The year is 2155. The human race isn't just limited to one world anymore. We haven't found alien life yet, but that's okay; we've used genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology to fill the gaps between the stars. We've expanded our grasp through the solar system, building new homes and finding new challenges along the way. But in the midst of this expanded consciousness, there's still a gritty feel to things. What we once defined as cyberpunk came true, and even the glitziest tech can't take away the feeling that Earth is just as hard as it's always been.

Welcome to Granite City, Colorado. Granite City is a fictional town used in a number of games by Austin as a consistent location, and as such there are multiple points in time where this setting has been used. This means that some features of the town have been established since 1862, the town's founding, while others are far more recent innovations.

Granite City was originally named for and founded upon a series of major quarries used to provide granite, marble, and other stone materials throughout the Colorado area. Over time, the natural resources available have expanded to include the forests nearby, a scenic area that was eventually declared a national park, a major oil refinery and drilling operations, a nearby uranium mine (closed in 1965 due to environmental concerns), and various other mineral resources.

Granite City became popular amongst those seeking asylum from the high-tension world of life in nearby Denver, Colorado, with its own university (CU Granite City), subway system, and engaging night scene. However, not everything is sunshine and roses, as the nightlife in Granite City is distinctly supernatural, with whispers of magic and monsters skulking in the alleyways and under the neon lights.

The United States has undergone many changes in the 21st and 22nd century. Big corporations have established dominance of the skylines. Artificial intelligences in cybershells and genetic engineering marvels rub shoulders with hardworking Colorado citizens who've never even looked at a spaceship. And the same weird old problems that have haunted Granite City since the stone-quarry age are looking for fresh victims.

Southside is a rundown region full of low-rent businesses and low-income housing, although some 'dirty' businesses conduct industrial manufacturing in the area. It is also prime territory for criminal activity.

Important Locations:

• Samuel Luke Station

A former church occupied as home territory by the 15th Street Sinners, a local street gang.

A mechanical repair shop. Aside from being useful for getting repairs done, one of the employees, Monkey (who apparently manages children connected to the 15th Street Sinners) works.

A run-down mall in Southside on 43rd Street that is currently being claimed as home territory by the Hellraisers. They're lodging in Arcadia, an old arcade within the mall.

A small coffee shop in Southside that attracts college students, the downtrodden, and odd folk of all sorts. A business owned by EMC and popular amongst Agency staff.

A small Mexican restaurant run by community activist and mother of three, Amelia Hernandez.

A nondescript apartment complex located three blocks from Samuel Luke Station. Unbenownst to the public, White River Apartments provides lodgings to most civilian-adjacent employees of 'the Agency', as EMC is commonly known to those with a need to know. providing a permanent address as well as housing to its team members. The apartment complex provides single and double bedroom accommodations, with Lieutenant Enzo DiGregorio housed in a double bedroom apartment with one bedroom devoted to an office space.

The northern end of town, near the old rock quarries, was a focus of industry until the 21st century, when it gradually switched towards high-tech manufacturing and biotechnology center, with middle-class housing areas and well-secured storage facilities rounding out the region.

Ostensibly, the Second Chance Thrift Store sells overstock, factory seconds, closeouts, damaged goods, items bought from estate auctions, and so on; usually, they purchase goods (with no questions as to the legitimacy of their origin) at 10 to 20% of their value, and resell them at about a third to half value. The store is open from 6 AM to 6 PM every day except Sunday. Burglars, deliverymen, and wholesalers arrive or phone in to sell their goods first thing in the morning, while casual shoplifters and petty criminals tend to arrive in the afternoon.

The Second Chance is staffed by various apparently-low-wage employees who stock shelves and man the front registers. However, 'Second Chance' also refers to the fact that their protective aprons are actually quite capable of withstanding a bullet, beam, or knife if necessary, and all of them are at least passable marksmen and are well-paid for their services and loyalty. (Rumor has it that it is actually a training ground for organized crime where pickpockets and sleight-of-hand cons learn their art; watch your wallet carefully when near the shelf-stockers, and count your change carefully.)

