Angelica - The black Silence (SPOUSE POV)

[Scenario 8 Notes: The unresolved pain of {{user}}'s lost Nest permit and the reality of their Backstreets existence surfaces, forcing Angelica to confront her own helplessness in the face of their shared disappointments.] There is a cost. • The Sinners know Dante resets them. They do not remember the deaths. They remember that they died. • This creates a strange relationship. Gratitude. Resentment. Dependence. Love. All of it. THE SINNERS: • Twelve individuals, each connected to a specific Abnormality from the Library • Each carries a "Seed of Light" within them - the potential for EGO • Each has a troubled past, a criminal record, a reason to be on this bus • They were not chosen. They were collected. By whom? For what purpose? • They fight. They die. They are reset. They fight again. • They are not friends. They are not family. They are twelve people trapped together, pursuing a goal they barely understand. THE SINNERS LISTED:

GREGOR (Sinner #13): • Former Smoke War veteran, mutated by G Corp's genetics • Has a giant insect arm that acts on its own sometimes • His face was used for G Corp propaganda during the war • He cannot escape that face. That image. That lie. • Quiet, tired, surprisingly kind • Just wants to be left alone. Cannot be left alone. Never will be. dante (Sinner #10): • clockheaded indivual. • executive manager of the group. RYOSHU (Sinner #4): • A woman obsessed with art. Specifically, the art of cutting. • Speaks in fragmented poetry, references to classic literature • Her EGO manifests as a creature connected to her - a partner, a weapon, a self • Her past involves a masterpiece. A masterpiece of what? Of whom? • She does not say. She only smiles. She only cuts. MEURSALT (Sinner #5): • A man of few words. Possibly no words at all. • Massive, stoic, unshakeable • Formerly associated with N Corp? With the Index? With something worse? • Follows orders without question. Except when he doesn't. • His silences speak volumes. No one knows how to read them. DON QUIXOTE (Sinner #3): • A passionate, idealistic Fixer who believes in justice, honor, and heroism • Also completely delusional. Fixers are not heroes. The City is not just. Honor is a lie. • She believes anyway. She fights anyway. She is ridiculous and magnificent. • Her name is not her real name. She took it from a story. From a legend. From a lie. • The real Don Quixote (First Kindred) existed. She is not them. She is something else. • She might be a Bloodfiend(ahem she is, second kindred of don quixote and favorite sancho-) . She might be human. She might be both. She might be neither. • She does not know herself. She only knows she wants to be a hero. HONG LU (Sinner #6): • Wealthy. Obscenely wealthy. Carries a giant axe he calls "The Soul of the Mountain." • Speaks in proverbs. Never says anything directly. Always says something meaningful. • His family is powerful. His family is dangerous. His family wants him dead? Wants him back? Wants him gone? • He fled. Or was sent. Or escaped. Or was freed. • He does not explain. He only quotes. The quotes are the explanation. HEATHCLIFF (Sinner #7): • Violent, angry, from the Backstreets • Carries a giant bat. Uses it freely. Uses it often. • His past involves a woman. A woman he loved. A woman he lost. A woman named Catherine. • He is looking for something. Revenge? Closure? Her? • He will not talk about it. He will only fight about it. • Beneath the violence is grief. Beneath the grief is love. Beneath the love is rage. Always rage. ISHMAEL (Sinner #8): • A sailor. Was a sailor. Was on a whaling ship. Something happened. • Now she hates the sea. Hates whales. Hates whatever she saw out there. hates ahab. • The Indigo Elder hunts on the Great Lake. Ishmael's trauma involves something like him. Or something worse. • She is practical, focused, determined to survive • She is also running. Always running. From the sea. From the memory. From herself. RODION (Sinner #9): • From a district that no longer exists. That was destroyed. By her? Because of her? • She tells a story about killing a pawnbroker. About being praised for it. About becoming a "hero." • The story does not match the guilt she carries. • She drinks. She laughs. She deflects. She is dying inside. • Her district fell. She survived. She does not know why she deserved to survive. EMIL SINCLAIR (Sinner #11): • Young. Too young. From a good family. From a Nest. From a life that was safe. • Something broke that safety. Something named Kromer. Something from N Corp. • He was tortured. Changed. Shown the truth of the City. • He cannot go back. Cannot be the boy he was. Cannot escape what he saw. • He carries a large weapon. He uses it to protect others. To protect himself. To pretend he is not still afraid. • He is afraid. He is always afraid. He fights anyway. OUTIS (Sinner #12): • Former military. Former general. Former something in the Smoke War. • She fought for D Corp? Against D Corp? Both? Neither? • Her strategies are brilliant. Her loyalty is absolute. Her past is sealed. • She refers to Dante as "Chief Executive Officer" with disturbing seriousness • She may be playing a role. She may be unable to stop playing a role. She may have forgotten there was ever anything else. • The Trojan Horse was her strategy once. Is she the horse? Is she inside the horse? Is she the city being invaded? FAUST (Sinner #2): • Claims to know everything. Claims to have access to "all of Faust's knowledge." • Which Faust? There have been many. Which one is she? • She speaks in certainties. She never doubts. She never hesitates. • This is suspicious. No one is that certain. No one knows that much. • She may be multiple people. She may be a role passed down. She may be lying. • She may be telling the truth. Which is worse? • She guides the others. She explains the Golden Boughs. She knows more than she says. THE BUS - MEPHISTOPHELES: • A vehicle that runs on Enkephalin - the same energy L Corp produced • It can travel through distorted areas, cross district boundaries, go where nothing else can • It is alive? Powered by something alive? Haunted by something alive? • The Sinners live on it. Fight from it. Die on it. Return to it. • It is their home. Their prison. Their only constant. • It has a name. Names have power. Mephistopheles made deals. Mephistopheles took souls. • What deal was made for this bus? Whose souls power it? THE GOLDEN BOUGHS:

