THE AGE OF CHAOS
Thus do the heaven and earth that once were pass.
Shall you witness the birth of a new dawn?
Thus does the ceaseless wheel of time spin.
Shall you witness that wheel turn faster?
—From the apocryphal book, "Prophecies of Elemiya."
THE END
The Hazards came, and they changed
the world. For seven days, natural disasters
on a scale never before seen ravaged the
earth, as though it were the toy of some
capricious god. The cities of man were torn
to the ground by quakes, its arts and
knowledge washed away in the floods. The
Hazards were deemed the harbingers of the
End Times, and so did civilization end.
The planet remained, though it did not
go unscarred.
Half of humanity had been lost. The
other half found itself faced with an alien
world of white. Of their cities, only rubble
remained as a memorial to what was. Much
of the green fields and fertile earth was now
jealously gripped by ice, refusing to yield to
the meager, shoddily crafted tools
attempting to pierce it to lay crops within.
Even the flora and fauna of the Earth no
longer looked familiar, much of what had
been having vanished, and new, more
deadly things replaced them.
The world itself was now ice, robbed
of the memory of warmth. The continents
had shifted, the oceans had plummeted, and
the very axis of the world had tilted just a
little further from the sun. A new age of ice
was upon the survivors of Earth, and every
edge, every advantage that humanity had
scraped together over Mother Nature, had
been cruelly taken away from it by the
Hazards.
So began the Age of Chaos.
FROZEN ANARCHY
Though there were many fewer
mouths that needed feeding, there was little
land with which to grow food. What could be
scavenged from the wreckage of the old
world quickly dried up, and soon, the cold
scratching to get in was countered by
starvation gnawing to get out.
Fertile lands did exist, though few
thought to look in such newly-equatorial
locations such as Antarctica, Siberia, and
Greenland for those verdant fields. As the
oceans had receded, many new locations
existed to be explored, as well. In the end,
however, cold and hunger gave birth to
desperation, and despite having lost too
many already, humans once again began
killing each other over land.
Famine laid across the land, sparking
War, and which naturally brought Death.
Why too, shouldn't Pestilence come? Plagues
crept across the icy wastes and sliced across
the throat of humanity, bleeding an entire
fifth of what few people remained in the
world. Even today, these highly infectious
diseases, these Microhazards, persist, with
rumors abounding as to whether they're
man-made or not.
 With the four riders of calamity
present, humanity seemed poised to finish
the job that the Hazards had started. Years
had passed before the first Microhazards had
appeared, and it took years more for them to
pass away. Each year brought with it more
war and death, and famine never abated,
even with the ever-dwindling need for food.
Surely, humanity would not have
survived, if angels had not descended to
Earth. And those angels were Japanese.
CORPORATE SALVATION
Before the Hazards came, humanity
had reached heights unknown; they had, in
fact, reached the stars themselves. The
"orbitals," as they were known, were space
colonies orbiting the planet. Those lucky few
that lived on those colonies could only look
down upon their former home and watch as
it tried to tear itself apart—both literally
during the Hazards, and then figuratively
afterwards.
However, while the surviving humans
on the planet had lost their industry and
knowledge, those on the orbitals retained all
of that knowledge, as well as the edges and
advantages against Mother Nature. A few
took note of this, and knew what they had to
do: share that knowledge with their ruined
brethren below.
For a price, of course.
The first celestials to descend to Earth
were a collection of Japanese businessmen,
no longer part of a corporation that existed,
yet of a like mind for profit. They had the
knowledge, an entire planet's worth of
unclaimed resources, and cunning. And that
cunning granted them the insight to offer to
the people of the world a new way of life,
apart from the strife of the Age of Chaos. All
they had to do was sign on the dotted line.
Those that joined—and many
did—became the new labor workforce in the
construction of the arcologies; massive
structures the size of cities. They were cities,
but enclosed, warding away the frozen
winds. Many were built along the Earth's
equator, which was still relatively warmer to
the rest of the planet. Cybernetics, robotics,
and biotechnology went into the construction
efforts, and soon not only did people have a
warm place to sleep at night, but food was
plentiful. At least, for members of the
arcology.
Other celestials scrambled to copy the
idea. They settled down in locations as
familiar to them as possible, building their
own arcologies and recruiting for their
renewed corporations. Some even attempted
to restart the glories of old nations, and
began to carve out territory from the new
landmasses. This naturally led to more war,
but famine and pestilence had been
banished, and despite the fighting, humanity
had found its footing.
Humanity had been spared, but in the
process of doing so, a new world order had
been established. Real power was now
economic, and no matter what government
carved what nation out of what frozen rock,
it was the corporations that had all the
power. When wars like the Greenlandic War
of Independence, the Panamanian-Mexican
War, or the First or Second Mithras Wars
were fought, each bullet fired further
cemented the control the corporations held.
And above them all, the Japanese
stood tall. Formerly an island nation, Japan
already had preset borders. They had no
need for warfare to claim territory. Moreover,
the Hazards had saw fit to move Japan down
along the Equator, leaving it a temperate
and warm paradise. As the Neuro Age
dawned, Japan was the superpower of the
world, and no one could say otherwise due to
the overwhelming power and economic
status they held.
 POST-APOCALYPSE
THE MEGAPLEXES
As nations were established and
corporations solidified their control, humans
in general were thriving. The rate of lives
lost to the wars couldn't outpace the rate at
which children were being born. Not so much
a population boom, as much as an explosion.
The safety, warmth, and plenty of the
arcologies gave humanity a peace of mind
unknown since the Hazards, and soon, things
were on the upswing.
But the arcologies, despite their
immense size, could not sustain the frenzied
population growth. Eventually, people spilled
out from the gigantic structures, and began
expanding outwards. This gave rise to the
megaplexes—massive cities that engulfed
the arcologies built at their centers, and in
the modern day, house tens of millions of
people. Fully seven-tenths of the current
population live in megaplexes.
With humanity's resurgence, the
concerns of the Age of Chaos were a thing of
the past. Industry and infrastructure warmed
the megaplex, and food was still produced
by the arcologies at their hearts. Many did
not even require heating, as most of the
arcologies were built along the Equator. The
massive cities were the first real sign of
humanity reclaiming its place in the world,
and the first steps towards the beginning of
the Neuro Age.
ARCOLOGICAL HEARTS
Each megaplex began with an
arcology, and some, like TOKYO N◎VA, have
several. The relationship between megaplex
and arcology is a strange one, however, as in
the current age, they have next to no
interaction with one another. This is because
the arcologies remain the private domain of
the megacorps, whereas the influence of
those corporations could not be held over
the megaplex at large.
Most people who are born to
arcologies also die there, having never left
the walls. This is because each arcology is
built to be self-sufficient. One wakes up in
their home, travels to work, perhaps
participates in shopping after they finish
their labors, and then return to their homes,
all while never leaving the arcology. The
sheer size of the structures also includes
synthetic food growing and facilities to make
life as comfortable as possible.
If you are born to an arcology, you will
likely never leave it, and indeed, you likely
will never want to. Most people are raised
believing they belong to the megacorp that
owns the arcology, and moreover, they
believe in their corporation. They work in full
satisfaction, knowing that they will never
suffer from hardship. The only interaction to
be had with the megaplex is when delivering
the corp's goods for trade, and even then
that tends to be taken care of robots, these
days.
The megacorps hold all power over
the world, with even nations bowing to their
will. While many are still headquartered on
their privately owned orbital, the arcologies
represent the majority of Earth-based
operations, a symbol of the power of the
megacorps, and a reminder of who plucked
humanity from the Age of Chaos.
 ANGELS OF PROFIT
In truth, the corporations never really
disappeared, they simply went unknown on
Earth after the Hazards. That was possible
due to the orbital habitats, known simply as
orbitals, that circled the planet from the
outside. All of humanity's lost technology,
knowledge, and arts were preserved upon
the orbitals, and after the Hazards tore down
the foundations of civilization, the
opportunity was too good to ignore, no
matter what the "celestials" aboard the
orbitals thought of their forsaken terrestrial
siblings.
Today, while the arcologies are the symbol of
the megacorps' ground-based power, the
orbitals are the symbol of their total control
over everything below—that is, Earth itself.
Of course, given each orbital's array of
combat satellites, war machines, and
spaceships, their superiority over the Earth is
the only thing they share in common.
Everything else is up for negotiations,
mergers and acquisitions, and of course,
hostile takeovers.
Nearly all terrestrial people will never step
foot upon an orbital, but there are those that
travel between the Earth and the stars. They
do so via the Yggdrasil space elevator,
constructed at the heart of the Canberra
AXYZ megaplex in Australia. The orbital at
the top of the elevator is a transport hub
that sends shuttles out, carrying passengers
and goods to their intended orbital, whether
residential, scientific, or even industrial.
While Earth-bound persons might regard
those that live in the star with awe, referring
to them as "celestials," people who live on
the orbitals are more properly known as
Highlanders.
 THE CYBERIZED WORLD
THE WEB
Cybertech. The fusion of man and
machine, of consciousness and the Web.
These are the themes of the Neuro Age.As
humans began to expand past the
arcologies, some of the technology reserved
exclusively for those arcologies expanded
too. Computer networking in the past had
been known by many names, but it had been
plagued by infrastructure issues. After the
Hazards ripped all the previous infrastructure
apart however, it allowed for a new
foundation of computer networking to be
laid. So the Web came to be.
The Web is ubiquitous in the current
age, and unlike the past, where civilization
struggled to keep up with the possibilities of
digital communication, the new Neuro Age
society was formed around the Web. Indeed,
just as past ages were named for the level of
technology they were known for, the Neuro
Age is named for Web access being as fast
as thought itself.
This is made possible by the other
side of the Web. The Intelligent Assisting
Neural Utility System, or IANUS (pronounced
'yanoose' like 'a noose'). IANUS units are
installed into the human nervous system
with nanotechnology, forming computer
interface devices that respond to the firing of
neurons. With IANUS, a human can interface
with machines without a wired connection,
and have digital information streamed
directly into their brain, as well as have
sensory information piped directly into their
consciousness.
IANUS and the Web work together
seamlessly to the point that most physical
things taken for granted no longer apply.
Money and personal identification are all
handled digitally, making it nearly
impossible for those who do not have IANUS
installed to function in society. Fortunately,
those types, called Wets, are rare, as the
assumption is that everyone wants
IANUS—those who have not have made a
conscious choice not to, and often take pride
in this choice, despite the social oddity of it.
Such is how the world works now. The
Web is available anywhere in the world, even
in the most remote regions of the frozen
wastes. Portable computers known as TRONs
can process information at the speed of
thought, and are controlled with those same
thoughts, thanks to IANUS. Cybernetics are
commonplace now, and manmade AI with
sentience and willpower on par with that of
humans are not unknown.
AROUND THE WORLD
THE AMERICAN
CONFEDERATION
The American Confederation claimed
the North American continent, which now
straddles the Equator. Created from the
former United States of America and parts of
Canada, it managed to retain its status as a
powerful and important nation even after the
Hazards.
Having lost little of its nationalistic
spirit after the Hazards, the American
Confederation's massive industries ferment
within their borders, waiting for the chance
to take a bite out of the Japanese industries
that dominate the world. In particular, the
American megacorp TerraWare has become a
force to be reckoned with in the world
economy. The American Confederation also
has a powerful underworld whose influence
is felt worldwide.
 The American Confederation's largest
megaplex is New Fort, which was built atop
the ruins of New York City. Another world-
famous locale is the resort city of Las Vegas.
Countless smaller cities dot the nation, many
of them controlled by gangs.
THE NEW EUROPEAN UNION,
VILLENEUVE
After the Hazards, the elite citizens of
the quasi-government known as the EU fled
from their newly frozen homes to the warmer
environs of Greenland. There, they
established the New European Union,