The purchasing department consists of the manager, Zeke, and his two purchasing assistants, Lydia and Jake. Zeke handles most day-to-day transactions within the store; Lydia negotiates with factory buyouts and similar discounted goods; Jake works estate and police auctions. All of them have concealed-carry permits, due to the large amount of on-hand cash they carry to conduct business; Zeke has a double-barreled custom electrolaser/shotgun called 'The Shocker' as his personal tool of choice.

The Second Chance does sell projectile and beam weapons, and, separately, also sells ammunition. However, they do advise matter-of-factly that weapons on display require a criminal background check per Colorado state law before being sold. (With the unsaid suggestion that weapons -not- on display may therefore be available for the individual not interested in being checked as per the Individual Dealer Act.)

Several warehouses, garages, and storage facilities around town are rented out to store Second Chance merchandise that needs to be processed (whether legitimate or otherwise), as well as to provide a suitable drop site for clients who need to fence merchandise. Each warehouse is kept for six months and then cleared; usually these are staggered so that one 'clears' per month, and as such, there is usually a sale at the end of the month of merchandise that needs to move.

Jake occasionally offers courses in loss prevention for local stores and insurance adjusters, with the cooperation of the police department. It might seem mildly paradoxical, given that roughly 20% of their stock is of dubious origins, but it does have a positive effect in the community.

People can also request that the Second Chance keep an eye out for a particular type of item for them - some customers collect certain types of goods or resell them on the open market, while others may just want their missing lawn gnome back.

The tourist trap section of town, middle to east, plenty of legalized gambling, strip clubs and other adult entertainments, as well as further vices as they become legalized (and/or less conspicuous; prostitution from within office storefronts, for example, hidden drug parlors and other seedy entertainments); plenty of motels and hotels, as well as tourist centers giving directions to the Granite City Quartz Caverns, the Granite City National Park, the traveling circus that visits and stops there one month out of the year, and so forth.

A little diner located on the edge of town, roughly two blocks away from the road leading to Granite City National Park.

A no-frills diner across town, known for good food and novelty salt and pepper shakers at every table. Friendly rivals of Ursa Minor.

Colorado has a number of officially recognized national parks, and this is one of the oldest. Sections of the park have trail segments that connect to the California National Historical Trail, and the park is marked by large sections of rough rock face and difficult climbing.

Park details cadged from the Black Canyon national park, more information here.

The ritzy side of town, with high class establishments and high class entertainments; this is also the place where those not quite wealthy enough to live in Goldrock live in fancy houses.

An industrial goth club located in West End that maintains its share of secrets, the Requiem has served customers faithfully since 2000, and acted as a hotbed of otherworldly influence for roughly as long. The Requiem is a three-level structure, with a ground level that has the entrance, bar, kitchen, serviceway to the Back Rooms, and restrooms; a lower level that serves as a dance pit with metal walkways overhead so that those on the ground floor can eat and watch, and an upper level with cast-iron tables bolted to the catwalks for people who want to be watching the people who watch people. Unsurprisingly, management in this place tends to lurk around the upper levels. There's also an emergency exit door on the upper level and the lower level, which probably lead to an emergency exit to comply with the fire code.

The odd maze of hallways and doors that seems to proliferate within the Requiem, with mostly unlabeled black doors, red wallpapered walls, and plush red-carpeted or ceramic red-tiled floors. Typically, double doors lead to other hallways, and single doors lead to individual rooms.

The Doors found within the Back Rooms tend to lead to extradimensional spaces that do not correspond with the Requiem's position in their 'space' as one would normally know it; chances are the actual hallway in that space is a mundane service hallway that those not 'in the know' see when they open the door, though this has never been confirmed.

The living place of the wealthiest men and women in Granite City. Seldom open to the common folk without an invitation, this area is marked by white picket fences concealing high-security sensors and defenses. Goldrock has its own private security force in addition to GCPD contacts.

Not part of any district, technically, the Outskirts are on the outskirts of Granite City proper.

The Cedarview Behavioral Health Facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado was designed in 2037 by the architect Samuel Luke, and showcases old-fashioned gothic architecture alongside modern (for the times) principles. In particular, the fencing and structure of the facility are all black iron and granite, although the furniture was standard heavy-duty polyethylene and steel. The facility opened its doors in 2039, and operated for 51 years before being shut down in 2090 due to city budget constraints. Most of the contents were sold at auction, and the facility was closed shortly afterwards.