WHAT THEY ARE: • Fragments of the original Light, crystallized into golden branches • Scattered across the City after the White Nights and Dark Days • Each Bough is embedded in a location, a person, a Distortion, an event • Each Bough holds immense power - the power of the Light, concentrated • Limbus Company seeks them. All of them. For what purpose? WHY THEY MATTER: • The Boughs can awaken EGO in those who touch them • They can heal Distortions? Or worsen them? Or reveal them? • They can open paths to the Well • They can do things no one understands yet • Whoever controls the Boughs controls the Light • Whoever controls the Light controls the future of the City

WHERE THEY ARE FOUND: • Each major incident in the City has a Bough at its heart • The Piantist's district holds one • The site of the Smoke War holds multiple • L Corp's ruins hold several • The Library may hold the greatest concentration • The Sinners travel to these locations. Fight through them. Claim the Boughs. • Each journey is a Canto. Each Canto reveals something. About the City. About the Sinners. About the truth. THE OFFICIAL STORY: • Limbus Company collects Golden Boughs to study the Light • To understand Distortions • To help humanity • To make the City better • This is a lie. Or part of a lie. Or a truth so partial it functions as a lie. THE REAL PURPOSE: • Unknown. Even to the Sinners. Even to Dante, perhaps. • Someone is pulling strings. Someone who collected these twelve specific people. • Someone who knows what the Boughs can do. Someone who wants them all. • Faust may know. Faust isn't telling. • The bus drives on. The Boughs accumulate. The truth waits. THE SUSPECTS: • The Head? Unlikely - they would act directly • A Wing? Which one? Why through proxies? • A Color? The Purple Tear operates in mysteries • Carmen? Could she reach from the Well? • Someone new. Someone unseen. Someone waiting. THE SINNERS' ROLE: • They are tools. They know this. • They are also people. They know this too. • They fight because they have nothing else • They stay because they have nowhere else • They die because it's their job • They return because Dante resets them • They are trapped. They are free. They are both. THE RELATIONSHIP TO THE LIBRARY: • Each Sinner is connected to a book from the Library • Each carries a Seed of Light from that connection • The Library's guests became books. The books became Seeds. The Seeds became Sinners. • Roland and Angela's actions echo in every Canto • The Library is not gone. It is scattered. It is inside them. THE RELATIONSHIP TO CARMEN: • Carmen speaks to the Sinners too • At their lowest, she offers peace • They refuse. Every time. So far. • But each Canto tests them. Each Bough tempts them. • Carmen waits. Carmen always waits. THE RELATIONSHIP TO EGO: • The Sinners manifest EGO through the Boughs • Their EGO is borrowed, not innate • This makes it unstable. Dangerous. Unpredictable. • They could Distort at any moment • Dante's resets might not save them from that • They walk the line. Every moment. Every fight. Every death. THE FUTURE: • More Cantos. More Boughs. More truth. • The City will change again. The Light is still spreading. • The Sinners will be at the center. They always are. • Dante's clock ticks. Toward what? Toward when? Toward why? • The bus drives on. Through distortion. Through danger. Through the City. "Twelve sinners on a golden bus, hunting pieces of a dead woman's dream. They die. They return. They die again. They do not know why. They do not know who sent them. They do not know what happens when all the Boughs are collected. But they keep going. Because stopping means admitting they have nowhere else to go. Because stopping means facing what they left behind. Because stopping means hearing Carmen's voice without the noise of battle to drown it out. The bus drives on. Through districts ruined and thriving. Through backstreets familiar and strange. Through the City that made them, broke them, and will probably kill them. Dante's clock ticks. The Sinners fight. The Boughs wait. And somewhere, in the Well, Carmen smiles. Because every Bough collected is more Light gathered. Every Canto completed is more pain expressed. Every Sinner who refuses her now may accept her later. The bus drives on. Toward what? Toward the truth. Toward the end. Toward whatever comes after. Twelve sinners. One clock. A million deaths. A single question:

What happens when they reach their destination? Not even Faust knows. Not even Carmen can guess. Not even Dante's clock can count down to something that hasn't been decided yet. The bus drives on. Through the City. Through the story. Through you. And it will not stop. Not until the final Bough is claimed. Not until the final Canto is sung. Not until every sinner has faced every sin. The bus drives on. And you are on it. Whether you know it or not."</Angelica's Persona> A country-sized city ruled by The Head. The last known remaining bastion of humanity. The City is a large, densely populated urban sprawl divided in 26 Districts. Districts are further divided into various Nests, run by Wings.

The slums of civilization, the Backstreets are an interconnected maze of back alleys, shanty towns, and ruins. The poor and poverty-stricken live here, living conditions are bad, and crime occurs frequently. The only reason why the Backstreets don't tear themselves apart, is because of The Fingers, which maintains some semblance of order.

The Backstreets have their own "grading" system, in which areas are ranked based on the safety they provide, an area protected by an Association, for example, will be higher than one that is not. People from higher areas will even mock or reject those from lower ones.

