Okay, today I'm going to be sharing a bit of info on the factions of Machina as a setting. Jojo Part 9 has got me in the mood for a thriller and even if I haven't seen it yet a new Ghost in the Shell also has me fired up. So today I'm going to do a little to expand the Machina world by talking about the different factions that exist and intermingle with Akari's investigation. Sub divided into a few categories.
Though there is some terminology and info I should probably lay out first
Neoedo: A major city in the cyberpunk world of Machina built atop of Tokyo which was badly damaged in an event known as the Second Sengoku. In the 80 years since the era of warring states it has grown to become one of the most populous cities in the world. Neoedo actually has a greater size than real Tokyo, having absorbed Kawasaki and Yokohama.
Mythborn/Voidborn/Myth Walker: Many different groups of them use many different names. What you call them matters little. These are magical folks with powers based in the myths and folklore of humanity. These myths were never true but belief has a special power. Think of them like magical girls (and guys). The channeling of their power causes them to manifest little myth themed magical girl (or guy) outfits, kinda like how a stand manifests.
Yaogui: Monsters that manifest from the collective belief & reverence in old folklore and stories. Oni, goblins, vampires, and so on. They never really existed and people (mostly) don't really believe in their existence but the collective space they hold in the conscious of the world has a power of its own manifesting monsters. Normal non supernatural people do not perceive them as monsters but rather whatever rational explanation the mind can justify. Not all yaogui are hostile and they are capable of co-existence with humanity.
Mundo: A mythborn term for people with no connection to the supernatural. Derived from the English word mundane.
Koji (広至) 37: Machina is set in the year 2134 but many in Neoedo continue to use Japanese era calendars. At present it is the 37th year of the Koji (spreading prosperity) era.
Samurai: Fitting for a cyberpunk setting, multinational corporations hold a great deal of power in the world of Machina. Corporate Samurai are agents that act as enforcers for the corporations. Rarely is there much difference between them and other mercs is the fact that that their actions are all backed by powerful corporations.
Handyman: Officially licensed freelance mercs. In most ways the only difference between a Handyman and a Deadbeat is that a Handyman is paying their dues. The biggest rising star among them now is Ranna Ranpo.
Deadbeat: Freelance mercs without an official license. Though the majority of them prefer the term Solo. In theory the hiring of Deadbeats is not sanctioned but there are few who care so long as they can get a discount.
Also given my preference to wear my inspirations on my sleeve , I'll quicky note the inspirations of Machina are: The noir genre as a whole, AKIRA (Primarily the neotokyo/Neoedo thing), Jojolion & Jojolands, Ghost in the Shell, Judge Eyes, SMT I/IV/V, Cutie Honey, The Cyberpunk tabletop game, 2077 Videogame, and Edgerunners anime, Chainsaw Man, Blade Runner, DeSPIRIA, Johnny Phenmonic, 999, Fate/0, The King in Yellow, and the entire works of HP Lovecraft).
Akemi Fruit Company (and Akemi clan): A company owned by the Akemi clan. They've been farming for centuries. Being the descendants of an ex-samurai (the old historic version of the term) clan that lorded over the fictional village of Minamizumi-mura. Located in the countryside north of Neoedo, the Akemi Clan use their land to produce high quality fruit products. A wealthy clan but far below the wealth and power held by the Farmer barons and major corporations. Nonetheless the Akemis are something of local celebrities and the current generation have been expanding their business. Beneath the AFC are a pair of subsidiaries that handle tailoring (Akio Threads) and candy production respectively (Akemi Sweets Company). Akari has a strange birthmark on her body that resembles the crest of this family. The current family heads are the matriarch Akemi Yuki and her husband Akemi Aleister.
Farmer Barons: The major power group in the countryside surrounding Neoedo. During the Second Sengoku a small cabal of speculators gobbled up as much land as they could resulting in an era where hundreds of miles of farmlands in the hands of a group that models themselves off of feudal lords. They are the chief providers of food not just to Neoedo but the vast majority of the country. Something that gives them immense clout, effectively being the rulers of the countryside. They viscously seek to oust non baron land owners like the Akemi Clan to further monopolize agriculture.
Aegis Arms/Prosthetics: A cyber augmentation company founded by Akemi Seiya (Rei's father) and his business partner and college friend Yorigami Yoru. The company is divided into two branches that respectively craft military and civilian grade augmentations. Both Enji's legs and Rei's arms have been produced by the company as have a number of the high end pieces operated by Samurai and Handymen in the city.
Cradle Biotechnics: A rival company to Aegis Arms that produces gene & bio mods. Think things like DNA splicing or strange bodily mutations oh or maybe BOWs from Resident Evil (though at a much lighter scale than that exists there).
Mnemonic Remedies: A research institute primarily searching for a cure to Alzheimer and genetic diseases headed by its director Percy Padoru. Akemi Ichika works as a researcher for the company and they receive a sizable set of donations from the Akemi Fruit Company each half a year as well as from the Llamo of Llamo Village. In addition to human medical research they also research genetically enhancing crop production. When Akari first awoke with amnesia she got her name from a half melted visitor ID for their research institute.
Phobos & Deimos: A motorcycle gang that wreaks havoc in Neoedo. The original Phobos & Deimos was a motorcycle club founded by Akemi Seiya when he was young but it was disbanded before he went to found Aegis Arms. His daughter Akemi Reiya would later rebuild the club in what she perceives as a successor to his legacy. They're streetpunks but without much true aspiration. They cause chaos, particularly for the city's other gangs, but they lack long term planning. Now that they're entering their 20s some of the members are ready to move on but Reiya is doing her best to hold things together. Someone has contracted them to do whatever they can to interfere with Akari's investigations.