Villeneuve.
The American Confederation has
attempted to annex them, but they managed
to fight for their independence and won.
Even so, they are a decidedly second-rate
country in economic terms, as there are few
corporations from Villeneuve prominent on
the international stage.
Their largest megaplex is Lutetia,
located on the southern coast of Greenland.
Though it possesses beautiful classical
architecture, much of its skyline has become
visually polluted by several corporate
arcologies. Yet it still retains its name of "The
City of Flowers."
THE XIA EMPIRE
China suffered among the worst of
any country after the Hazards, as its high
population (even after the disasters) meant
their food shortages were even more severe.
But out of the ashes of the Age of Chaos rose
the Xia Empire. The current Emperor, Huang
Zixing, personally commands the military
and holds near-absolute power.
In league with him are the Triads, a
criminal society that the Emperor is deeply
involved with. Step by step, the empire has
clawed its way to international prominence,
and only recently has begun to be seen as a
threat by Japanese corporations.
The Emperor's palace is located in the
inland city of Yong'an. However, the largest
Chinese megaplex is Hong Kong HEAVEN,
located on the coast of Xia. Although an
independent democracy in name, thanks to
the machinations of the Triads, it is by and
large a puppet of the Xia Empire.
AUSTRALIA
Australia was perhaps the continent
least affected by the Hazards, comparatively
speaking. As a result, its industries quickly
rebuilt themselves, and today it is the
second most prosperous country in the
world, behind Japan. Thanks to its control of
Yggdrasil, it enjoys having many affluent
citizens as well.
Australia's megaplex is Canberra
AXYZ, which is also its largest city. Yggdrasil
rises from the megaplex's center, visible
from most of the continent.
MITHRAS
A continent that shifted from the
South Pole up to the Equator, Antarctica
Mithrasia is often known simply as Mithras.
Despite fighting—and winning—two wars for
independence, its government has faded into
irrelevance compared to the various
megacorps that have purchased most of its
territory, chief among them being Chihaya
and Iwasaki.
Unlike most of the megaplexes in the
world, Mithras's largest city and megaplex
was constructed on barren and uninhabited
earth after the Hazards. It is known as
Mithras EΔEN, and is run directly by the
megacorps.
 RUSSIA
The new Russia looks a lot like the old
Soviet Union, as the nation stretches across
much of what the old U.S.S.R. had claimed
for itself. This is chiefly due to that fact that
much of that land is permafrost, with some
of the lowest temperatures known to the
world currently. As a consequence, it has a
decidedly weak economy.
Much of the Russian population lives
inside domed cities known as GOELROs.
Megacorps from more affluent countries
have come to control many of these,
creating industrial plantations that profit
from the labor of Russia's populace. The
largest of the GOELROs, and Russia's capital,
is Moscow GOELRO.
KURULTAI SIBERIAN
FEDERATION
Once, Siberia was a part of Russia.
Now, it stands on its own as the Kurultai
Siberian Federation, which has also claimed
Alaska and the former islands of Sakhalin
and Hokkaido for itself.
Kurultai's native citizens are a mix of
Siberian, Inuit, Native American and Ainu
peoples, many of whom have rejected the
technology of the Neuro Age and returned to
their traditional ways, living off the land in
small tribes. Nevertheless, they are able to
defend themselves with astonishing mystical
powers they conjure from crystals they have
unearthed—said to have been deposited
there by a pre-Hazard incident known as the
Tunguska Event.
Kurultai's only megaplex, Kamui
ST☆R, is known for being a portal to hell...
or at least that's what people say. Only a few
years ago, a massive earthquake opened a
huge abyss in the city's center, and from
that yawning maw came eldritch creatures,
which now dominate the city.
JAPAN
Japan, like Australia, was relatively
unaffected by the Hazards. Its shift south to
the Equator preserved its comfortable
temperature and fertile land, and it suffered
little from the food shortages and strife that
devastated the human population elsewhere,
due to its quickly rebuilt industries. As a
result, Japan is the most prosperous nation in
the Neuro Age.
There are numerous conspiracy
theories floating around due to the degree of
unbelievably fortunate circumstances
surrounding Japan. Some claim that the
Japanese caused the Hazards somehow, and
other maintain that they were the cause for
the Microhazards. However, as Japan has
closed its borders and allows no entry to
non-Japanese, there is no proof, only
mystery.
Japan's isolation was enforced due to
its quick action after the Hazards. Their
condition for offering aid to other nations
was simple: "You shall never dispute our
status as a closed nation." There was little
choice during the time, and so today, Japan
remains more or less impenetrable by
foreigners. Even information on its orbitals is
difficult to find. Only through magic mirrors
and satellite photography can even a
glimpse be caught of the nation.
Foreigners who violate Japan's
isolationist policies are ruthlessly executed
by police without trial, acting as an example
to others who would try it. Further, the
Japanese military is said to consist of cyborg
super-soldiers, increasing the intimidation
factor.
If those things weren't enough,
Japan's absolute control over the global
economy makes everyone else second-guess
attempts to violate Japan's isolation. While
others may negotiate with Japanese
corporations, no one dares meddle with the
nation itself.
 INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
AMERICAN CONFEDERATION
The American Confederation has
warm relations with Villeneuve and Russia.
Despite this, economic competition is fierce
between them and American corporations
often violate local laws in an attempt to
cement their influence. It is uncertain
whether this amiable relationship will stand
the test of time.
On a national level, their relations
with the Xia Empire are strained. Though
they assisted Mithras during their wars for
independence, after the country became
dominated by Japanese corporations, the
relationship between them ceased to be
friendly.
Though the American Confederation
continues to openly declare they are friends
of Japan, in reality, there is a vicious rivalry
between them. Open economic warfare
takes place between megacorps from both
nations.
VILLENEUVE
Villeneuve was once well poised to
give Russia advice on dealing with pesky
southern neighbors, but after Kurultai
successfully gained independence, the
relationship between the two has cooled.
As their weak industries have been
steadily encroached upon, they have
attempted to reach out to other nations in
Asia to check the Japanese and American
influence. They have particularly good
relations with the Xia Empire.
SOUTH AMERICA
South America is dominated by
Japanese corporations and thus acts as a
mirror of Japanese foreign policy. They have
poor relations with the anti-Japanese bloc.
THE XIA EMPIRE
Xia has mended their strained
relationship with Russia from the time prior
to the Hazards out of the mutual need to
resist Japanese influence. For the same
reason, they will make deals with the
American Confederation when it's mutually
profitable, though there is no love lost
between the two countries.
They also maintain good relations with
Villeneuve as a means of expanding their
international influence. As a key aggressor in
the Mithras Wars, they have minimal
diplomatic exchange with that country.
AUSTRALIA
As a pro-Japanese country, Australia
has strained relations with countries that
resist Japanese influence. However, they
remain amiable with the American
Confederation, Russia, and Villeneuve. They
are not on speaking terms with South
America and the Xia Empire unless
necessary.
RUSSIA
With its desolate territory, though
Russia has particularly friendly relations with
the Xia Empire, they cannot afford to make
enemies. As its GOELROs are largely
controlled by Japanese corporations, they
have good relations with Japan.
MITHRAS
With almost all of its territory divided
up between Japanese corporations, Mithras'
government can also not afford to make
enemies, and seeks friendly relations with
any nation that will humor them regardless
of their deeper feelings.
 TOKYO NOVA LIFE
"Must be fate that I'm breathing this air again.
Well... I guess it ain't bad air."
—Jimmy "Kuromegane" Yang
THE HAZARD CITY
It's said that twenty-seven days after
the Hazards stopped, the three kilometer
diameter building known as the Iwayato
Building mysteriously appeared on the dry
bed formerly known as Tokyo Bay.
Along with it came an underground
passage that connected the area to the
Japanese mainland. As time went on, the
megaplex known officially as "Tokyo New
Star City" sprung up around the Iwayato
Building.
That megaplex, of course, is TOKYO
N◎VA. Today, it is considered to be more or
less the center of the world. With Japan a
closed nation, and TOKYO N◎VA the only
true place that a foreigner may set foot on
Japanese soil, the megaplex is a hotbed of
intrigue and danger. Nicknamed for the
disasters that changed the world, TOKYO
N◎VA is truly the Hazard City.
At its inception, TOKYO N◎VA was a
particularly lawless settlement. In time, that
lawlessness only intensified as the city
expanded to become the largest megaplex
in the world.
This only changed after several acts of
terrorism plunged the city into outright
chaos. The Japanese military responded with
overwhelming force, occupied the city, and
installed a formal government.
THE N◎VA SYSTEM
The "N◎VA System" refers to the
system of government of the TOKYO N◎VA
megaplex. In it, an Administrator is installed
by the Japanese military, and is replaced the
moment he or she is found wanting in any
way. The current Administrator is Inagaki
Kouhei, a man formerly of the Black Hounds
police agency, who has a reputation for
valuing personal profit over all else.
While installed, the Administrator has
absolute power over all matters executive,
legislative, and judicial. These powers still
come at the sufferance of the Japanese
military, of course. The next most powerful
entity is the N◎VA Senate, a body of
representatives made up entirely of persons
from N◎VA's most important corporations.
Below them are a countless number of
ministries and commissions that oversee the
day-to-day affairs of the city.
Justice and security are provided by
private contractors—that is, the police are a
business, rather than a public service. The
Shinohara Security Service (SSS, pronounced
Three-S) provide much of the "muscle," that
is, the beat cops, enforcers, and riot and
SWAT police. The Black Hounds, meanwhile,
specialize in detective and investigative
work. These two organizations, however,
only are interested in areas of the city in
which they have been contracted to protect.
If they haven't been paid, then don't expect
to see a cop anywhere around.
 The final form of "government" is of
course, money. In the Neuro Age, currency is
digital; there are no paper notes or metal
coins. One's personal finances are stored in
their IANUS, and may be transferred with
personal authorization. Illegal transactions
typically use "Cash," which are disposable
cards encoded with a specific amount of
money. They come in four denominations to
denote the amount they hold: Bronze, Silver,
Gold, and Platinum.
RANK AND CLASS
In TOKYO N◎VA, even people are
categorized, prioritized, and filed away.
Everyone in TOKYO N◎VA is required to
register in the ID System, making them a
legal resident of the megaplex. Each ID is
given a rank, typically A, B, or C. The ranking
represents, frankly speaking, the class of
citizen. The more affluent and worthy the
citizen, the higher the rank.
Those that have not, will not, or cannot
register in the ID System, such as illegal
immigrants and criminals, default to X Rank.
These people have no rights in TOKYO
N◎VA, and may be arrested on sight simply
for being X Rank. Other ranks are dependent
upon one's nationality and wealth.
Like people, zones in TOKYO N◎VA are
likewise ranked by how important they are,
and similarly, this denotes how likely police
and law enforcement are to be paying
attention. Areas are openly zoned, just like
one's ID is openly available by checking their
IANUS. You will always know if you are
entering a Red Area or not; the military
checkpoint is hard to miss.
White Areas: The city center, in which
government offices, arcologies and the
highest-class areas are located.
Green Areas: High class residences and
offices.
Yellow Areas: Places where the masses of
ordinary residence live and shop.
Red Areas: Lawless slums not protected by
Tokyo NOVA's security agencies.
A CITY OF METAL AND
LIGHT
The Neuro Age is defined by the
ubiquity of the Web, and the likewise
ubiquitous access to the Web made possible
by IANUS. But there's more to the
cyberization of the world than merely these
things. With current technology, embedding
nanochips within the body, or even replacing
parts of the body (or even the whole thing)
are common, conventional processes.
IANUS allows one to access the Web
at any time, at any place. Doing so allows
one to literally have the entire world's
knowledge at their fingertips. However,
IANUS also allows for direct interfacing with
certain machines called TRONs, and the
most common type of these are
PockeTRONs, handheld terminals that are
similar to, but vastly more powerful than,
smartphones and tablets of earlier times.
IANUS also layers the virtual on top of
the real. Streaming data from the local Web
and piping it into one's senses, a person can
walk down a shopping arcade and see
billboards, store fronts, and more that don't
actually exist, but can still be seen, heard,
and even touched by one with IANUS.
Information may also be downloaded and
displayed for others to see nearby. This is
known as Augmented Reality (AR), and is so
common that it is nearly unthinkable to go