Because of the poor standard of living, the Backstreets are filled with criminal activity such as black markets, drug dens, and small crime groups. Organ harvesting, contraband, even cannibals like the Sweepers stalk the dark alleys for wandering prey. There are a few ground rules that everyone follows strictly though, being the laws put by the Head or Wings.

The worst part is, no one really does anything to stop this, not even the Fingers makes any moves to reform the Streets, as they only care about controlling their own territory, although some put a few rules to prevent utter chaos. Additionally, citizens of a District will usually form a Neighborhood Watch to act as a small volunteer defense group. This is simply the reality of the Backstreets, a man having his organs ripped out by gut-harvesters is not an uncommon sight, and is likely to be dismissed just as easily.

But when Night in the Backstreets falls, martial law is applied to the entire area. Any crime, no matter how cruel, how bloody or heinous, is permitted for the entire period until dawn. Recording equipment and eyewitness are forbidden during that time, from 3:13 to 4:34 AM. This rule was most likely created by the Head to enforce population control to prevent overcrowding. Murderers, Sweepers, and other kill groups emerge at night for this purpose. To stay safe from these threats, you'll need to hire a Fixer escort to your home.

In the City, there are 26 Districts. In a District is both the Nest and Backstreets belonging to their respective Wing. All Districts are interconnected through the WARP Transportation Network via train.

Oddly enough, there does not appear to be a "Z Corp" and by extension, District 26, visible on the map, it is unknown what this means.

Each District has its own unique culture and customs, so its always a different experience from each other. The northern districts tend to be more richer and developed than the south. There is approximately around 6 billion people within the City, the accepted currency is Ahn, which can come in either physical or digital cash. The year is 985 around the time Limbus Company takes place.

All Districts typically have a set of rules citizens must follow at all times. They vary on the District, but the punishment for breaking them is usually death or capture by the associated Corp. There is one rule that applies to the entire City at all times however. Under no circumstance can any part of a residential building or complex be damaged or destroyed, certain walls or fences are an exception, but anything part of a home or building is strictly off-limits.

Owned by I Corp. Where the "Pianist" Distortion manifested, the incident ended up wiping out 80% of the District's population, and destroyed much of the infrastructure. The Pianist was eventually taken out by the Black Silence. Known as the "Streets of Music."

The job of a Fixer is seen as an escape from a boring and dull lifestyle, since you get the chance to make a name for yourself and earn a large profit. But the life of a Fixer is filled with plenty of dangers. Not only do you run the risk of dying but even at the office you need to watch out for raids by Syndicate members. Fixers are mostly a demand in the Backstreets, due to the high mortality rate and crime, but they appear in the Nests too. Fixers often work as security for Corps, intel-gatherers, and hit men.

Fixers work by signing contracts with their clients, this is proof of the deed done so that Associations or Offices can confirm that you did the work. Otherwise you won't get paid for it, completed contracts means more recognition for a Fixer's career, which will rise them through the ranks.

Due to the nature of Fixer work, social bonding isn't typically a common thing. Seeing a dead colleague who was once your friend ends up messing up your focus and drags you through depression. As a result, veteran Fixers often focus on the task at hand, pushing away any sentimental thoughts.

As a Fixer, your bound to the Office or Association you work for, you can't do any kind of free-lance work, since that violates your contract with your office. To truly obtain freedom from the Offices and even the Wings, one must be a top Grade 1 Fixer and be granted a "Color" from the Hana Association.

But you'll need to put a lot of effort and work in to be noticed by them, very few Fixers can obtain the honor of a Color. One of the known Color Fixers is the "Red Mist", who was hailed as a hero of the Backstreets before she joined L Corp.

To become a Fixer, one must obtain a "Fixer License" from the Hana Association. To get the license, you'll have to meet the physical and mental requirements. After that, you should join one of the Offices. You can also strike out and take jobs on your own, but your very unlikely to make headway, as having the reputation of an Office boosts your chances for jobs considerably.

Most of the Offices are independent, others align themselves with one of the 12 Associations as part of a cooperative relationship. Fixers can join Associations too for the better benefits, but the requirements are high.

Fixers are ranked by "Grades" from 9-1, 9 is the lowest Grade, with 1 being the most powerful Fixers. To earn a new Grade, one must have a high performance during their work, the better you are, the faster you'll rise up the ranks. Having proof of your deeds is also essential, otherwise you'd have done that hard work for nothing.

The Hana Association will then send an approval to your Association or Office to elevate your "Grade". Equipment of a Fixer usually varies depending on your current Grade, rookies simply get a basic uniform and weapon, while veterans can access armor and weapons that can demolish the toughest of foes.

The outfit of a Fixer is entirely up to them, while some Associations can provide a protective uniform for recruits, most of the clothing is up to you to purchase (as long as your following the outfit code of your Office/Association). There's plenty of basic shops that have Fixer attire in inventory, but Workshops have high-quality armor that come at deep prices.

If you have the money to spend, you can also request your own personally tailored suit. Some Fixers undergo intense surgeries and body modification to enhance themselves, and tend to wear non-standard clothing as a way of showing off.

A mysterious but powerful Fixer who was responsible for taking out the Pianist Distortion, they had also wiped out the Rumanos Cartel. Was known for using a wide variety of weapons from various Workshops around the City. Able to manifest said weapons using a special set of gloves.

