Lazarus · Ryne · 2056
The world
Premise
After the catastrophe now known only as the Edenfall, the world has turned into deadly, living biozones. In Lazarus, a fully walled metropolis on the Ryne, the Council controls access to bio-armor. Clara is a mechanic, a freelancer, and still unbound. Then a rational AGI process gains access to her senses.
The more powerful you become, the less of you remains.
The bio-armor system
Stage, Path, Sequence
Power rises. The risk rises with it.
Every bio-armor begins with the Binding. Those who survive it reach Stage One: the Bound. Before Stage Two comes the Path Examination. The bio-armor then develops permanently along one of four known Paths: Flesh, Matter, Mind, or Swarm.
Every later Stage has a Path-specific Sequence name. Biological fitness alone is not enough: the Council controls seeds, basins, and approval. Higher Stages grant immense power, but increase the risk of Host Loss.
Stage Seven has been reached. No human remained stable.
The first joining with bio-armor is called the Binding. Those who survive it reach Stage One: the Bound. The Path Examination comes before Stage Two. From then on, the selected Path is permanent, and every later Stage has its own Sequence name.
| Stage | Flesh | Matter | Mind | Swarm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | the Bound | the Bound | the Bound | the Bound |
| 2 | the Tempered | the Plated | the Sensate | the Mender |
| 3 | the Quickened | the Shaper | the Reader | the Keeper |
| 4 | the Breaker | the Assimilator | the Augur | the Cultivator |
| 5 | the Unbroken | the Arsenal | the Whisperer | the Devourer |
| 6 | the Apex | the Architect | the Oracle | the Many |
Stage Five is rare. Stage Six has been reached repeatedly, but only a handful of known humans retain their minds and self-control at that level. Stage Seven has no regular human Sequence: a few beings in the biozones reached that degree of integration, but none remained a stable human carrier.
Three metropolises on the Ryne
Northern inland delta · Ryne
Vesperdelta
A city archipelago of fixed islands, floating districts, and living infrastructure. More open to Altered Humans and River Folk, but not free of conflict.
Middle Ryne · 2056
Lazarus
A sovereign metropolis behind a continuous wall. The Council controls bio-armor, Ascensions, and access to biological power.
Upper Ryne · Sanctum Null
Cairn
An independent power hostile to AGI. Its order, Sanctum Null, rejects AGIs and preserves knowledge Lazarus lacks.
Three metropolises. Three orders. None knows the whole picture.
Coming later
A glossary of Lazarus and the Ryne, and the illustrated compendium to Volume 1. Until then, the chapters are the map.