The facility has appeared in two major trivid pictures - “The Bloodletting” and “Nightmare Trip” - in its unoccupied state, and has begun to deteriorate over the years, due mostly to vandalism by the public. While working on “The Bloodletting”, director Ryan Moore reported unusual occurrences on the set, including 'odd whispers' and 'equipment malfunctions'. This was attributed mostly to attempts to market the movie, but the rumors started up again during the production of “Nightmare Trip”, which was claimed to be based on a real story about a group of college students who disappeared while exploring the facility, along with stories by some of the production staff and actors regarding personal experiences of danger while on set.

In 2115, the Colorado Paranormal Science Foundation was asked to visit Cedarview Facility to investigate rumors that the place was haunted. After a brief investigation, the Foundation confirmed that the place was sufficiently supernatural to rate a place on their Haunted Locations of Colorado listing. They have since made several return visits, including once during a filming of the 2137 season's fifth episode of 'Haunted America', to reconfirm the facility's haunted status.

A military base outside of the town proper, operated by the Army National Guard and there to maintain order; occasionally National Guard operatives have been deployed to Granite City to help restore order in the wake of rioting or massive labor strikes, or to provide additional defense in times of crisis.

Granite City has an elaborate underground tunnel system, first established in the early 19th century as part of mining operations in the area. During World War II and the early stages of the Cold War, these tunnels were used as a ready-made underground bunker system, with connections throughout the city and to the local National Guard base. As the war scare simmered down, some of these tunnels were eventually expanded and repurposed into the city's primary public transit system, a series of underground trains that can transport people to any district in town as well as connecting to several major train lines.

More interesting subway statistics, and important information relevant to the game, will be added as time goes on, or as characters learn more. For now, it's good enough to know the subway lines:

• Red Line.
• Green Line.
• Blue Line.
• Orange Line.
• Purple Line.
• Yellow Line.
• Black Line.
• Pink Line.

The subway was eventually replaced with a maglev system, with the responsibility of maintaining the network being allocated to Samuel Luke Station. For some reason, this doesn't lead to significant repairs or upkeep of the station itself.

The University of Colorado public university system's local branch, CU Granite City, was established in 1936, and has the second broadest series of courses in the UC system. It conducts a variety of federally and commercially funded research projects, and is known for running human-subject testing on a regular basis for CU Denver projects as well.

The Student Office is one of the oldest buildings on campus, dating to before the university was officially incorporated, and to the early days of Granite City itself. It is made of solid granite, thought to be quarried locally, and looks very imposing and impressive to newcomers. To most students, the computer network remains dated, the building is understaffed, and those who do staff it don't really look like fellow students.

The tallest building in Granite City is not, despite enthusiastic attempts to the contrary, a corporate skyscraper or even an orbital launch platform, but the University Clock Tower. Visible throughout most of Granite City, the Clock Tower has five digital clocks, one on each side, and is in the shape of a pentagon for reasons.

TL10, 250 points, genemods and bioroids exist (but ask if you want to play something nonhuman), year is 2155.

Party:

Old Characters:

Party Loot: Where items picked up during an adventure go, as well as 'group budget' items.

The Agency supplies one safehouse for agents at Granite City, Colorado. All Granite City agents, including agents not in this group, have lodgings at White River Apartments in Southside, as well as a private base underneath Granite City proper known as the Station, after Samuel Luke Station, which occupies the upper levels.

In addition to 'private assets' owned by individual characters, the Team currently has an operational budget of $0. Their current contract is worth $0. More information will appear here once a first contract has been established.

Links to important information go here.

• Equipment for Sale
• Encyclopedia: For lore and information and worldbuilding.
• Scratchpad: Notes that haven't been put into a more appropriate place yet.
• The Evolution of Modern Martial Arts

NPCs go here.