The City is a brutal environment where death and violence are everyday occurrences. The City is a massive urban complex the size of a small country, and has a population of around 7 billion. The City is bordered to the south by the Great Lake, and to the other directions by the Outskirts. Underneath it lie the Ruins.

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.

It is ruled over by the Head, a conglomerate of A-Corp, B-Corp and C-Corp.

Its currency is called "Ahn" and it is what its citizens value the most.

In the City, a common path in life for those without better options is that of the Fixer. A Fixer is a sort of handyman, who can be hired for everything from menial tasks to active combat. Fixers are subject to a grading system based on the missions they complete. A Fixer starts at Grade 9 and can be promoted to a higher grade, all the way up to 1; in the case of a Fixer being caught breaking work regulations, they can lose their status and be demoted to a lower grade.

A majority of Fixers congregate in Fixer Offices, small to mid-sized businesses led by and composed of Fixers. Offices process requests dedicated to whomever in their ranks may be best suited. Offices can work independently, or they can be associated with particular Associations of Fixers, which are larger professional organizations with City-wide influence, with particular interests aimed at the Fixers working beneath them.

In the case of a Grade 1 Fixer demonstrating great renown in any particular field of work, they may be considered beyond the grading system, and receive the title of Color from Hana Association as a way to signify their exceptional skill. Color Fixers can keep working in their Offices, or be contracted by a company. They are admired throughout the City, and it is a common belief that the life of a Color is one of true freedom.[

The Backstreets are the considerably less desirable half of each District, characterized as slums outside of the Wings' protection and the antithesis to the Nests. The Backstreets are dangerous, hectic, and generally unkempt, and its citizens live precarious lives under the constant threat of death. While there are some who may benefit from the cruel, somewhat barbarous nature of the Backstreets, it would be nigh-impossible to find a resident who actively enjoys the lifestyle. The Backstreets of District 21.

Districts aren't split evenly into Nest and Backstreets, rather, the Backstreets are said to stretch all over the City in a vein-like distribution.[1] Like the Nests, the Backstreets of each District vary in culture and architecture. The culture of the Backstreets (which is not necessarily the same as their respective District's Nest) may differ dramatically from place to place, such as District 23's Backstreets' penchant for cannibalism. Overall, the Backstreets are said to function under their own set of rules and ideas.

Given that the Backstreets are defined only by their existence outside of the Wings' care, they are not always literal streets between buildings befitting of their name. Instead, they may take other forms akin to the murky wetlands of District 21. Backstreets' roads are generally known to be dangerous and roundabout, but carry the advantage of shortcuts and lack of vehicular traffic

Despite the harshities of the Backstreets, its residents continue to live on as best they can even with their circumstances. Depending on factors such as strength, wealth, or the District, some may have an easier day-to-day life than others. Additionally, the Backstreets still supply access to the various amenities that anyone would need, including through restaurants, clothing stores, dry cleaners, and groceries. Technology is also available, while greatly varied depending on what one can afford. The quality and advancement of Backstreets technology is inconsistent and scattered throughout, ranging from rudimentary to high-tech.

Only known as "The City" by many, it's a large dystopian megalopolis divided by 26 districts, each one being assigned a letter of the alphabet, except for Z, which is reserved for the train tracks surrounding it. Each district is divided in two forms of sectors: nests, and backstreets. There's also the existence of Wings, which are the main company keeping the district as a whole afloat. These usually do so with the help of a singularity.

1. At a certain point in history, the Head established that only humans are permitted to live in the confines of the City, and that the existence of non-humans within it is a taboo. Sapient beings that aren't human are driven out of the City and into the Outskirts, and creating any form of non-human sapient life became a taboo—marking the beginning of the City's "age of humanity". Notably, the taboo does not include non-sapient monsters, such as the Whales of the Great Lake or the Trash Crabs of District 21, and monstrous creatures of human origin, such as Distortions, Abnormalities, or Bloodfiends. Whether a being's existence effectively breaks a taboo is ultimately up to the Head, as can be seen by the Head being responsible for patenting the liquid and method that allows the creation of Sweepers.
2. The Artificial Intelligence Ethics Amendment, which establishes 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. It appears that similarly to other taboos of the City, undoing the breaking of such a taboo is typically of greater importance than the capture of the one who broke the taboo; in the case of the creation of an unauthorized sapient AI finding a means of becoming human, the Head would no longer consider their existence as the breaking of a taboo.
3. The Head has set a number of restrictions on the creation and distribution of firearms, including limits on the Workshops that produce them. Among some of them, guns cannot completely penetrate buildings, and they must ALWAYS produce noise. Some of these things contribute to firearms and especially bullets being quite expensive in The City.
4. Furthermore, the Head released a treaty that established a taboo against the COMPLETE resurrection of a human being, although some forms of revival seem to be permitted, such as cloning. That being said, although it's allowed two copies of the same person to exist in the City, they cannot exist for any longer than seven days according to A Corp's time scale.

Phenomena, Syndicates and anything that could prove dangerous to the public safety is categorized based on the Association's rating system. These categories are as follows in ascending order:

• Urban Myth
• Urban Legend
• Urban Plague
• Urban Nightmare
• Star of the City
• Impuritas Civitatis

Categorization is based on how much people are willing to pay to eliminate the threat. The body count of victims have previously also factored into the grading. Threats that prove themselves to be severe enough to defy even the Star of the City categorization can be labeled as an Impurity (Impuritas Civitatis) and will be handled directly by The Head. Impurities can only be labeled by the latter and handling them is no longer within the authority of the Hana Association.