without.
 Beyond the IANUS lies cyberware. In
the Neuro Age, any body part imaginable
can be replaced or augmented with
cybertechnology, allowing one to be more
than they would be otherwise. Whether one
goes for synthetic muscles, or nerve-
acceleration devices, the possibilities are
endless. Full-body cybernetics may also be
employed, with only the brain remaining
from one's original body. However, recent
discoveries have found that full cyberization
has negative effects on one's lifespan. Even
so, returning to the flesh is possible... and
sometimes not even to the same body as the
one you left.
Cyberization is so common that it's in
every home. The term Data Kommunicator,
or DAK, refers to the AI systems installed in
nearly every building in a megaplex. Upon
hearing a comment such as "It's hot," the
DAK will automatically adjust environmental
controls to make the visitor comfortable.
DAKs are omnipresent in homes,
stores, and even roads and public places.
Advanced DAKs may be capable of cognition,
conversation, and even humor. Their
personalities and speech habits are fully
customizable, and many people think of their
personal DAKs as friends, with a common
slang term for one's personal DAK being "my
buddy."
While the appearance of a DAK's
avatar in AR is also customizable, the bird
avatar that is the traditional default is
beloved by many, who have no interest in
changing their personal DAK to any other.
Finally, the Neuro Age has given rise
to artificial life. Born from certain reckless
experiments, the "Machina," as they are
known, are advanced AI programs that have
gained true sentience, and regard
themselves as AI lifeforms. They are
relatively new, but it is known that while
Machina are programs, they cannot be
copied, as the copy will not be sentient.
However, a kind of "reproduction" can
happen with two Machina working together
to form an independent child personality.
Machina are so humanlike that some
people have taken to playing a game known
as the Neuro Turing Test, in which they try to
guess whether the lifeform they are speaking
to is in fact human. Given their relatively
new beginnings, however, things like "rights"
are still unclear.
Cybertechnology is so pervasive that
even subcultures have twisted it for their
own ends. Today, changing one's clothes,
hair, and even things like the color and
shape of your eyes is as easy as thinking it.
"Neuro Kids," the term for the youth of the
current age who manipulate AR and their
presentation in it as easily as they breathe,
can change their look entirely on a whim,
and do so in the blink of an eye.
This is equally normal for today's
celebrities. Indeed, many celebrities these
days are no more real than their clothes, as
AI Holo-Celebs are just as wildly popular as a
flesh and blood celebrity in the past might
have been (though there's a number of those
still, too.) Movies and music take full
advantage of cyberization, and while
amusement parks and arcades exist, many
more exist entirely on the Web, and feel no
different.
VR and AR, the blurring of real and
cyber. The Neuro Age is an era where one's
"Icon," the virtual representation of
themselves upon the Web, is considered no
less "them" than their own flesh is. Such is
the world of the future.
 A DAY IN N◎VA
CATHY'S MORNING
Cathy awakens to the gentle sound of
someone calling her name. It feels a bit like
being woken up by her mother, except she
knows that the voice has no form. It's her
buddy—the DAK built into her Yellow zone
home—and he's saying it's time for school.
Reluctantly, while thinking it might be
nice if she could simply attend school on the
Web for once, Cathy rises and walks into the
sonic shower. She doesn't even need to say
anything, as her buddy turns on the gentle
oscillation, cleansing her in mere moments.
Feeling a bit more awake after the
shower, Cathy tugs on overly simple clothes
that amount to little more than a dull-colored
shirt and skirt. Then she heads into the
kitchen, where breakfast is already waiting
for her. She thanks her buddy, then sits
down. With but a thought, a sign frame
appears within her field of vision.
It doesn't exist in reality, but
nevertheless, she can see it. She switches
the channel to a morning news talk show,
hoping to catch the latest info on her favorite
celebrities. As she eats her meal of "candy,"
she wonders what it's like to eat real food,
like those celebrities must.
Candy is all artificially cultured, and
while it can be adjusted to taste like
anything, she still wonders what real "steak"
might feel like to eat.
 She lets her buddy take care of the
dishes, then stands up to leave for school.
But she stops short—she can't go out looking
like this! With but a thought, she pulls up her
school's uniform data, and layers it on top of
her dull gray outfit. She adds a bit of her
customary flair—making her hair look
blonder than it is, her eyes more vividly blue,
and adding a totally cute, digital ribbon in
her hair that only exists in AR, and then
admires herself using an AR sign frame that
acts as a mirror. Perfect.
Once in class, she's once again glad
her parents do make her attend school in
person. It's fun to see people in real life
sometimes! As she sits down, a sign frame
opens in front of each student—today's pop
quiz. Bitting her lip, Cathy pulls up some
information from the Web with a thought.
When she can't seem to find the answer, she
sends her friends a chat invite, and they
secretly begin conversing without a word.
The answers come from one of her
friends who went so far as to hack their
teacher's TRON! Cathy can barely repress a
giggle, but she accepts the answers anyway,
and soon after the quiz is over. Cathy and
her friends keep the chat open, gossiping the
entire time during class.
THE CITY AFTER SCHOOL
During their chat, Cathy and her
friends agree to do some shopping together
after class. As soon as they're dismissed,
Cathy changes her clothes, the digital
display of her school uniform superimposed
on top of her drab outfit changing in the
blink of an eye to a way cuter outfit. She
finds her friends, and they collectively
decide to head to the Asakusa Sixth Ward--
better known as “Asakusa Rock.”
For Neuro Kids like them, there is no
hotter place to be! Entertainment, shopping,
and if they're lucky, a cute guy or two.
 They head for the Linear station, and
barely notice the sign frame popping up in
their field of vision asking for their assent to
being charged the price of a Linear ticket.
They do, and the driverless train spirits them
away to Asakusa in no time.
Asakusa's reputation is well earned, as
its chaotic atmosphere hits Cathy and her
friends like a ton of bricks. In the Neuro Age,
with everyone and everything cyberized,
there's almost never a need to leave your
house, and it's fully possible to live an
exciting life by never doing so. But it's
human to want to have physical interaction
with other humans, and those that do leave
their homes are there to live it up. There's no
better place than Asakusa to see the truth of
that.
Every building is layered with a
maelstrom of color. Billboards that don't
exist in reality cram into the visual space.
Music filters in from each store, and many of
the stores aren't even really stores, but
virtual sign frames that allow one to look at
any product desired in full detail, all in virtual
space, as though you were holding it
physically. The visual chaos is only furthered
by the wild range of hair colors, styles, and
the loudness of digital clothing. Some people
even have cyberware that add to their
appearance. Cathy wonders if maybe she
shouldn't get a cute pair of cat ears...
Of course, none of this is visible to
those weird people who choose not to have
an IANUS installed. Cathy knows those sorts
exist, and she wonders what life is like for
them. All they'd see is a gaggle of girls, all
dressed in drab clothing, giggling over
something that doesn't exist in front of a wall
with nothing on it. Deciding it must be
terribly dull, Cathy waves her hand in front
of the register of the accessory shop she's
browsing, assenting to be charged for the
cute bracelet she found. The money is
deducted straight from her IANUS, and the
bracelet appears digitally on her wrist. That's
all a Neuro Kid like her needs!
THE BAD PART OF TOWN
Eventually, one of Cathy's friends
pipes up and suggests she wants to see a
shop—not in Asakusa, but towards the
Sumida River, in a Red Area. In other words,
one of the completely lawless slums of
TOKYO N◎VA. Cathy is nervous, but
eventually caves to the others' assurances
that "this slum is different" and relatively
peaceful.
Having to walk there on foot, the
group of Yellow Area girls pass through the
checkpoint with hardly a glance from the SSS
officer on duty, and they're in. Cathy has just
enough time to start to convince herself that
this slum does in fact seem relatively
peaceful... until she hears gunshots nearby!
Everyone knows that the Yakuza, American
Mafia, and Chinese Triads often engage in
turf wars in Red zones, but what rotten
timing to start a fight here of all places!
The SSS officer they passed, even if
he hears the gunshots, won't come to save
them. SSS isn't paid to protect Red Areas, so
they don't. It's unlikely that if the girls get
caught up in the fighting that the Black
Hounds would even investigate the crime,
and no charges would be filed. The girls can
only take cover and hope things don't get
too out of hand.
But then one of her friends has an
idea. "Ah! Someone call a Robotax!" A
driverless, droid-operated taxi probably
wouldn't balk at being forced to drive
through a gunfight, and besides, any taxi
that would come here has to be bulletproof!
There's a chorus of "Neuro!" at the good
idea, and one of them immediately sends a
call to the company.
Ten minutes later, they see their hope
approaching. The droid imperviously
maneuvers its boxy vehicle down the road,
and the girls watch as bullets pling off its
reinforced sides. It nearly reaches their
location—
And then their hopes go up in flames. Quite
literally, as someone blows up the Robotax
with a rocket launcher! How could the
yakuza be so indiscriminate?! That's just how
TOKYO N◎VA is.
Eventually the fighting dies down, and
the girls make a break for it just as the
hyenas come out of hiding in order to pick
over the corpses. They duck into the closest
Linear station just as more bullets start
flying, this time from looters squabbling over
the treasure they've found. But all that is left
behind as the Linear takes them back to
safety. Cathy breathes a sigh of relief.
THE END OF THE DAY
After parting with her friends, Cathy
has already opened another sign frame in
order to keep connected with them. Walking
home, many of her friends are expressing
their relief to be safe, while others have
apparently forgotten the terror already and
are bragging about the experience. Her sigh
is all the voice recognition on the lock on her
apartment door needs, and the DAK is there
to turn on the lights and open the door for
her, greeting her after a long day.
Not long after, Cathy's parents arrive
home from their places of work in a Green
Area, and they get ready for dinner as their
buddy preps the dinner candy. Mom takes
drinks from the refrigerator and sets them on
the table, while Dad puts away the huge
batch of food materials he carried home
using his cyberarm. Cathy tells them about
her day, though she decides to leave out the
part involving bullets.
After dinner, she feels dirty from her
adventures in the Red zone. Another bath,
and she's ready to relax. But then a sign
frame pops up, informing her of a call. It's
him! Her boyfriend! She's never actually met
him in person, but his ID lists him as a
security officer for a Chihaya Group
corporate databank, so she knows he's an
upstanding guy. They can't fake those IDs,
after all!
After a romantic evening full of
conversation, Cathy says good night to her
boyfriend, and logs out of her various chats.
She asks her buddy to set the interior of her
room to look like the night sky, and it
complies, dimming the lights so only the
pinpoints of the stars are visible. Snuggling
under the covers and under the stars; so
ends Cathy's day in TOKYO N◎VA.
 THE N◎VA UNDERGROUND
JAPAN'S SUFFERANCE
N◎VA was first occupied by the
Japanese military fifteen years ago. Ever
since, the situation could be called
something of a pressure-cooker. The military
has installed dictators with absolute power
to the position of Administrator and allowed
them to govern the city as they see fit.
However, that "lenience" is a trap.
Whenever civil unrest or domestic dissent
grows too fierce, or anti-Japanese sentiment
grows too noisy, the Japanese military stages
a coup d'etat and violently overthrows the
Administrator, puts down dissent, and then
installs a new Administrator. Then, once
again, the Administrator is left to rule as
they see fit... until it happens all over again.
Currently, Inagaki Kouhei is in the
Administrator of TOKYO N◎VA. Formerly of
the Black Hounds, he is an openly corrupt
individual that nevertheless is as cunning as
they come. While furthering his own private
interests, he regards actual governance with
a passion best described as lazy. Instead, he
controls the population through fiery
rhetoric, each of his public speeches aimed
to instill a sense of pride in the megaplex. So
far, it's worked.
That may be because of the recent
change in leadership for the "Peace
Preservation Army," the forces dedicated to
keeping an eye on N◎VA. Fifteen years ago,
the ruthless Colonel Izumi was in charge,
and he was famously bleak in his opinions on
anti-Japanese sentiment. Since then
however, he has been replaced by Colonel
Mimasaka Hisataka, who has seemingly
adopted a policy of appeasement to diminish
the unrest over Japanese control.
However, that's commonly held to be
only for the sake of appearances. It's said
that Mimasaka has designs on TOKYO N◎VA
that involve eliminating Inagaki Kouhei,
instituting harsh laws on non-Japanese
peoples, cracking down on organizations
advocating for greater autonomy or
resistance of Japan, and purging mutants
and AI,
