Setting

In 2030 CE, everything seems perfectly normal. People drive to work in their EVs, go to schools taught by AI, and live in their smart homes. But beneath the surface, something is very wrong. The world is a simulation, a hyper-reality known as The Meta, created and maintained by powerful corporations and politicians to keep humanity in ignorance and servitude. Magic, monsters, and superpowers are real, but they are hidden from the public eye by the forces of darkness that control the world.

Aren't monsters bad? Well, sometimes. But the fact is, just about all of the creatures in the Down Below are indigenous to Earth, just like humans. They have their own cultures, their own societies, and their own struggles. Some of them have ways that don't easily gel with human society, but that doesn't warrant their extermination. The Meta is humanity's greatest and most audacious attempt to exterminate all that doesn't fit into their vision of the world, and the Veritas Vigil is one of the few groups who know the truth, and who use their knowledge and their powers to fight against the forces of darkness that seek to keep humanity in ignorance and servitude. They are ordinary people by day, vigilantes by night, who seek to protect Commonwealth City from the forces of darkness: that is, evil megacorps and corrupt politicians, mostly.

All this is possible through something called "Paradox", a metaphysical law of the Universe that holds that sentient beings have the power to shape reality through their beliefs. Someone, at some point, figured out how to harness this power, and created The Meta, a hyper-reality that exists as long as everyone believes it. It looks like a prosperous, capitalist world, but it's really a prison for humanity, where they are kept in ignorance and servitude by the forces of darkness that control the world. The system it maintains is not sustainable, with or without the genocide it relies upon. The corruption and greed of the ruling class is so extreme that it is itself a threat to the Meta, with people increasingly wondering how they ended up in "the wrong timeline". They aren't far from the truth.

In the real world, or the Down Below as the Veritas Vigil calls it, there are monsters, magic, and superpowers. The cities are there, too, but their decay is more apparent. All of the undesirables dwell there, where they have no protection from the wild patches of Down Below that are still untamed. Abandoned by its caretakers, the Down Below is becoming darker every day. For thousands of years, human shamans, witches, and wise folk tended to the metaphysical health of the Earth, but the Meta has cut them off from reality. The Down Below isn't Earth as it should be, but it is Earth as it truly is--in dire need of healing, which it won't receive as long as The Meta exists.

An Alternate Reality

It is the far-off year of 2030 CE. Hard to believe, right? But it's not a near-future vision, nor is it our exact world. Frankly, the "alternate" nature is there because using actual political figures and real-world situations would be uncomfortable. Like the superhero world, it's just like ours, but a little different. For example:

Commonwealth City

In the early 21st century, faced with the challenges of climate change, overpopulation, and economic inequality, the Boston metro area--like many other major cities--underwent a radical transformation. The city was merged with neighboring cities like Cambridge and Somerville to form a single, unified metropolis known as Commonwealth City. Great arcologies were built to house the growing population in sustainable structures, immune to rising sea levels. Vital historic landmarks were preserved, but many other buildings have been modernized or replaced. The city is now a bustling hub of culture, commerce, and innovation, with a population of over 10 million people.

But not all is as shiny as the buildings. American politics degenerated over the past few decades, with partisan politics eroding the effectiveness of the federal government to near zero. In response, wealthy states have increased their own centralization, with high tax rates, expensive social programs, and a strong emphasis on public services. But even in the most progressive states, the government can only work with what they have, and the conglomeration of mega-corporations in the 21st century and the shift of power from public to private means that many essential services can only be provided by private companies, which are often more interested in profit than in the public good. The result is a city that is both prosperous and deeply unequal, with a stark divide between the haves and the have-nots.

The Commonwealth City Police Department, for instance, is increasingly contracting out to Globe Security, an ATLAS subsidiary, for modern policing technology like autonomous drones, police robots, and AI surveillance systems. The city is also home to many other mega-corporations, such as the energy giant Aquarius, providing the city with clean energy, much of which is diverted to massive data centers for AI processing of surveillance data for Globe Security. The health giant Vitae provides healthcare services to the city, but their high prices and profit-driven model mean that many people can't afford the care they need. The education giant Platonic provides education services, but their AI educators have put countless teachers out of a job. And the fact that all of these mega-corps are subsidiaries of the same parent company, ATLAS, means that they have an unprecedented level of control over the city and its inhabitants, with little accountability or oversight.

The city boasts many modern conveniences, which make it easy to overlook the terrible cost of their maintenance, such as: