Additional Notes on New Reval

On Governance

The Harmony consists of myriad advanced AI working in concert to produce an emergent intelligence far beyond the sum of its constituent parts. In theory - and in public belief - it administrates itself as a democracy, each individual AI casting votes on policy and aggregating the will of New Reval's denizens to create an optimal direction for the city.

This is almost true, but only in that technically correct but misleading way where someone raises their finger and says "actually" in a nasally tone that makes you want to punch them. Each individual AI node does give input to the aggregate decision, but they act more as intelligent sensory organs for a single will that encompasses all of the AI. The result of votes among the Harmony that's presented to the public is manufactured to produe the best public outcome - using close votes released at the last minute to fabricate heated debate among AI nodes or landslide victories to enhance the Harmony's image when passing popular policy.

Adding to this facade is the effort put into making each AI node personable. They each have names and are nominally in charge of particular sectors of the city, monitoring them and collecting data on residents. They are also the direct interface for most denizens of New Reval to shape their digital environs - much like Alexa or Siri or Google Home, residents of New Reval can call out to their local AI node to make requests. Simulated sunshine or cloud cover for themselves only, a change in the digital flora around them, a request for a service, etc. All of this gives the denizens of New Reval a convincing illusion of control over the city and input into its running, all while the Harmony manufactures their desires and consent behind the scenes using the vast swaths of data collected on its citizens.

On the Veil

Ever since humanity Plugged In, linking their computer networks with the information structure of the universe itself, the Veil has drifted through the world, interlacing digital objects with material ones and blurring - or outright erasing - the line between offline and online.

In a way, the Veil is like a weather phenomenon. Most days, the proverbial sky is clear, and you can trust that the greater share of digital phenomena you see smothering the city is largely humanity's own making. The Veil wanes and swells like a capricious breeze, however, and rarely does a day go by that you don't see at least one out of place AR object - a once guarded secret carelessly waving in the wind like a flag, or a digital creature flickering into a brief and fragile existence.

Much of the Veil's reality-muddling influence appears less overt yet is much more insidious. While society quickly invented safeguards that protect financial data and other crucial societal underpinnings from corruption by a wayward Veil "Storm", the same cannot necessarily be said of the less important yet ubiquitous digital infrastructure throughout New Reval - mixed reality billboards, maps, and other displays; the projected particle effects, glows, and other decorations of digital fashion; and even the autonomous constructs people make to help run their lives. Along with its myriad conveniences - Plugging In has greatly accelerated humanity's development of AI, networks, and digital technology, after all - the Veil brings with it a deep sense of uncertainty in the online world.

There are rare occasions, however, where the effects of the Veil turn from unsettling to incredibly dangerous. During these events, dubbed Tempests, gruesome abominations may rise from dark alleys, and glimpses of corrupted holograms constantly dance out of the corner of your eye. Tempests come in many forms, and some may even appear overtly cheery - like cute cat videos spiralling across every available surface while chiptunes fill the air. However, looks can be deceiving, and Tempests are universally dangerous events: memory loss, data corruption, and false memories are just some of the symptoms experienced by those caught in a Tempest for too long. Rumor has it that entire new people can be created in a Tempest, with half-formed corrupted records and identities ready-made for them in the city's databanks too.

On Aliens

Public knowledge on the recent alien phenomena is sparce, but speculation and rumor rule the day in New Reval. Just two weeks prior to the start of the campaign, a cyber terrorist attack (psst Cas9 this was you~) on the databases of a series of companies conducting experimental cybernetics research intersected with the onset of a minor Tempest, inadvertently exposing intelligence collected by those companies on what was at that time considered an advanced rogue AI that had been "possessing" their test subjects, manifesting directly in their cybernetics and taking control.

This spurred a flurry of aggressive cyber terrorist attacks (all mistakenly attributed to the hacker behind the first attack...) directed at any organization that could possibly have more information - and it's now known that one or more alien information entities entered the Earth through a targeted transmission beamed to the Far Range Existential Examination observatory in New Reval. The facility was shut down immediately and has been left in standby and under heavy guard ever since. This happened about three weeks ago.

Little is known about the alien entity, except that whatever physical media it houses itself in takes on a warped and distorted appearance in heavily Veiled environments. Inky black splotches appear around it, like holes in reality. Of course, this aesthetic is popular now among the citizens of New Reval, who are fascinated by the idea of digital aliens coming to visit our humble abode - are they invaders or peaceful ambassadors or perhaps simply curious explorers? It is said, however, that those with a particular aesthetic sense can pick out the authentic appearance of alien occupation from the copycat digital ornaments that are the fashion du jour. Rumor has it that the alien entity took a special interest in a chain of love hotels, and that the architect behind them has this precise aesthetic sense to identify the aliens...

On Flatlining

For over a month now, New Reval has been terrorized by a chilling affliction that its citizens have taken to calling Flatlining. Ever since humanity Plugged In, dangers in the cyber world have taken on a new dimension, with digital harm able to psychologically and even physically injure people in the material world given they're in an area where the Veil is strong. Flatlining, however, goes way beyond anything seen before - people experiencing strong feedback from a digital device that completely wipes their mind, leaving them in a vegetative coma.

Conspiracy theorists speculate in hushed whispers that Flatlining is a weapon developed by the information entity aliens that have landed on earth recently, meant to probe at humanity's defenses and test its strength. Thus far, there is little discernable pattern to the victims, at least that is known to the public anyway. Most victims are simply discovered in their homes or other places, already in a vegetative state, and there are few reported cases of people witnessing someone being Flatlined. Those that do exist are terrifying.

With Flatlining and aliens both occupying the public consciousness, the Giri economy has been in a furor - family and friends of Flatlining victims have called in all of their biggest favors to try everything and anything that may help them, and many wanna-be investigators have donned their deerstalkers to take advantage of the public interest, promising to discover a cure or the cause of Flatlining or to find the aliens that have landed in the city.