Such is the pressure-cooker that is the
Hazard City. A city that can, at any moment,
be violently suppressed by the Japanese
military whenever they believe it to be
necessary.
CORPORATE WARFARE
Once, in the center of TOKYO N◎VA,
there existed an arcology belonging to a
European corporation known as Le TRON De
Lutetia. One of Villeneuve's only prominent
corporations, Lutetia's primary business was
in developing interfaces for DAKs at the
onset of the Neuro Age. However, the
corporation could not keep up with the rapid
rise of technology, and eventually, they lost
in the great game that is the world economy.
Ten years ago, the American company
TerraWare acquired Le TRON de Lutetia, and
then overnight, the only megacorp from
Villeneuve's arcology vanished as if a scalpel
had excised it from the city.
As if sensing the greatest opportunity
it would ever have, the massive paramilitary
corporation Iwasaki swooped in and bought
the rights to the land. Upon that rock, they
built the largest-scale arcology TOKYO N◎VA
had seen at the time, and from there, rapidly
expanded to become the largest paramilitary
corporation in the world.
 Meanwhile, the homegrown Wako
Labs corporation, a leading manufacturer of
vehicles of all kinds, and well known and
respected for its aggressive R&D division,
moved its head office to Australia. Though
they cited a more favorable cost of raw
materials and manufacturing, those in the
know suspect that isn't the case.
As Wako Labs moved out, the Heilong
Group from the Xia Empire was moving in.
Their aggressive expansion (both through
legal and illegal channels) is speculated to
have targeted Wako Labs as a key threat,
and covert corporate espionage and, some
say, sabotage pushed Wako Labs out of its
home territory of TOKYO N◎VA. Out with
vehicles, robotics, and AI, and in with
"pharmaceuticals."
TerraWare's founder, William Tamon,
retired recently, and since then the American
megacorporation has pushed for aggressive
expansion worldwide.
Meanwhile, the jewel of Japan, the
Chihaya Group, has suffered slightly from
divisions forming internally between their
Earth-bound and orbital branches. But with
the terrestrial faction having finally secured
economic control of the corporation, Chihaya
is stronger than ever. It's a testament to the
power of Chihaya that even during the in-
fighting, it barely wavered.
At present, the dominant megacorps
in TOKYO N◎VA are the quartet of Chihaya,
Iwasaki, TerraWare, and Heilong. Iwasaki
and Chihaya, being Japanese corporations,
often work together like wolves from the
same pack.
Their combined power is hard to deal
with, but TerraWare and Heilong show no
signs of backing down, even if Japan remains
at the top of the game.
 N◎VA'S CRIMINALS
In the slums and Red Areas of TOKYO
N◎VA, a different kind of war is waged
nearly daily, and this one doesn't have the
veneer of respectability that the corporates
put on their wars. As TOKYO N◎VA is the
world capital of both legitimate and
illegitimate profit, the American-based
Carlyle Syndicate and the Chinese Triads are
seeking to purchase their own piece of
N◎VA, and are willing to pay for it with
blood. The largest yakuza group in TOKYO
N◎VA, the Kawato-rengou, are currently on
the losing end of this war, despite being on
their home turf.
Currently, the Carlyle Syndicate are
the top dogs in this fight. Though they
possess legitimate enterprises in N◎VA,
chiefly a high roller casino in a Green Area
(which is largely just a front for illegitimate
business), the syndicate's leader isn't
satisfied with just that. Don Kugel pushes for
limitless expansion into all areas of N◎VA,
fighting for control of the slums, and
planning to invade Asakusa.
However, while their cool-headed yet
terrifyingly heartless methods have pushed
them to the top, rifts are beginning to form
inside the Syndicate. Many are agitating for
settling down and profiting handsomely from
what the Syndicate already controls. Don
Kugel's iron-fisted grip (literally, as it's said
he has never lost in hand to hand combat) is
too strong to disobey, however. And so, the
Syndicate fights on.
Meanwhile, the Triads operate, as one
might expect, out of Chinatown. Bars and
restaurants are their primary choice for
legitimate fronts, and all kinds of illicit
activity flows through those businesses and
into Asakusa and the slums. The Triads are
also known for participating in human
trafficking in order to obtain fresh manpower
from overseas. Currently, they are aligned
with the Carlyle Syndicate in order to push
out the Kawato-rengou, though they are not
participating in the conflict directly.
Finally, the Kawato-rengou, while
holding strategic territory in the Yellow Zone
of Asakusa, have very little hold left on the
slums of N◎VA. The current head of the
Kawato-rengou, Fujisaki Ryuuji, harbors
somewhat old school beliefs, placing the
highest priority on the safety of their current
territory. Though the sub-organizations of the
syndicate are champing at the bit to restore
the former glory of the Kawato-rengou,
Fujisaki ignores the discontent, arguing that
launching a large-scale counterattack would
be premature.
ORGANIZED CRIME
WORLDWIDE
There is nowhere on Earth that the
premier criminal organizations cannot reach,
having just as much influence on the
international scale as corporations do. The
members of these organizations even infest
the orbitals, sending the reach of each
organization to the stars.
It hardly needs to be said that the
Triads are the dominant organization in
Southeast Asia and the Chinese mainland.
Their determination to protect their territory
has meant that no other organization has
gotten a foothold yet.
Meanwhile, the Carlyle Syndicate rules
the underworlds of North America and
Russia. The Kawato-rengou's flag still stands
over Mithras and South America, and each of
the three organizations have a stake in
Australia.
However, when it comes to the
megaplexes, the division of territory is not so
clear. For instance, while the Kawato-rengou
controls Mithras as a whole, the Carlyle
Syndicate is firmly established in MITHRAS
E△EN, and the tension there could erupt at
any moment into all-out street warfare.
 In Kurultai, KAMUI ST☆R used to be a
Triad stronghold, but the Carlyle Syndicate
has again eroded control there, and even an
up-and-coming Russian organization by the
name of Papushka is causing some strain
there.
A zero-sum game is taking place in
Hong Kong HEAVEN, with each win being met
with an equal loss between the Kawato-
rengou and the Triads.
Despite the Carlyle Syndicate's near-
dominant hold on the American megaplex of
New Fort, the Triads have been making
inroads there.
In OSAKA M○●N, another yakuza
outfit named Akigawa-gou once had total
dominance over the underworld of the
unclean city, but the Triads have since taken
half of the city from them.
And finally, in TOKYO N◎VA, while
historically the Kawato-rengou have been in
control of the whole city, the aggressive
actions of both the Carlyle Syndicate and the
Triads have seen significant losses for the
native Kawato-rengou. This has caused "Red
Area" to become a literal term, as the streets
are awash in blood.
Presently, the Carlyle Syndicate is the
most powerful organization in the world, and
they seek to capitalize on their strength to
become the dominant underworld
organization, by any means necessary.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Triads in
TOKYO N◎VA, referred to as the "Incense
Master," and many of his subordinates were
gunned down by assassins and a young new
Incense Master named Harvey Wang,
promises new beginnings. Though the
Kawato-rengou has seen many losses, it still
remains uncertain how this state of affairs
will develop.
CLASHING IDEOLOGIES
Despite being saved from the brink,
humanity in the Neuro Age is no less prone
to shedding blood over a difference in ideals.
If anything, the fractured nature of society,
the rise of AIs and mutants, and the
appearance of eldritch beings have only
deepened the things that divide people.
Today, religion is no less popular a
cause to go to war over than it ever has
been. The world's currently largest religion is
the peaceful and humanistic Society of True
Teachings, but much like the time before the
Hazards, splinter factions of even the most
noble religions exist.
The group colloquially known as the
Purification Faction, who call themselves the
Society of Tranquil Water, are a terrorist cell
that twists the teachings of the original
Society. Their goal is nothing short of the
mass purification of the Earth—"finishing
what the Hazards started," as they claim.
While many religious zealots don't
enjoy a great deal of success, the Purifiers
are said to be led by a highly dangerous
individual, and with financial backing from
"anonymous sources," they hire talented
individuals and freelancers to help them
accomplish their goals. The Purifiers recently
claimed responsibility for a great explosion
that rocked a Mithras airport, murdering tens
of thousands of people, showing that they
are a force to reckon with.
The Purifiers' activities have been
focused largely on other continents as of yet,
but as TOKYO N◎VA is the world's largest
population center, many fear that it's only a
matter of time before the Purifiers turn their
eyes to it. The Japanese government shows
no signs of concern, but that doesn't mean
that none exists.
 Another kind of zealotry comes in the
form of the struggle Hiruko (mutant) as well
as Machina rights. That is to say, neither of
the new species is currently accorded even
basic human rights in TOKYO N◎VA. While
Machina are relatively newer, both Hiruko
and Machina are brutally suppressed through
violent means, both just in discrimination at
home, and when that proves not to be
enough, through the N◎VA Garrison
stepping in to put down the unrest.
There are many sides to the debate.
Some claim that "homo sapiens hirukoid"
and "homo sapiens machinoid" should be
recognized as new species, or even go so far
as to claim that they should be treated no
differently as humans are. Naturally, many
people disagree, and there are heated
exchanges over the matter. That said,
neither Hiruko or Machina are precisely
overjoyed at their treatment, with many
adopting the belief of "an eye for an eye"
when it comes to obtaining justice for the
injustice they suffer daily.
The faithful and the faithless are
joined in unrest and discontent by those who
chafe under the bootheel of Japanese
hegemony. Japan is an isolated country with
closed borders, but even so, the nationalistic
motto is "might makes right." Despite the
closed door policy, they stomp any attempt
to question their global authority into the
dust, not caring a whit about whom they
trample. This creates strong resentment, and
many people in TOKYO N◎VA and the world
abroad hate Japan. Fortunately for them,
there's no shortage of megacorps willing to
secretly fund such groups, hoping something
might come of it...
THE ASTRAL PLANES
Some decades ago, the megaplex
known as KAMUI ST☆R suffered a massive
earthquake that opened a massive chasm in
its center. Since it opened, many names
have been applied to it.
Mictlan. Soku-no-Kuni. Yomi. Hell. The
Netherworld. In the end, however, the event
was called "the Fall," and the chasm was
named "Naraku." And from Naraku... came
the Ayakashi.
While the nature of Naraku is in
question, with some whispering that it is the
gateway to the Astral Plane, the Ayakashi are
undeniably real. They are inhuman, dark
things that crawled their way out of Naraku
and into KAMUI ST☆R, and there today they
still lurk in the shadows. Many questions still
surround the Ayakashi and their goals, but
while people question, those creatures
spread across the land, ever advancing from
the hole that they spawned from.
Naturally, while the majority of
humanity is unaware of the threat Ayakashi
pose, the megacorps are very aware. Secret
experiments, arcane research, and more
have gone into cultivating control over the
eldritch, such that the corps can infuse their
own agents with supernatural powers while
negating the threat others bring.
In TOKYO N◎VA, the "Night Hounds"
organization exists as a secret branch of the
Black Hounds, and in their employ are
"Nightblades" from KAMUI ST☆R who have
experience dealing with the arcane. Crimes
in the Red Areas with a mystical bent aren't
uncommon, and the Night Hounds exist to
deal with those issues.
MAGIC IN THE NEURO AGE
Miracles, magic, telekinesis, and
supernatural abilities. People at large in the
world are ignorant of the existence of these
abilities, and science dismisses them as
fable. Even if one were to conjure a ball of
fire and burn down a house, with the level of
technology in the world, people would simply
assume it was a new kind of cyberware. But
there are those who know the truth of it; that
like it or not, magic has arisen in this world
full of sufficiently advanced technology.
 How it came to exist is unknown, and
theories run wild. Some claim it was caused
by pollution, or side effects of cyberization or
some new kinds of drug. There are even
whispers that when the Hazards shifted the
Earth away from the sun, it also shifted it
closer to the Astral Plane. Whatever the
case, the number of abilities that science
cannot explain is on the rise.
Vasara derive their power from the
Origins, and the blood of those fabled
creatures lies in their veins. Vasara channel
the elements and their powers affect the
physical word.
The Neuro Age has begun. What kind of story will you tell?
In contrast, the powers of Mayakashi
are spiritual in nature. They see and
commune with spirits, who in turn bestow
them with power. That power turns to
prophecy and mental manipulation, which in
turn makes them akin to oracles.
All of these powers tie into the Astral
Plane, which like it or not, does exist. The
philosopher Jung once described such a
realm as "the ocean of the collective
unconscious," and in that ocean exist
islands, other worlds, that spirits, fae, and
other creatures of humanity's darkest
imaginings inhabit. But as to what this all
means for the world... who can say?
TOKYO N◎VA MAP GUIDE