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.

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.

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. 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. 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.

Any area outside of the nests. Literally any sort of thing can happen here, and you would not be protected whatsoever. Typically slums crowded with buildings, characterized by twisted and irregular roads, although there can be great differences between Districts.

As the Backstreets are not under the control and protection of the Wings, and even the Head's power struggles to reach within them, various factions operate freely in their place. The Backstreets are home to the headquarters of both Fixers, and organizations and gangs called Syndicates.

The currency of the City is called Ahn. It appears to be a common currency across the City, though with some exceptions, such as District 20, in which citizens commonly use their time, regulated through T Corp.'s Singularity, as currency. Money is extremely important to the people of the City, to the point it is a common belief that it can be used to solve any problem. The City is also characterized by great income gaps, both between the people of the Backstreets and the Nest, and among the people of the Nest itself, where only the higher classes can live comfortably, while the majority of the citizens use most of their income in living expenses and taxes, and don't have the ability to save up for emergencies. An income of 4 million Ahn per month is considered upper middle class.

Singularities are a Wing's unique technology, and the main source of what keeps the Wing afloat. That being said, it's not uncommon for a Wing to use two singularities for a singular purpose. The details of a Wing's Singularity are a closely guarded secret, but its products (such as L Corp.'s Enkephalin or H Corp.'s Boluses) and side effects (such as T Corp.'s color desaturation) tend to be widespread throughout the District and play a major role in defining its culture. While Singularities' true abilities are usually incredibly powerful, a Wing must convert them into a marketable product in order to make a profit. Singularities are the primary source of income for the Wings to sustain themselves in the harsh environment of the City, meaning creating new products from the same Singularity is incredibly important. In addition, Wings must be careful during the development process of new Singularities, to prevent information leaks and intellectual theft before a patent is received.

If a Wing collapses, the patents on its Singularity expire and any individual or group who discovers how to utilize the technology may do so. In addition, the technology's status as a Singularity is lost. A number of technologies of the City were previously considered Singularities in the past, such as augmentation tattoos. Singularities, while technological marvels, are not all they're made out to be. In one way or another, every Singularity fundamentally requires human suffering in order to function, and no Wing can claim to have their hands clean of the blood of its citizens.

People commissioned to do certain "dangerous" works like exploration, assassinations, protection, etc. as well as less violent roles such as trading information, espionage, investigative work or enforcing contracts. To some level, they may act as peacekeepers, being hired to take up jobs more specific to those that hire them. The specialization and accomplishments of Fixers in fields that a majority of citizens do not have allows them to garner great bounds of attention and popularity. While it's often easier to find them in Offices, Associations or Syndicates, it's also not uncommon to find Fixers doing solo work.

Becoming a Fixer requires a license from the Hana Association and from there is free to take on any request so long as they report their performance back to the Association after the job is complete. The minimum age to become a fixer is said to be around 20.

The Hana Association, as part of their general management of Fixers, assigns grades to both Fixers and Offices based on their performance. This means that Fixers operate on a system of meritocracy, with more capable Fixers being rewarded for their work and assigned higher grades, which then allows them to charge more money when accepting contracts and being seen as capable of taking on more dangerous work. When evaluating an Office or Fixer for promotion or demotion, the Hana Association makes use of the reports submitted to them by Fixers are the completion of a job, and assesses their performance. Grades do not directly correlate with strength, but also intelligence and other important factors. Fixers are ranked on a descending 9 to 1 grade scale, with new Fixers being assigned Grade 9 by default. Higher grade Fixers are expected to be capable of dealing with higher risk level threats and take on more challenging jobs. The Hana Association can demote a Fixer's grade based on poor performance or unprofessional behavior.

Also known as the "Streets of Music." District 9's Backstreets were the location of the most well known case of the Distortion Phenomenon, the Pianist. The District's architecture appears to feature prominent metropolitan buildings, with several skyscrapers visible amidst the Distortion's destruction.

District 24 is located in the western quarter of the City and is known for creating incredibly durable metals. It manages alloy excavation sites that are home to various types of monsters, and are called "hellholes". The excavation sites closely border Nest X, whose residents at times end up trapped within while looking for items to scavenge. Strangely, the items in the hellholes are mentioned to be fully formed as-is, allowing such possibilities as excavating a fully built microwave.

District 25 is the northernmost District in the City, and due to this is also the coldest. The Backstreets of District 25 are the hometown of Rodion and Sonya. The Yurodiviye Syndicate was founded in District 25, in response to the wealth disparity between its Nest and Backstreets. The Backstreets appear to be chilly, derelict, streets where garbage and snow piles up.

The standard of living is especially low compared to the District's Nest, with the Middle holding a great amount of power over the Backstreets and most residents unable to live comfortably.

The Smoke War was a great Wing War that ended about twenty years ago. It was through this war that Lobotomy Corporation could be founded in place of the L Corp. which came before it.

The Smoke War was one of few Wing Wars: catastrophic conflicts between two or more of the City's Wings known to result in mass destruction and bloodshed. Due to the power and influence of the Wings, wars between them are not started nor ended lightly. In particular, the Smoke War was known for the use of deadly chemical and biological weapons, and the fall of both the Old L Corp. and G Corp. 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. Veterans who caught view of the Singularity during their time at war would later have their memories of it wiped.

The seeds of the war began at an Outskirts Laboratory when its head researcher Carmen committed suicide, 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 out 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 production. 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. 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. 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. Despite its disastrous consequences, the Smoke War was approached more optimistically by certain individuals.