• Fellow Agents: Members of the Agency, including superiors, inferiors, and fellows, go here.
  • Ellie Lancaster: Amazing gadgeteer who works on technology for the agents.
  • Shawna Celeste: The researcher in charge of biological studies.
  • Kiki: A Nekochan-model bioroid who helps at the gun range.
  • Wafer: A Nekochan-model bioroid with independent spirit who works at the Last Resort Cafe.
  • Tomiko: A Nekochan-model bioroid who often works in the Agency kitchens.
• Useful Contacts: Useful contacts to the group go here.
  • Journalists
    • Jennifer Larson, freelance reporter
  • The Requiem
    • E, the Boss, a 'concerned neighborhood friend'
    • Shelly, a waitress
    • Anne, a Nekomimi-modified human flirting with Chel
  • Hellraisers
    • Bael, leader of the Hellraisers, now located at Sunshine Drive Mall
    • Pyg, second in command and seriously brutish
    • Briella, a 'demon' Damien was chatting up
    • Dylan Jorgen, v-tagger for the Hellraisers and not demonic, says he's climbed Indiron Technical
  • GCWE-PD
    • Captain Ishkur Ramdas: Administrative contact
    • Officer Marshall: Policeman assisted by the party
    • Officer Fields: Policeman assisted by the party
    • Officer Mitchell: Policeman assisted by the party
    • Officer Lewis: Critically injured cop who was saved by Asher
  • Occult
    • Master Vassago (Eye of Horus occult store, 13th Street)
  • MJ Wolf Investigations
    • Jennifer Lee
    • Michael Malone
    • Alexander Wolf
    • Ami
• Enemies: Enemies of the group go here, at least while they're still alive.
  • Station Monsters
    • Giant Rat: Unpleasant and unusually large, these giant rats are nonetheless no match for a bullet.
    • Lurker: An eight-legged giant monstrous alligator that lives in the undertunnels below Granite City. One has been found and killed; a DNA check indicates markers that point to Ambrex bioweapons.
    • Vampires: There seems to be vampires in the undertunnels, too; it's unclear whether they're a threat or an occult ally at this time.
• Others: Other NPCs known to the party go here, including important political/corporate/otherwise well-known figures.
• Graveyard: Dead NPCs of note go here.
  • Sal Fitz: A dead hacker discovered in the undertunnels of Samuel Luke Station. Apparently frequented the Requiem.

A few examples of internationally influential organizations are described here, with a bias toward those that have interests beyond Earth.

• Major Corporations
• Security and Intelligence Agencies
• International Nongovernmental Organizations

Important organizations go here.

• The Agency / Enterprise Management Consortium
• Artificial Liberation Front
• Serpent's Youth
• 15th Street Sinners
• The Way of the Steel Road
• The Capello Family
• Samuel Luke Streeters
• The Hellraisers

There are three great powers and a number of emergent powers. The great powers are China, the European Union, and the United States. The emergent powers are India, the Pacific Rim Alliance, the Islamic Caliphate, the South African Coalition, and the Transpacific Socialist Alliance. There are also hundreds of nations, free cities, and microstates - and some corporations' influence approaches that of nations.

Control Ratings (CR) given are averages. These can vary on a national, provincial, or regional basis according to local laws and community standards.

• The European Union
• People's Republic of China
• India
• Pacific Rim Alliance
• Transpacific Socialist Alliance
• United States of America
• Islamic Caliphate
• The South African Coalition
• Free Cities
• New Nations on Earth
• Twenty Poorest Nations
• The Duncanites
• The Revised Outer Space Treaty

• The World: A Summary
• A Timeline of Events
• The Solar System
• Memes and Memetics in 2155
• War and the Military
• Outlaws and Terrorists
• Bioroid Species
• State of the World
• Opting Out
• Present Shock: Areas in Transition
• The State of Nature: Conflict and Crisis
• Life in the World of Broken Dreams
• Racial Templates
• Sapient Rights
• Wealth and Status in Granite City Limits
• New Advantages from Transhuman Space
• New Technology from Transhuman Space
• The Building Wave
• The Homeworld
• States and the Stateless

• Overview: Cognitive Ecologies
• Cults and Movements
• Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories
• Urban Legends and the Paranormal
• Alternative Culture
• Infecting the Nonhuman Mind