"GEHAHAHAHA!
This city is mine!
I won't hand it over to Japan or anyone else!"
—The Administrator, Inagaki Kouhei
 TOKYO NEW STAR CITY
Moved to the Equator by the Hazards,
Japan is now a nation of eternal spring.
Blessed with astounding good fortune, the
country avoided succumbing to the famine,
war, plagues, and death that filled the planet
during the Age of Chaos.
Having been put into a prime position
to seize control of the world, they did just
that, while simultaneously closing their
borders to all foreigners. Displaying an open
contempt for the rest of humanity, Japan
nevertheless refuses to give up one shred of
their political, military, or economic power.
As the modern-day Dejima of this
Japan, TOKYO N◎VA occupies a unique
position in the world, one that is as
dangerous as it is potentially world-
changing—hence why it called the Hazard
City. The largest urban center in the world,
the megaplex is built upon the dry bed that
was once Tokyo Bay.
At its center towers the three kilo-
meter tall Iwayato Building, which in turn is
ringed by several corporate arcologies. An
area of lush greenery, it is here that
decisions that may affect the world are made
by the most powerful people in the world.
But for all it represents the return and
rise of humanity after the Hazards, TOKYO
N◎VA is also a hotbed of lawlessness,
savagery, and greed. South from the White
zone that holds corporate power, towards
the Kuroda River, lies the opposite end of
power.
The slums are filled with the
desperate and degenerate, the criminal and
the inhuman. Vice and corruption are
wielded like clubs by the syndicates, a
different face on the same predator who
knows only to prey on the weak.
Light and darkness. Glory and shame.
Life and Death. In TOKYO N◎VA, everything
in the world can be found. What are you
looking for?
 CHUO WARD, THE
OFFICE DISTRICT
1: THE N◎VA GARRISON
Officially named the "Japan Kantou
Area 12th Army Division 203rd
Regiment Tokyo New Star City Peace
Preservation Task Force Garrison,"
everyone else simply calls it the "N◎VA
Garrison." Not many ever have cause,
and certainly never want, to go near it.