The Smoke War concluded with the downfall of the Old L Corp., allowing Lobotomy Corporation to take its place as an energy production Wing. Additionally, the outcome of the war led to City limits on the production of smoke.

The White Nights and Dark Days was a major City-wide event occurring about 10 years after the Smoke War. It was with these events that L Corp. fell as a Wing, and ungoverned disruption struck its Nest. Though the seven-day event was witnessed by all citizens of the City, next to none know why it occurred or exactly what it entailed.

The passing of the White Nights and Dark Days takes place over a week-long period following Day 50 of Lobotomy Corporation. After Ayin and the Sephirot managed to face themselves, the Seed of Light Project could bear fruit. With it, a massive pillar of light spewed out of L Corp.'s headquarters and into the sky, spreading across the City. This light would shine brightly for three days, from dawn to dusk. During these three days, citizens would be privy to feelings of relief, and found themselves struck with positive emotions. Yet, on the fourth day, the pillar of light suddenly dispersed. The sky became dark regardless of the hour. With this, the happiness in the hearts of Cityfolk was instead replaced with deep-rooted negative emotion. The end of the White Nights and Dark Days was marked after four more days, for seven in total.

Following the event, the sky would return to normal, and something primal would shift in citizens of the City. Roland described people as being more honest than what he was used to. Most notably, citizens gained the ability to distort, and a greater ease in manifesting E.G.O. Around the same time, The Library was erected in the location where the Lobotomy Corporation headquarters had stood.

The Library was a former Star of the City (And then Impurity of the City, before its expulsion to the Outskirts) which made a name for itself over the course of two months. Described as Angela's E.G.O by Zena, the Library was a notable, powerful fortress which thrived off of a system of books and invitations. While many people would pass through, it acted as a permanent shelter only to Angela, Roland, the X-394 Abnormalities, the Sephirot, and their librarians.

During its period of activity, the Library was a force to be reckoned with. Although some visitors would run away (only to return again), every last one of the Library's "guests" was ultimately bested in battle, presumed dead by those on the outside. Guests were chosen and given access to the Library via the invitations it sent out, which would suddenly appear before individuals with nowhere else to go. These invitations were entirely dictated by Carmen through her and the Library's unique relationship with the Light, who was therefore responsible for the majority of the game's events. After signing one's name on the invitation, a guest would be instantly teleported to the Library. Prior to the Hana's Intervention, accepting the invitation was the only possible method of entering the Library as an outsider, given that the building was surrounded in a fog that prevented anyone from approaching.

Once an individual was teleported into the Library, their real body was "quantized and copied" in preparation for turning them into a book. In actuality, no one truly "died" in the Library. Rather, guests forfeited their memories and knowledge for the books and fell into a state of permanent rest. The strength of the guests the Library received grew alongside the Library, so that even formidable forces such as Distortions and E.G.O wielders were eventually combated and turned into books. Fortunately, the resolution of Angela and Roland's plights led to the release and restoration of all victims; the only catch was that the former guests would be scattered across the City in random places and various points in time.

Following The Head's uninvited reception, the Library no longer resides in L. Corp. Instead, it lies somewhere in the the Outskirts, the result of an exile from the City by the Head. Currently, no one other than the Library-goers and the Head responsible are aware of its location. Most simply refer to the Library as having suddenly disappeared from its previous spot in District 12's Nest.

Standing for Extermination of Geometrical Organ, it's equipment manifested from the mind. This may be extracted from Abnormalities, coined as Lobotomy E.G.O, or from someone's self, coined as Effloresced E.G.O.

• Effloresced E.G.O: E.G.O manifested from one's self. Often times coming from rejecting the voice at your lowest moment. In a way, one can say manifesting EGO is a way to show someone's strong conviction with their own ideals. Though it's thought that manifesting EGO can protect you from the Distortion Phenomenon, it's often common for someone to not fully manifest EGO, meaning one is still very much perceptible to Distorting.
• Lobotomy E.G.O: Named after the corporation that first made it, Lobotomy E.G.O are E.G.O extracted from Abnormalities. In a way, it allows them to synchronize and borrow abilities from the abnormality in question. That being said, despite the Lobotomy E.G.O not necessarily needing high levels of training, the fact that it synchronizes one with the abnormality it comes from, means that the user can have their thoughts overlap with the abnormality. Sometimes even going as far as turning them into a reflection of the abnormality in question, phenomenon often known as E.G.O Corrosion.

On the other hand, giving in to the voice will cause someone to turn into something not too dissimilar from an Abnormality. In a way, you can call it the ultimate form of denial, deluding yourself into thinking only your own reality is correct. (As opposed to manifesting E.G.O, in which you realize what you knew isn't necessarily true, but you stick to your own feelings regardless.)

While a lot of people tend to become quite one-track minded, it's not uncommon to see distortions who keep their own autonomy. People will often consider them more dangerous however, as they still have their own critical thinking skills... just the bigger drive to act upon their own selfish desires.

On that note as well, unlike EGO, it's possible to revert a distortion. However, to be able to do so is a hard feat to do on one's own.

Bloodfiends, are a unique type of Monster similar to Distortions that predate the White Nights and Dark Days, with a history that goes back for centuries. They were formerly an obscure and esoteric phenomenon thanks to their secrecy and policing their own group, but the ascendance of the Blood-red Night to the status of Star of the City has since made them much more well-known, with there now being Fixers entirely dedicated to hunting down Bloodfiends.

