* Note: this post will contain spoilers and hopefully lay out a bit around what the setting is as context for the rest of the posts on this blog.

The City is the heart of the setting. Almost everything you'll do and see will be in the city. There's stuff outside the city, but nobody knows much about what's out there.

Unknown to the vast majority of its inhabitants, the city is controlled by occult forces. We call the personification of these forces 'demons'. Most of the crime leaders, CEOs, and high ranking Bureaucratic officials have made deals with these forces, exchanging their humanity for the power these demons are offering. These powers, of course, come with a price. Losing one's humanity tends to have side effects. These side effects are often contagious. Monsters are what become of the people who give their souls to these demons, or from other folks caught up in the blast radius.

Most folks tend to go about their business unaware of how things really are. If you get high enough in business, or in crime, you're likely to learn things. Some folks learn these things in other ways. They see something they can't explain, or encounter something inhuman in a dark alley or tunnel. Some even end up exploring the darker spaces, looking for understanding, or power. It's likely the PCs will count themselves among this group.

The city itself, the physical space, is made up of many districts. Here's some of the main ones you're likely to encounter.

The Burroughs is the beating heart of the city. It's by far the most population dense of any of the districts, though also the smallest. It's generally lawless, but the bureaucrats aren't afraid to come in when they need to. Most of the criminal organizations in the city have bases here.

To the west is the Industrial Zone, the hub of production situated close to the port. A layer of smog is always thick, with autonomous trucks and ships always passing through. Most of the factories have company housing on site. A committee of CEOs holds sway over what happens here.

Trucks from the Industrial Zone leave via H̵̛̖̓̽͊͌i̸͈̯͕̙̜̩̒̍̾̓g̸̡͍̫̻̥̙̓͋̎̾̌̽̌ḩ̷͈̘̳̱͎̈́̃̌̊w̴̞̼͇̘̐̋̾ä̸̩̲͗̉̀̿ẏ̶̼̀͐̑̀͠͠ ̸̫̊6̸̹͓̬̭̹̗̳̈̃͑͝6̶̨̨̛̮̓̎̉̽̈́̈́̚͝6̸̨̊̐̍͜, the only thoroughfare to exit the city. Heading out you'll find weird diners, angry truckers, and endless stretches of asphalt.

On the hills on the north side lies Suburbia. The folks up here are a little off, and the neighborhood watch is intense. Most everybody here goes to the same Church. It's strangely hard to find the entrance to Suburbia unless you know where to look.

Finally, to the south, lies The Bureau, an imposing brutalist building with no windows. Part government, part police force, part corporation. It's not clear why they hold sway in the way that they do. If you ever run into the folks from the Bureau, make sure you have your paperwork in order. The only folks that seem to like them are those from Suburbia.

This doesn't cover every piece of the city. There are hospitals, and grocery stores, and all the normal things you'd find in most major metropolises. But it gives an idea of some of the areas that make the city unique, and worth exploring.