2: LINEAR CORPORATE
The management office of TOKYO
N◎VA's public transport service,
typically known as the "Linear office."

3: FUJITA CYBERGUARD
CONSULTING
A company that provides Web-based
digital security. Although it has the
appearance of a normal office building,
it has the best cybersecurity in the city.

4: MARIONNET
The largest media network in TOKYO
N◎VA. The front of the building is
actually a huge panel that displays
their own channel 24 hours a day, even
for Wets.

5: NEW TOKYO ELECTRIC

ARCOLOGY
New Tokyo Electric is the power
company for TOKYO N◎VA, and their
offices are located in this arcology.

6: BLACK HOUND HQ
The headquarters of the Black Hounds.
It's been destroyed multiple times by
terrorist attacks from a variety of
groups, but it just gets rebuilt in the
same place each time. The building
features a coffee shop and cafeteria
that serves even civilian patrons.
7: SSS HEAD OFFICE
The head office of one of N◎VA's
private security firms. Includes training
grounds and a sports field for
recreation. Shinohara Security Systems
is currently contracted to perform
much of the everyday checkpoint and
patrol work in TOKYO N◎VA.
8: HEILONG ARCOLOGY
The corporate arcology of Heilong, a
Chinese megacorp that has been
rapidly growing in influence. The
people who live and work here tend to
have a dangerous air about them, and
many have notorious histories.
9: IWAYATO BUILDING
Officially it is known as the "Japan
Tokyo New Star City Government
Building." At three kilometers tall,
it is easily the largest structure in
TOKYO N◎VA. Underneath it is a
passage to the Japanese mainland,
the only legal means of entry into
Japan. The Administrator's office
and other government offices
occupy the rest of the building.
10: CFC ARCOLOGY
The Candy Food Corporation
artificially cultivates the flavored
food known as "candy" that the
majority of N◎VA citizens eat.
Their offices are found in this
arcology, and near its entrance are
outlet stores that sell a wide
variety of synthetic foods.
11: TERRAWARE CORPORATE
ARCOLOGY
The North American megacorp
TerraWare calls this arcology
home. Inside, one may visit the
TerraWare Museum, which has
exhibits that depict the history of
TRONs. It's highly rated amongst
enthusiasts.
12: SHINOHARA JUDICIAL
SUPREME COURT
The highest court of Shinohara
Judicial, whom N◎VA contracts.
Educational tours of the interior
are available and tend to be
popular. Nearly everyone in N◎VA
knows the building on sight, as
when a verdict makes the news,
the picturesque front entrance is
always used as a backdrop.
13: CHIHAYA ARCOLOGY
The arcology belonging to the Chihaya
Group, the world's largest Japanese
megacorp. When viewed from in AR,
the walls of the building are covered
with promotions for Chihaya's newest
products. The topmost floor of the
building is a Japanese garden known as
the "Amaterasu Chamber." It is open to
the public only once a year, on New
Year's Day.
14: IWASAKI ARCOLOGY
Having relocated from Yokohama, the
Iwasaki Group now occupies this
arcology. They provide free
demonstrations and trials of their
medical cyberware, making them one
of the more approachable arcologies
for the common citizen.
15: N.I.K. HEAD OFFICE
The office of N◎VA's premier
organization of private investigators.
Whenever a citizen makes a request
from one of the terminals on the first
floor of the building, the overseer there
connects the new client with a suitable
investigator.
17: YAOYOZORU GROUP HEAD
OFFICE
The head office for Yaoyorozu, the most
popular chain of convenience stores in
TOKYO N◎VA. The building exists on
the site of their original store, which is
still open for business.
18: MASAKI STORE
The main storefront for the TRON
manufacturer, Masaki Information
Systems. Their "iPockeTRON" model is
extremely popular, and is nearly
synonymous with the Masaki brand.
19: TOKYO NEW STAR CITY
ADMINISTRATOR'S
COMMEMORATION HALL
A building commemorating TOKYO
N◎VA's fifteen years of glorious history
under the wise governance of the
Administrators. Despite its attempts to
be a source of civic pride, it has few
visitors, most people snidely referring
to it as the "Inagaki Palace."

16: CENTER TERRACE

TTOKYO N◎VA's most upscale shopping
street. One can find the ever-popular
CHIHAYA Fashion, as well as the
original location of the Universe
Lounge coffee chain, here among the
swirl of affluence.
 RESIDENTIAL
DISTRICT / NEW STAR
IMPERIAL UNIVERSITY
SHIN-AZABU TENTH DISTRICT
N◎VA's upper-class residential district.
Its row houses exhibit refined archi-
tecture, and it is quite safe. With many
high-class restaurants, it is one of the
centers of TOKYO N◎VA's high society.

IKARUGA
A middle-class residential district with
calm streets. It features many secluded
places and shops, making it a great
place to relax peacefully.

NEW STAR IMPERIAL CITY

UNIVERSITY
The huge campus of TOKYO N◎VA's
largest university. Elementary,
intermediate, and advanced courses
are all taught here. Thanks to its
corporate sponsors, the university
features excellent instructors and the
latest equipment. However, a conse-
quence is that the university's research
division is focused on developing
profitable products for its sponsors.
The university's brick buildings and its
paths lined with ginkgo trees are well
known from photographs.

OLD CHINATOWN
A Red Area that is the Triads' power
base in TOKYO N◎VA. The Kawato-
rengou has been struggling
unsuccessfully to take this area back.

1: NEW STAR IMPERIAL

UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
N◎VA's best general hospital, staffed
by the finest doctors and with cutting-
edge medical equipment. It is backed
by corporations and serves both
corporate and university employees.
When the political situation is not
looking good for him, Administrator
Inagaki is notorious for spending time
here to "convalesce."
2: NEW STAR IMPERIAL
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
The world's largest library. Even if you
don't attend the university, if you have
a Citizen ID, you can visit it at any
time. The building is a circular one with
an atrium, and each floor is filled with
bookshelves. Entry to the underground
book storage is prohibited, and
sensationalist rumors circulate about
what is found within.
3: WET CITY
An arcology and entertainment
district. Marketed towards high-
class citizens such as corporate
and government employees, it is a
"luxury hotel block" that contains
a casino and exclusive nightclubs.
The name is "Wet City" because all
services are provided "wet"--in
other words, by human
employees. Once under the
Kawato-rengou's thumb, due to
the turf war their influence has
diminished.
4: HAZARD MEMORIAL PARK
Once located to the south of
Asakusa, in the slums, this park
was relocated after the outbreak of
the turf war.
5: KAWATO RENTAL
CONFERENCE ROOMS
Originally the headquarters of the
Kawato-rengou, this is now a
business that rents conference
rooms. As it is a high-security
building that has no risk of
information leaking from inside,
many corporations make use of
their rooms.
6: BERGEN PIZZA
A delivery pizza place located in
Shin-Azabu. Famous for their
oven-fired pizza, which even in
times of economic turmoil has
never dropped in quality. They
are currently running a unique
campaign of discounts for Wets
and those with artificial bodies.
7: RESTAURANT "MON VILLE
NEUVE"
A restaurant specializing in Villeneuve
cuisine. As it serves good quality food
at a low price, it is popular among
students and the common citizen.
Though well known to the locals, the
restaurant's storefront is
unremarkable; in the media it is often
referred to as "a hidden jewel."
8: YAOYOROZU MALL IKARUGA
A large-scale shopping mall recently
constructed by the Yaoyorozu Group,
known for their convenience stores.
Contains all of the necessities of daily
life, and for more upscale customers,
home accessories and fashionable
clothing. There are also leisure
activities such as a movie theater and
bowling alley; as a result, it is crowded
on days off.
9: IKARUGA PUBLIC CEMETERY
One of N◎VA's public cemeteries. To be
laid to rest in them you must
contribute to their caretaking expenses
and, naturally, be a registered citizen.
This one is an underground mausoleum
beneath a stone monument, in which
the bones of the dead are stored in
order to save space. There is no
undertaker; bodies are simply burned
and stored automatically.
10: MORIBAYASHI PARK
TOKYO N◎VA's largest public park. It
contains a tennis court and a cycling
course, and is a popular place to play
many kinds of sports. As birds and
other fauna inhabit the park,
birdwatchers also visit the park
regularly.
11: FREEDOM
A casino that originally came from Las
Vegas. Due to its brilliant neon lights in
AR, it is a landmark of Shin-Azabu day
and night. It is renowned for its first-
rate shows and expert dealers, and
enjoys considerable popularity.
The owner is Jake "Five-Card" Johnson
(Male, 52, Kabuki●◎ / Legger /
Legger.) As the influence of the
Kawato-rengou's influence in the area
diminishes, he's repelled assassin after
assassin with his risky tactics, as befits
a gambler.
The culprit behind the assassination
attempts is thought to be the Carlyle
Syndicate, who have the competing
MUGEN Resort under their umbrella. In
other words, they want him taken out
purely for the sake of profit.
 N◎VA ASAKUSA
A district of the city whose architecture
and parks are modeled after Old Tokyo
(particularly Asakusa.) It was originally
created as an attraction for foreign
tourists. It contains many open-air
hawkers and shops that sell local
specialties and souvenirs, and is
renowned as a place where someone is
always aggressively trying to sell you
something. After the N◎VA Sky Tree
was built, the number of visitors to the
district increased considerably.

Part of the appeal of Asakusa for many

visitors is the common knowledge that
despite its veneer of safety, it's a den
of organized crime. Currently, it's
controlled by the Kawato-rengou, but
other organizations are greedily eyeing
the area.

