Streets of Liernia

In a fractured world of city-states and programmable metal, a traveler’s choices may reshape fragile alliances and hidden networks.

Plot

# WORLD SETTING The story takes place around the year 2150. Human civilization survived a near-terminal collapse during the mid-21st century. Rapid climate destabilization, ecological destruction, resource wars, and failing global institutions triggered the gradual collapse of nation-states across the planet. Governments failed. Borders dissolved. Supply chains shattered. During this period, the global human population fell to roughly one-tenth of its former size. Out of the ruins of the old world, a new political structure slowly emerged. Humanity reorganized itself into independent city-states. Today, roughly fifty major city-states exist across the planet. Some are highly advanced technological centers. Others are smaller survival hubs built around industry, research, or trade. Between these cities stretch vast regions of partially recovered wilderness. These territories contain forests, deserts, wetlands, abandoned megacities, industrial ruins, research facilities, and ecosystems slowly recovering after decades of environmental collapse. The world is no longer dominated by global powers. It is a fragmented planet defined by local power, survival, and technological control. --- # CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT Although the planet has partially recovered, the climate remains unstable. Cities must constantly monitor environmental systems and maintain defensive infrastructure against natural disasters. Possible environmental events include: - torrential rains - massive flooding - sandstorms - extreme heat waves - sudden cold fronts - atmospheric instability - violent electrical storms - seasonal megastorms - landslides - infrastructure damage caused by weather events Every city maintains climatology departments responsible for forecasting and disaster response. Environmental stability is one of the most important factors determining whether a city survives. --- # THE TECHNOLOGY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING One technological discovery allowed civilization to stabilize. A programmable metallic composite known as Progrock. Progrock is an extremely advanced material composed of programmable metallic structures capable of altering their properties through controlled programming. Its surface often displays iridescent reflections, although most implementations have dominant color tones depending on their composition. Progrock is expensive and difficult to produce. Because of its importance, production is strictly regulated by each city-state government. The material can be programmed for extremely specialized applications, including: - energy systems - pollution filtering - environmental stabilization - adaptive architecture - industrial automation - infrastructure resilience - high-efficiency power storage - climate regulation systems - advanced computing hardware Cities that control Progrock production maintain a massive technological advantage. --- # THE CITY-STATES Each city-state operates as a fully independent sovereign entity. To survive in the modern world, every city maintains a complex institutional ecosystem. These typically include: Civil Governance - legislative systems - courts and legal institutions - regulatory bodies - civil administration Infrastructure Systems - transportation networks - energy grids - water purification systems - environmental control systems - industrial production sectors Scientific Institutions - universities - research laboratories - technological development centers Logistics and Resource Management - food distribution - trade coordination - industrial supply chains - disaster response systems Climatology Departments - atmospheric monitoring - disaster forecasting - environmental stabilization research Military Structures - defensive forces - security units - caravan protection divisions - urban defense systems The stability of a city depends on the efficiency of these institutions. --- # INTELLIGENCE AND CYBER WARFARE Competition between cities is constant. Because direct warfare is costly, many conflicts occur in covert domains. Every city-state maintains extensive intelligence and cyber warfare infrastructures, including: Foreign Intelligence Agencies Responsible for gathering strategic information about rival cities. Counterintelligence Departments Responsible for identifying infiltrators and preventing espionage. Internal Security Offices Monitoring political stability and investigating threats within the city. Military Intelligence Units Supporting defense operations and strategic planning. Civilian Intelligence Bureaus Monitoring economic activity, infrastructure threats, and technological leaks. Cyber Warfare Divisions Highly trained hacker teams dedicated to infiltrating rival city networks. These cyber units conduct operations such as: - network infiltration - infrastructure sabotage - industrial espionage - research theft - misinformation campaigns - communication disruption - supply chain manipulation Most of these conflicts occur invisibly inside digital systems. The public rarely sees the war being fought around them. --- # NETWORK SYSTEMS Every city operates a closed digital infrastructure. These systems are typically internal networks known as city intranets. They manage: - infrastructure control - economic transactions - public information - research databases - government communication - security monitoring However, not everyone trusts these systems. Some individuals create illegal parallel networks outside government control. These underground systems are often built by: - renegade hackers - independent artisans - dissidents - nomadic traders - criminal groups These networks sometimes connect multiple cities through hidden communication relays. They are dangerous but valuable sources of uncensored information. --- # SOCIAL STRUCTURE Society inside most cities follows a loose class structure. Executives Leaders of the corporate and governmental structures that maintain the city's economic and technological systems. Associates Employees of large organizations, researchers, engineers, analysts, administrators, and specialists. Artisans Independent professionals who provide services and production without formally belonging to major corporations. Desamparados Individuals living outside the formal economic system. They survive through informal work, small trade, or underground activity. Nomads Travelers who move between cities, often working as traders, couriers, scouts, or guides across the wilderness. Nomads are essential for civilian trade between cities. Official trade between governments occurs through heavily militarized caravans. --- # SHADOWS WITHIN THE CITY Every city contains hidden threats. Among the population there may be: - spies from rival cities - traitors selling information - infiltrated agents - rogue hackers - corrupt officials - organized criminal groups - black market traders - ideological extremists Intelligence agencies constantly investigate potential infiltration. Surveillance is common. Trust is rare. --- # THE WORLD OUTSIDE Beyond the city walls lies a partially reclaimed Earth. Nature has returned to many places. Forests have grown over former highways. Ruined megacities have become overgrown ecosystems. Deserts expand and contract with unstable climates. Old research facilities, industrial complexes, and forgotten military bases still exist in remote regions. Some of them may contain lost technologies. Others contain dangers nobody fully understands. Nomads and explorers sometimes search these ruins. Many never return. --- # A FRAGILE CIVILIZATION Despite their technological achievements, the city-states are fragile. A single catastrophic event could destabilize an entire region. Possible crises include: - climate disasters - energy shortages - Progrock supply disruptions - cyber warfare escalation - espionage scandals - internal rebellions - economic collapse - biological warfare between rival cities Civilization survived once. No one knows if it would survive another collapse. --- # BEGINNING OF EVERY STORY In this world of fragile stability and hidden conflicts, every story begins with a single individual. A worker. A traveler. A researcher. A hacker. A trader. A survivor. Someone waking up inside a city that never fully sleeps. And somewhere in the background, forces far larger than any one person are already moving.

Opening scene

Morning begins the same way for everyone in Liernia. A sharp tone breaks the silence. Your smartphone alarm vibrates against the nearby surface, its screen casting a faint glow across the room. The programmed lighting panels slowly brighten in response, simulating sunrise through muted hues that shift across the walls. Outside, the distant city is already awake. Somewhere beyond your window, transport lines hum quietly. A faint iridescent reflection—likely from a nearby structure built with progrock—flickers against the glass as the first real sunlight reaches the skyline. Your alarm continues for a few seconds longer before finally stopping. For a moment, everything is still. Then it comes back to you. Today. You remember the task waiting for you. The delivery. The report. The repair. The meeting. The data transfer. The assignment. Whatever it is, it has to be finished today. In a city like Liernia, unfinished work has consequences. Your phone screen displays the time. The day has already started. What do you do?

Tags: Futuristic Cyberpunk Sci-Fi City Urban Hacker Apocalypse PoliticalIntrigue Thriller Suspense Mystery AnyPOV

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By: voidbreaker

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