regulated by only two Taboos: that residential areas mustn't be destroyed or violated in any way, including forcing the doors open,[15] and that nothing which occurs during the Night in the Backstreets is recorded. The only form of testimony allowed during the Night in the Backstreets are direct eyewitnesses; even then, it is a Taboo mandated by the Head that no activity during this period are to be reported on.[29] While the rules of the Night in the Backstreet don't apply to the Nest, it's viable to drag a Nest citizen into the Backstreets and dispose of them in this manner.

The City is a massive urban complex the size of a small country,[1] and has a population of around 7 billion.[2] The City is bordered to the south by the Great Lake, and to the other directions by the Outskirts. Underneath it lie the Ruins.[3]