What happens when the very network holding your city together begins to fall apart? Warpgate City now faces a CHAIN Crisis as its technological foundation begins to unravel. The portal that once supplied Nullium, the energy source powering the CHAIN network, has been inactive for decades, leading to a scarcity of this vital resource.
As Nullium grows limited, CHAIN fragments—which stabilize the network and fuel cybernetic systems—are becoming harder to obtain, causing system failures, corrupted data nodes, and the emergence of Null Zones, areas where technology malfunctions unpredictably.
This instability has ignited a power struggle among Warpgate’s factions. Corporations, rogue AI, and underground resistance groups battle for control over the remaining CHAIN nodes and fragments.
For Jack and his team of Runners, the stakes are clear: restore order to the CHAIN or watch the city descend into chaos.
The CHAIN is a decentralized, quantum-secured network that powers every aspect of Warpgate City. It functions like a vast digital nervous system, connecting cybernetic implants, AI-driven infrastructure, and transportation systems. CHAIN fragments, formed from crystallized Nullium energy, are essential to maintain these systems, ensuring stable communication and technological operation throughout the city.
However, as Nullium has grown scarce, parts of the CHAIN have become unstable. Corrupted nodes create Null Zones—dangerous areas where implants glitch, data warps, and essential infrastructure malfunctions.
These disruptions have become battlegrounds for factions fighting to control CHAIN nodes and access the last remaining fragments.
Warpgate City is a metropolis of both opportunity and conflict. It rose to power on the back of technological advancements fueled by Nullium, a rare alien element. The city is divided into two major regions: the thriving surface city and the Undercity, a harsh, decaying world created by a past catastrophe.
The CHAIN connects all aspects of the city’s infrastructure, but instability caused by Nullium’s scarcity has deepened divisions between the two regions. The Undercity, created by the Rift’s collapse, is a dangerous, decaying world where resources are scarce, and malfunctioning technology poses constant threats.
Surface residents often look down on those from the Undercity, creating a sharp divide between opportunity and survival. Various factions from both regions compete for resources, power, and control over Warpgate’s future.
Nullium is a rare element with the ability to bind to molecules, granting transformative effects. It can enhance human abilities, strengthen technology, and power advanced infrastructure. For years, Nullium served as the foundation of Warpgate City's progress, enabling innovations in cybernetics, transportation, and AI.
However, after the closure of the portal that supplied it, Nullium has become a finite and highly contested resource. The fight to control CHAIN fragments, which carry remnants of Nullium's energy, is central to the ongoing crisis in the city. Factions battle to secure these fragments, as they remain crucial for maintaining Warpgate's core systems and personal augmentation technologies.
The Rift refers to the catastrophic event that destabilized the alien portal at the heart of Warpgate City. The accident caused part of the city to collapse underground, creating the Undercity. This disaster left lasting scars on the city's infrastructure, particularly within the CHAIN network, where corrupted nodes and data instabilities still persist.
These scars, now known as Null Zones, are areas where Nullium-powered technology becomes unreliable or dangerous. Null Zones are both a risk and an opportunity, as they contain valuable resources and hidden secrets tied to the city's troubled past.
Jack, once known as "The Ripper," lived a life of crime as a hacker, stealing and selling data from the CHAIN. Everything changed when his sister, Sera, a brilliant Nullium researcher, was murdered by the Shadow Syndicate (also known as Kagegumi). The Syndicate stole Sera’s research to exploit Nullium’s power for their own gain. Her death pushed Jack to leave his criminal past behind.
Now, Jack leads a vigilante group of Runners, determined to bring down the Shadow Syndicate and reclaim his sister's legacy. In this chapter of Warpgate City's story, Jack’s quest for vengeance and redemption uncovers deeper secrets about Nullium, the CHAIN, and the Syndicate's plan to control the city's future.