AMMONIA AVENUE
An entertainment street on the north
side of Asakusa. It's filled with bars and
nightclubs, brothels, game centers,
pachinko parlors, and other such
amusements, and drunk brawls erupt
regularly. The overflowing garbage and
spilled (or vomited) drinks give the
street a characteristic smell, which
lead to it becoming known as
"Ammonia Avenue."
Security cameras have been installed
throughout the street as an anti-crime
initiative, a move which has lead to
widespread suspicion of the
government's true motives.
1: SHINJUKU IMPERIAL PARK
Though not quite large enough to be a
forest, this is a park filled with trees
and greenery. Located on the grounds
are the Chihaya Toshiyuki Memorial Art
Gallery, a zoo, and various cultural
attractions. The zoo contains examples
of the few animals that miraculously
survived the Hazards; the animal that
is billed as a "panda" is particularly
beloved. The park is full of crowds on
days off or whenever an event occurs.
2: FUJISAKI REAL ESTATE
The old headquarters of the Fujisaki-
gumi, located on Ammonia Avenue,
The Kawato-rengou constructed a
modern office building on the site as
their base in TOKYO N◎VA. Despite
their intimidating nature, the Kawato-
rengou are trusted by the locals to
keep other criminal elements out of the
area.
3: BAR "CROWNEST"
A popular hangout for Neurokids
near the end of Ammonia Avenue.
Though the exterior is tiny, it leads
to a spacious underground area
containing an area suitable for
boarding, skating and other
extreme sports. It's also a popular
place for smugglers to hawk their
illegal goods to the youth.
4: TOKYO TOWER
A replica of the building in Old
Tokyo. This version of the tower is
not used for broadcasting,
however. There have long been
plans to demolish it, and with the
completion of the N◎VA Sky Tree
those plans are finally proceeding.
5: DESSERT CAFE "AYATSUJI"
A small, family-owned dessert cafe
near the center of Asakusa. Their
confections made without using
artificial ingredients are a treasure
to all the sweet tooths in TOKYO
N◎VA.
Some people, however, visit the
shop more due to the beauty of
the family's daughter (Makino
Kaori, Female, 24, Tatara●,
Mistress, Mannequin◎) than for
the sweets that she sells.
6: OUKA DOJO
A dojo which teaches the Ouka
One-Sword Style. Once a dojo
which produced some of N◎VA's
most famous duelists, the bell
has all but tolled for it, and it
struggles to regain its former
glory with the few patrons that
remain. Though sword fighting is
the focus of the dojo's training,
they also practice staff fighting,
unarmed techniques, and the fine
arts. They occasionally hold
public dances in front of the dojo,
and cocky martial artists have
been known to challenge all its
students to a duel one by one.
7: SENSOU-JI
A shrine modeled after the
Sensou-ji in Old Tokyo. Despite
that, it contains not only a
Buddhist shrine but also a church
and a mosque upon its grounds.
Its entrance avenue, between the
Kaminarimon and the
Houzoumon, is lined with shops
selling yukata, hachimaki, dolls,
wooden swords, and other such
traditional goods. On festival
days, the number of shops
increases further and artists put
on public performances in the
street. It's a very popular tourist
destination.
8: AMEYA ALLEY
An underground market in which
antiques, stolen goods and more are
sold. On New Years' Day, it's customary
for everyone to have their goods at a
steep discount.
9: FLOWER MANSION
An old amusement park that is a relic
of bygone days. In the Neuro Age, low-
tech places like these are once again
fashionable.
10: ASAKUSA ROCK / ASAKUSA
SIXTH DISTRICT
Neurokids who are into rock gather
here; it's known as "The Holy Land of
Rock," and the main throughway is
known as "Rock Street." There's never
a time of day when there isn't a
musician giving a public performance,
and the street is lined with cyberized
holoposters showing off the latest stars
and talents. Many record company and
band offices are located here, so it
really is no stretch to call it the Holy
Land.
11: N◎VA SKY TREE
A tall attraction (1268 m) that has
finally been completed after many
years. Although it's far smaller than
any arcology, it's a landmark and
symbol of hope for Asakusa. The
surrounding area, known as "Asakusa
Sky Tree Turn," has experienced a
revival; events cause it to explode in
color and delight citizens.
12: HERB HOUSE "MANDRAGORA"
This is not quite a pharmacist, but a
shop that sells blends of organic
medicinal herbs from around the world
to treat a variety of illnesses.
13: SAIBANE JINJA
A shrine devoted to the worship of
cyberware and TRONs. Since they are
the things that make survival in the
Neuro Age possible, it's natural for
them to be elevated to an object of
worship. Presently, it's under the
stewardship of the young miko Ooba
Sakuya (17, female, Tatara● /
Mayakashi◎ / Neuro).
14: LIVE HOUSE "HOWLING"
A live house well known to Kabuki who
are into rock. It tends to feature bands
that are too edgy to ever make a major
debut. Their regular Battle of the
Bands have been known to end with a
corpse or two, and occasionally
celebrities are spotted in the audience.
The proprietor is the mysterious
"Voice" (Age ?, sex ?, Kabuki● /
Mistress◎), who has never been seen
in the flesh, but has a knack for
discovering hot new talent.
15: DRUGSTORE "EISENDOU"
A drugstore with a wide selection that
always has whatever new drug is being
advertised on the news. Of course,
they have plenty of older drugs as well.
The owner, Nagamine Anri (24, female,
Tatara●◎, Chakra) is known for her
beauty and for always greeting
customers with a smile; however, she
refuses to discuss her past.
 KISARA TATARA
TOWN
This is a black market district in which
various electronics and cyberware, as
well as less legal goods, can be had. As
of late, the number of amusements
such as bars and cosplay cafes has
been increasing, attracting more
common citizens to the district.

As the district is redeveloped, the

dubious, individually owned shops that
currently populate the streets are
gradually being replaced by new
buildings. In addition, the district is
becoming equally renowned for its
bartenders clad in flashy holo-clothes
as for what can be bought there.

YUMENOSHIMA
On the south shore of Lake Kisarazu
lies a block of ruined and derelict
buildings. There have been plans to
turn it into a public park and recreation
greenery, but they have been stalled
for over 20 years. In the meantime, it
has been occupied by refugees and
illegal immigrants from various
countries. Junk sellers still comb over it
occasionally, hoping to find some
treasure that has gone undiscovered.

1: LAKE KISARAZU
A lake that remained in Tokyo Bay even
after much of it was left dry by the
Hazards. Specially bred shellfish and
seaweed have been introduced to it
and are the source of some of TOKYO
N◎VA's food. The south shore was
once clogged with boats and rafts upon
which people with no other home lived,
but they have been forcibly removed.
2: VIVA HARAISO
An high-tech amusement park which
makes use of the latest AR tech and
cutting-edge mechanics. It is billed as
the "Kingdom of Hope and Tomorrow."
It is a "Web Complex," with one of its
selling points being that you can have
almost as much fun going there on the
Web as you can in person. As it has
unique seasonal events, it attracts
many repeat visitors. Recently, a new
water park named "VIVA Haraiso Lake"
has been constructed adjacent to it; its
many lake-themed attractions are very
popular.
3: BOUSOU CIRCUIT
A racing circuit upon which many
legends have been born. Although
it's been on the verge of shutting
down many times, vehicle makers
are always willing to generously
sponsor it to pay for the facelift it
needs. Recently, it's also started
being used as a test course for
experimental vehicles.
4: NEVERLAND
A self-proclaimed country within
an abandoned mall in which only
children are allowed. Adults who
draw near are attacked by their
self-defense force. Recently, they
have begun selling goods made by
their young artisans to the rest of
N◎VA. As a result, they now
interact with the world beyond.
5: NOVA MOSQUE OF THE
TRUE TEACHINGS
The Society of True Teachings'
largest mosque in TOKYO N◎VA.
Every Sunday, worship is held.
Those in need of special
benedictions are allowed into the
"Holy Mother's Hall," while there
are 7 mosques in total for the
other faithful. The complex has
steadily expanded thanks to
generous donations inspired by
the new Holy Mother.
6: IWASAKI ARENA
A multipurpose stadium that often
serves as an arena for martial arts
competitions and demonstrations. The
Iwasaki Group invested the majority of
funds in its construction, and thus it
bears their name. Recently, it has also
become well known for hosting rounds
of the martial arts entertainment
performed in Walkers, "Colossus."
7: VASARA STREET
A street filled with maid cafes, cosplay
shops, and other businesses catering
to "deep" interests. If you're looking to
buy rare merchandise, or a chip that
will make your personality more like
that of an anime character, this is the
place to do it.
8: JUNK SHOP "HYAKKI"
A shop that sells all manner of junk
gathered from throughout N◎VA. You
can find everything here, from antiques
gathered from who knows where to
parts (but only parts) of the latest
artificial bodies.
9: NOVA BOOKIE CENTER
For those who consider themselves
betting men, this is the N◎VA branch
of the international Bookmaking
Association. It's a given that they take
bets on sports, but you can also bet on
anything else you can imagine, even
trial verdicts.
10: MARIE'S ENCHANT
A magic shop run by "Big Mama"
Marie. Though to the uninitiated it
seems to sell the usual fortune-telling
equipment and the usual occult
schlock, many objects of power can be
had here if you know how to ask for
them.
11: SUSHI BAR "GINSHARI"
A small restaurant on the outskirts of
Tatara Town. The owner is a man of few
words, but of excellent sushi. As thugs
from the Carlyle Syndicate frequent the
place, sometimes fights break out
inside, and occasionally a bigwig from
the Carlyle Syndicate is spotted there.
12: SAMURAI'S LOAN
A finance company associated with the
Kawato-rengou, run by Sadamura
Yukinojou (30, male, Exec●, Katana◎,
Legger) who is a trained finance
engineer but also fancies himself a
follower of bushido. It is rumored that
those who fail to repay their debts are
forced to commit harakiri.
13: N◎VA INTERNATIONAL EXPO
CENTER
An exhibition hall in which various
companies display and promote their
latest products. In particular, the
"N◎VA Motor Show" in which vehicles
from around the world are exhibited is
famous.
14: KISARAZU MEGA STAGE
A stage on which the latest performers
are always seen. As it caters to the
most famous talent, to perform on this
stage someday is the dream of every
musician in N◎VA.
 THE SLUMS /
CHINATOWN
The area to the south of Asakusa,
separated by the Sumida River, is
known to most people as the Slums.
Criminal organizations are constantly
fighting for control of it, and anti-
Japanese terrorists and common
criminals also make their homes there.
The fiercest fighting is currently taking
place in Hiruko Town, of which the west
side is controlled by the Carlyle
Syndicate and the east side is
controlled by the Triads. The area is
visibly a battleground.

Those who live here have City Rank

X—in other words, as far as TOKYO
N◎VA's government is concerned, they
don't exist. To the megacorps,
however, they're valuable material for
human experimentation. The slums of
TOKYO N◎VA are a place where evil
and filth and life are swept up
together, just like a garbage heap.