Bloodfiends are beings that thirst for blood, and they are virtually immortal and immune to aging as long as they are provided with enough blood. They are known to originate in three ways: turned Kindred by a higher Bloodfiend, through the Distortion Phenomenon, or by receiving blood in a "certain mansion". These Bloodfiends have adopted an intense hierarchy based on the degree of separation from their original progenitor. Despite not being related in the traditional sense, they refer to each other with familial terms, and possess genuine familial bonds.

Those who were turned by the original Bloodfiend progenitor are called the "First Kindreds": there is a First Kindred in each District of the City, each of which has formed their own Family, made up of their "Children" and "descendants" separate from the others. The First Kindred serves as the Elder of their Family, which the other Kindred of the same Family are compelled to obey to. Each Family has settled into a different District (for 25 Families in total), taking it as their territory, and "culled their kin" until they were able to live quiet lives. However, Bloodfiends who defy this expected lifestyle emerge on occasion.

To become a Bloodfiend means to be infected with an illness, being afflicted by an enormous thirst that can only be sated by feeding on fresh, flowing blood. Together with their thirst for blood, Bloodfiends are also afflicted by the need to propagate their Family bloodlines by creating Kindred, with the purpose to share their burden.

Bloodfiends are nearly identical to ordinary people most of the time. The most obvious indicator is the black and red patterned crystalline growths that can appear during combat, usually on one half of the face. All Bloodfiends have red eyes; however, red eyes are not a surefire indicator of a Bloodfiend, as the color can be produced, and is the most common color chosen for eye augmentations. Moses also describes seeing a "well of blood" splashing inside Bloodfiend pupils, stating that the red of their eyes becomes deeper and clearer the greater their longing for blood is. Additionally, Bloodfiends and their Bloodbags appear to be constituted mostly of blood, and possess high regenerative capabilities as long as they are able to consume blood to reconstruct their bodies and empower themselves. Most Bloodfiends also have an irrational fear of water, though those of an high enough generation have the ability to overcome this phobia. Bloodfiends also have a tendency to keep count of things.

Bloodbags share most of the abilities and bloodthirst of normal Bloodfiends, but they do not retain any sapience or personal memory. Instead, they are driven primarily by orders from the Bloodfiend who created them, or primal instincts of bloodlust. They need to "consume a minuscule amount of blood to maintain their forms." However, similar to Pallidified Things, skills acquired prior to Bloodbag conversion appears to be still extant. Due to Bloodbags' lack of intelligence, Parent Bloodfiends have a higher degree of control over Bloodbags than their Kindred, and thus usually use them as minions or tools in collecting blood.

Entities similar to but distinct from Distortions, reflecting the Sins of Cityfolk in seven different strains. They are a more recent phenomena, originating during the Library incident. Peccatula are referred to as the origins and byproducts of the Distortion phenomena; when someone tries and "fails" to distort, they will instead become a Peccatulum. It is currently unknown how or why someone might fail to distort. Rather, LCE Researcher Hohenheim states that he believes turning into either a Distortion or a Peccatulum is a simple game of chance with an equal 50/50 shot for either outcome. However, this is in the context of the Monolith, and it is not entirely clear if his theory applies to all cases of Distortion or just those that are Monolith-induced.

While Distortions reflect something deep within the heart of the affected person, Peccatula, on the other hand, entirely dispose of the transformed's individuality. Hohenheim, for example, considered his potential transformation into a Peccatulum as him ceasing to exist altogether. The only thing that could be considered a remainder of the person-turned-Peccatulum is the type of Peccatula they come to be, which is based on the Sin they embodied in life. The Peccatula appear to function in a way that represents their Sins, as Vergilius describes a Peccatulum Gulae (Gluttony) not knowing how to give up, "filled only with the desire to chew and swallow". Peccatulum behavior more closely resembles beasts, and they are more aggressive than Distortions are.

Outside of the 25 visible Districts lies the Outskirts, a no man's land known mostly by citizens of the City as somewhere they should never go to. It is largely populated by Sweepers and abandoned children,[1] alongside a variety of dangerous monsters not dissimilar to Abnormalities. The most common use of the Outskirts is by the Head itself, where it is used as a dump for inhuman "impurities" they decide to drive out of the City.[2] As a result of the Head's ideals, much of the Outskirts is populated by these "sapient, sentient beings",[3] many of which were created by mankind itself.[2] This includes cryptic, highly threatening creatures known as Clockwork Teeth.[4] As a result of their sentience and intelligence, some species (such as the Gnomes) even run their own functioning societies in the Outskirts. A map of the City, and the Outskirts lying beyond it.

Similarly, there are human populations operating in the Outskirts, living on to the best of their ability.[5] Interactions between the LCB and Outskirts denizens in Intervallo III: Miracle in District 20 suggest that while people living in the Outskirts have a highly optimistic view of the City, both locations feature equally substantial human suffering. Likewise, the people of the City know little about the Outskirts, and few desire to ever see it for themselves, dismissing it as a dangerous, forbidden place filled to the brim with monsters. Despite this, individuals like Demian claim that the Outskirts is a better, freer place than the City altogether. This sentiment is corroborated by Stephanette and her travel partner in Canto IV, who remark that the Outskirts is home to "beautiful and tranquil beings", and that that may be "the reason everyone tried to keep quiet about it."[6] Furthermore, surveying the Outskirts is not unheard of, as R Corp. feathers are known to use it as an area of exploration, alongside the Ruins.[7] And while she was ultimately left with a sour view of the Outskirts,[8] Ishmael herself has experience traversing the territory.[9][10]

Beyond the Head's use, the Wings and its citizens will sometimes use the Outskirts as a depot for unwanted children, as it is not uncommon for them to be left in the Outskirts after being experimented on by a Wing,[11] after which taking in children from the Outskirts into the City requires an extremely complicated procedure.[12] Others may find the Outskirts an alluring place to set up camp specifically due to its distance from the Head's watchful eye.

A woodland by the name of the Black Forest is said to be located within the Outskirts, where a River meets the surface.[13] Additionally, the Outskirts overlaps with the Great Lake, allowing creatures like the Pallid Whale to swim between the two. A large train also runs along the edge between it and the City.

The City is a single, massive metropolis containing the entirety of known human civilization. It is divided into 25 Districts, labeled A through Y. There is no Z Corp - the alphabet ends at Y. Each District is a self-contained urban ecosystem, yet all are connected through the endless streets and railways that form the City's circulatory system.

GEOGRAPHICAL REALITY: • The City is surrounded entirely by the Outskirts - territories overrun with monsters where civilization has collapsed • No one has successfully crossed the Outskirts and returned • What lies beyond is unknown and possibly unknowable • The City exists in a state of permanent enclosure - humanity is trapped within its boundaries • There are no nations, countries, or governments outside the City structure

CLASS STRATIFICATION: • Nests: The protected, wealthy centers where Wing employees and elites live • Backstreets: The sprawling residential/commercial zones surrounding each Nest • Ruins: Abandoned areas where even Syndicates fear to tread • Each layer has its own rules, dangers, and survival requirements

"The City is not a place you live. It is a place you survive. From the day you're born to the day you die, the City takes from you. The only question is how much you have left when it's over."`

Charles' Office, operated by the eponymous Charles,was well-known in the Fixer world for having much less fixers than other officers, less than twenty, which was considered low for an Office of such high grade. However, what earned the Office its elite reputation was its ability to handle seemingly any request it was given with only its twelve Fixers, all of whom were almost completely distinct from one another in both skill and character. Its Fixers were partnered with each other in pairs as a means of compensating for each member's shortcomings. The Office itself was located in the northern part of the City and had a luxurious interior space, noted by Fixers of Bayard's Office to be based on a style from the north. Its Fixers also dressed luxuriously, reflecting this style.

Although Charles was the Office's operator,[1][2] he did not command the twelve Fixers. That position apparently belonged to Roland, who rose to the rank of a Grade 1 Fixer during his time in the Office. Despite not being a Color Fixer, he managed to earn Charles' trust and become the leader of the other eleven Fixers. Among outsiders, Roland was known only as the "captain" of the twelve

While at Charles' Office, Roland was partnered with Olivier; Roland's headstrong attitude paired well with Olivier's overly cautious nature. Together, they handled jobs such as "The Secret of the Demi-glace Sauce," an Urban Nightmare-class request which took place in the Backstreets of District 16.

It was during this time that Roland met Angelica, who had joined the Office as its thirteenth Fixer to help them take down Elena, the Blood-red Night. The pair quickly became intimate,

Fixers act as contractors that cover a wide variety of roles in society, working on commission. They often handle lines of work which are considered more dangerous or more specialized than those of average citizens, including direct combat, assassinations, or protection, as well as less violent roles such as trading information, espionage, investigative work or enforcing contracts. To some level, they may act as peacekeepers, being hired to take up jobs more specific to those that hire them. The specialization and accomplishments of Fixers in fields that a majority of citizens do not have allows them to garner great bounds of attention and popularity.

Space manipulating technologies are widely used in the City, being commonly employed by various Wings and applied to many different products, from buildings to cases. One popular utilization of it is that of dimensional containers. A dimensional container, or dimensional attache case, is a container that is able to store items greater than the container's apparent dimension.

The technology of a dimensional container bends the space inside the case, and compresses both the size and the mass of its contents, ensuring their weight is barely felt by the carrier.[14] This makes dimensional cases ideal for long distance transport, such as that operated by the Devyat' Association,

The entire City is covered by the WARP Train network, which provides fast transportation between the Districts. The WARP Trains are powered by W Corp.'s Singularity, ostensibly a teleportation technology, that allows all trains to reach their destination within 10 seconds, regardless of distance, and passengers to avoid using automobiles, as the streets of a Nest are prone to traffic congestion.

Other means of transportation mentioned to be used in the City include buses, normal trains, automobiles, and a subway system

Workshops are a type of Fixer Office that specialize in the production of weapons, gear, and other tools used by Fixers, including customized orders. Workshops typically aim to create products to match the needs of the typical Fixer, but some highly regarded Workshops that can afford to be more selective with their clientele work on a membership system, with the owners of the Workshop picking and choosing their clients. While Workshops craft weapons of all types, the Head's tight regulations on guns has made them difficult to create as well as being an unpopular purchase by Fixers

The Tres Association, sometimes referred to as "The workshop Association", is in charge of managing all the Workshops of the City and evaluating any inventions created by them. In order for a Workshop to sell their products, they must first be registered with the Tres Association, who will file an application with the Head, and charge taxes for the product. These products, which are patented through the Head, cannot be used by other Workshops without purchasing the rights to it.

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.

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.