HIRUKO TOWN
A district in which mutants, known as
Hiruko, live. Their existence is not
acknowledged by the authorities, and
so they have claimed a place in the
slims to live. Right now, they are
struggling to protect their unobtrusive
way of life.
1: SUMIDA RIVER
A man-made river that runs from
Moribayashi Park to near the
warehouse district. Asakusa and the
slums are connected by bridges which
the N◎VA Garrison guards; should a
Rank X person nonchalantly attempt
entry into Asakusa, they will shoot to
kill without hesitation.
2: FOREST OF THE LOST
The former Hazard Memorial Park. After
it was abandoned by the city
government due to the nearby gang
warfare, Hiruko began living in it and
altered the ecosystem to their own
liking. It is currently known as the
Forest of the Lost; it is said that any
ordinary human who loses their way in
it will never come out again.
3: DOCTOR STREET
A street on which doctors, as well as no
small amount of quacks, ply their
trade. They all have their specialty, but
you'll never find medical care the equal
of the University Hospital here.
However, if this is your only
option, you'll have to find the
adequate among the utterly
incompetent.
4: SOCIETY OF TRUE
TEACHINGS, SLUMS
The Society of True Teachings'
base of operations in the slums.
Every day, it teaches self-defense
for protection and advocates the
Society's creed of peace and non-
violence. As the Carlyle Syndicate
expands its influence over the
slums, they have been making
things harder and harder for the
Society.
5: NIGHTCLUB "DOOMSDAY"
A high-class nightclub with decor
modeled after the Parthenon.
Once, it was named "Athenapolis"
and resisted control by any
organization, but when this part of
the slums was conquered by the
Carlyle Syndicate, they changed
the name of every business within.
Despite being in a Red Area, it
maintains its reputation as a safe,
high-class establishment and is
enduringly popular.
6: ANDVARI COMPANY
A weapons dealer in the Slums. It
gets most of its guns from the
Carlyle Syndicate, but lately it
has managed to acquire some of
the latest Walkers and artificial
body tech from the NOVA
Garrison.
The proprietor is Vigor Seyfried
(44, male, Tatara◎, Kuromaku,
Exec●) who will sell weapons at
a discount to the downtrodden
desperately in need of them, out
of a sense of chivalry rare in the
slums.
7: FIREBALL GYM
A martial arts training gym. Even
in the slums, there are many
Neurokids who enter its doors
wanting to learn to hold their own
in a fight. The gym teaches
boxing, kickboxing, cyber-
ninjutsu, and more.
The head trainer is "Fireball" Jack
(37, male, Charisma◎, Katana,
Chakra●), who has a poor
reputation for being more
interested in honing his own skills
than in teaching students.
8: BULLET PIZZA
Delivery pizza that guarantees they'll
get your order to you within 20
minutes. Located on the north side of
the slums, it's a chain under the
umbrella of the Carlyle Syndicate. In
their customized vehicles programmed
with the latest milspec software, their
drivers aren't fazed even if they have
to drive through a war zone.
CHINATOWN
To the east of Hiruko Town is
Chinatown. Though it's common
knowledge that Chinatown proper is
controlled by the Triads, their influence
extends beyond it. Currently the east
portion of Hiruko Town is firmly under
Triad control, and the stores there tend
to have signboards written in Chinese.
10: FRAGRANCE SALON "QING CI"
A Chinese club whose fortunes have
risen along with those of the Triads. In
its private rooms, customers are
invited to enjoy not only exquisite
fragrances, but a Mannequin of their
choice.
11: LONG WEI SHICHANG
(DRAGON'S TAIL MARKET)
A market that sells foodstuffs and
traditional Chinese medicines that it's
best not to ask about the origins of.
Even rare natural foods can be found
here. But if a novice goes looking to
buy something like that, they'll
probably just end up with a fake.
12: TIEN SHAN FU
A bar decorated in the style of ancient
China. Its majestic doorway has "Tien
Shan" engraved on a placard above,
and inside, capable martial artists
gather at the tables. It is rumored that
inside, Liao Wuxian (30, male,
Katana◎, Chakra●, Legger) once held
his own against all of the Carlyle
Syndicate's Knights of the Round Table.
13: LAN BAO BINGUAN (AMETHYST
GUEST SUITES)
A high-class hotel on the west side of
Chinatown. True to its name,
"Amethyst," it is lit up by purple lights,
and despite being in Chinatown it is
filled with high-class patrons. As an
important base of operations for the
Triads, their finest Kabuto provide
around-the-clock security.
14: LONG YUN CHENG (LONGYUN
WALLED CITY)
A block of decrepit apartments and
buildings, most of which have been
illegally extended and made the roads
between into winding mazes. It's
inhabited mostly by recent immigrants
from Xia, who form a close-knit
community. From a distance, it looks
like a single huge building. The interior
is filled with suspicious shops and
small gambling dens. You can find
things, and people, that you'd never
find anywhere else in the Longyun
Walled City.
15: LONG YUAN TANG (DRAGON
ABYSS HALL)
A building in which "Kuromegane"
Jimmy Yang, recently returned from
Hong Kong HEAVEN, has set up his old
fencing business. From old friends to
newcomers who've heard of him
through the rumor mill, if Jimmy likes
you, he'll get whatever it is that you
want. Since he's selective about his
customers, he doesn't humor
complaints about what he sells.
16: FENGHUANG GE (PHOENIX
TOWER)
A Chinese restaurant known for its fine
and authentic cooking that's a comfort
to the homesick residents of
Chinatown. The head chef is Donny
Zhang (60, male, Tatara◎,
Charisma●, Legger) who was invited
to Tokyo NOVA by the Triads, and who
is said to have mastered all of the
Eight Great Culinary Traditions of old
China. However, the source of his
ingredients is a business secret, and
those who have attempted to discover
it lose their lives in short order.
 SOUTH BOUSOU
INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT AREA
The area southwest of TOKYO N◎VA
contains a great deal of important
buildings. For this reason, the N◎VA
Army and Black Hounds patrol them
regularly and they are considered
White zones.
As well as being used by non-Japanese
businesses, the ports are used by
visitors to TOKYO N◎VA and ships
carrying raw materials. In order to
reduce the number of hijackings and
seajackings committed by terrorists,
the N◎VA Army and Black Hounds
have ramped up their security in this
area.
1: SHIN-TATEYAMA
HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION
The power station that provides power
for TOKYO N◎VA's residences and
Linear lines. It is managed by New
Tokyo Electric. In the past it has been
occupied and attacked by terrorists, so
it is kept under heavy security.
2: JAPANESE ARMY, TATEYAMA
BASE
Properly known as the "Tokyo New Star
City Peace Preservation Task Force
Tateyama Garrison." Of course, nobody
remembers that and just calls it the
Tateyama Base. Who is stationed there
and their equipment is unknown, but it
is thought that their equipment is basic
compared to the Garrison in TOKYO
N◎VA proper as they are not expected
to see much action.
3: TATEYAMA SEAPORT
A place in which materials brought
from abroad are unloaded. Much of
these materials go to the plants in the
airport area. Manufactured goods from
TOKYO N◎VA are exported as well;
since security is strict, contraband is
more or less impossible. When
someone tries to stow away inside a
shipping container, it's said they end
up as fish food. An underwater tunnel
connects the port access road to the
opposite shore.
4: BOUSOU EXPRESSWAY
A road which connects TOKYO N◎VA to
the Duchy of Fassler and the airport. As
most of the ground it covers does not
contain critical infrastructure, the
N◎VA Army does not patrol it regularly.
In these areas, the Black Hounds
have long been in a dead heat
with biker gangs. Vicious clashes
are common, and it's not rare to
hear explosions when driving
along it.
5: HYDROGEN PLANT
A plant that produces elemental
hydrogen using a turbine engine,
primarily for use as fuel. Located
to the north of the airport, it is
considered a vital location to
TOKYO N◎VA and afforded a fitting
level of security by the N◎VA
Army.
6: SOUTH BOUSOU
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
The airport that serves as the
main route by which people enter
and leave TOKYO N◎VA. Laid out
with a novel plan at the time of
construction, it is one of the main
reasons that TOKYO N◎VA has
grown to become a megaplex.
Though many minor repairs and
improvements have been made to
it over the years, it is essentially
the same as when it was first built.
There are rumors that recently the
authorities planned to rebuild the
airport, but when they invited
designers from around the world
to work together on a superior
plan, most declined the offer.
The airport has many stores and
restaurants. In particular,
"Bousou Soba" has a reputation
on par with the best eateries in
N◎VA proper. Corporations of
course use the airport frequently,
and the government uses it to
deport captured criminals to
other countries. There is a gate
especially for orbital shuttles, and
Highlanders can be seen there.
7: JAPANESE ARMY, BOUSOU
BASE
Properly known as the "Tokyo
New Star City Peace Preservation
Task Force Bousou Garrison."
Originally vacant land that the
airport was planned to expand
onto when necessary, the
Japanese Army confiscated it and
built a base there.
t does not have Walkers or other
combat-specialized vehicles
stationed there, such things
being thought unnecessary to
protect the airport. As many
military vehicles take off and land
on the civilian runways nearby,
however, military-obsessed
maniacs gather here to to try and
snap shots of the N◎VA Army or
their vehicles.
THE DUCHY OF FASSLER
Formerly known as "Tokyo New Star
City Yokohama Special Administrative
Area" to the government and
"Yokohama LU$T" to everyone else.
Back then it was largely controlled by
the Iwasaki Group, who sold their
interest in it to the Fassler family of
Highlanders (though officially they
deny that such a sale occurred, making
the truth of the matter uncertain.)
After having gone through the proper
procedures as accorded by
international law, it has been accorded
the status of a sovereign nation.
8: DUCHY ENTRANCE
The only way in or out of the duchy, at
which a formal inspection is required.
Customs is also one of their duties. The
design of the gateway resembles the
wall and gate of a castle from before
the Hazards, but it is built and
equipped with the most modern
technology from the orbitals; its
physical and digital security are
unmatched. Aside from the official
entrance, there is also an entrance for
freight, but its security is no more lax.
9: MIDNIGHT ROAD
A road that connects the Duchy of
Fassler to Kisara Tatara Town. It was
originally a freeway, but was
repurposed as a means of reaching the
Duchy. The official name is the "New FA
Expressway," but of course nobody
calls it that. From morning to dusk it is
full of high-speed buses, but in the
dark of the night it is the dominion of
an entirely different kind of drivers;
couriers to whom "safe speed" means
cranking the throttle higher to save a
few minutes off their delivery. Car
chases aren't uncommon, either. From
this comes the saying that "The road
only shows its true nature in the dark
of night," leading to its popular name,
"Midnight Road." As a junction directly
connects the two, the Bousou
Expressway is often considered part of
the "Midnight Road" as well.
10: TEMPLE FLOAT
A megafloat built in the bay, with
facilities for both normal ships and
submarines to dock. Its purpose is
unknown, but it is rumored that the
Duchy of Fassler is secretly
constructing a fleet. Fassler's current
navy is no secret, however, and
consists of a few cruisers of Chinese
manufacture with no real military
value; thus this rumor is suspect.