Miskatonic Coven (Miskatonic Witches): A syndicate of mythborn formed by Japanese immigrants from America (that is to say they were Japanese-Americans moving back to Japan). Name for the Neoedo branch of Miskatonic University where the 3 founders met. Those being the boss Saito-Yamato Himari, the Underboss Nakamura Tsumugi, and the Consigliere Mori Yoko. They're a new group to the city, only established 5 years ago, but have used their emphasis on those with magical powers (and support from Himari's father whose a big wig back in her birthland) to radically expand and gather up territory from the other gangs of the city. In their investigations Spooky Inc has run afoul of them but Phobos & Deimos are their primary target.
The Twilight Clan: Before mythborn and Yaogui became common place several Yakuza clans were the main criminal element in Neoedo. They navigated the corporations and politics to carve out a kingdom of their own in the underworld. Unfortunately, while they adapted to dealing with Cyberpunk mercs, actual magical girls and monsters blindsided them quite severely. Causing territory to be snatched up and clans to crumble practically overnight. Seeing the opportunity, corporations began to abandon deals and feast on their remains. It was as if an era had ended but not all have been willing to fold. But not all abandon their dreams so easily. Chuuya (中夜) Ruka refuses to bow out so easily. She's organized the remnants of fading clans together into one organization the Twilight clan, refusing to die even if it means abandoning the old traditions that have hindered them. They seek to crush all other criminal elements in the city but especially the Miskatonic Coven who've taken a great deal of their territory.
Three Circle Gang: A gang located in mainland China. They're inspired by fictional depictions of the triad but they lack the connections to the Song Dynasty that the actual triad had. They seek to expand their territory into Neoedo but as a foreign element their ability to bring resources in are limited. For this reason their forces are greatly outnumbered. The leader of the Three Circles in Neoedo is Zhuge Ruoland. A powerful warrior and mythborn of Guan Yu sent east after an unspecified disgrace. Accompanying her is the third daughter of the Three Circle's boss, Mai Mei, whom was exiled following a proxy war against her sisters.
Ministry of Mythic Affairs (MoMA): A secret ministry within the government of Neoedo founded by the Prime Minister (whom rumor amid the supernatural underground is himself Mythborn). Their duty is both to uphold the masquerade of the supernatural and to promote co-existence by finding uses for non-hostile Yaogui. Officially they do not exist with its agents normally passing as members of the Ministry of Labor or Ministry of Justice. Miss Mary passes herself off as simply an agent of the ministry but, in reality, she is actually the minister.
Neoedo Security Sector 1: A task force whose duty is to maintain order in Neoedo. That's about it at the moment they kinda just exist to be a more scary security force.
Neoedo Security Sector 4 (The Corporate Crime Sector): A department that deals with investigation technology, particularly cybernetic and bio augs. Unfortunately due to the great power of corporations they're a pretty defanged sector. They'll probably get more attention when I have the chance to sit down and watch the new Ghost in the Shell.
Neoedo Security Sector 11 (the Paranormal Sector): A task force within the NSS whose job is to deal with Yaogui, supernatural, and paranormal. Due to the masquerade, members for this sector must be chosen for their discretion. Officially their designation is to act as a support department to the other sectors. NSS11 works for MoMA but, as MoMA doesn't officially exist, they more directly work for the Ministry of Justice. These duties mean they work sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly with Miss Mary. The on the ground leadership of this group is primarily done by Sergeant Mikami with the chief acting as a go between with MoMA and the Ministry of Justice.
Neoedo Security Sector 13 (The Extraterrestrial Sector): A sector that exists to deal with aliens. They're a secret sector just like NSS11 but NSS13 is something more of a laughing stock to those aware of them because aliens don't exist (outside of one of my friend's ocs). I find this very funny.
Lhamo Village: A small and isolated village located in the Oeyama Mountain Range (most famous for the myths of Shuten Douji). The people here practice a religion unique to this village and are quite isolated despite the modern day. They practice traditional living and rarely incorporate modern technology into their life. The village itself is a mix of immigrants from across the world but incorporates a large amount of Tibetan culture that makes them seem out of place on the island of Japan. It's religious and political leader is the High Priest Lhamo (Literally goddess in Tibetan but can also less literally be a princess or an opera style) who leads the community with the aid of her 3 daughters Lhamo Tenzin, Lhamo Dawa, Lhamo Pema. The religion they practice is centered around the worship of a Golden Goat said to have descended to the earth from heaven to lead a select few. They have a large number of deals with the Akemi Fruit Company and Mnemonic Remedies. Akemi Sayaka believes they're the center of a yet unspecified conspiracy theory.
Fixers: Just as in real life, in Machina Fixers are the sort one goes to get things done. They are the main way that clients get into contact with Handymen (and Deadbeats) and suppliers of information. In Neoedo itself there are likely dozens of smalltime fixers but only a few big names. Big Sis Kogoro, Miss Mrs., Father Kumo, Third Finger, and Purple Smoke being the big five of fixers. In some ways Miss Mary is also similar to one.
Spooky Inc: Akari, Enji, and Akemi Rei's paranormal detective agency. The main characters in this setting and whom most of the posts from that world revolve around on here. They make their money investigating yaogui activity. Primarily for Mundos who perceive supernatural events around them as some sort of haunting. Of course their primary objective is based on discovering the source of Akari's amnesia. Typically they work with either Miss Mrs or Miss Mary. Akari, and to a lesser extent the others, have begun making an enemy of the handyman Ranna Ranpo.
The Prismatic Circle: An underground group of Mythborn that have tried to recruit Enji and Rei. They are self-described super-natural protectors of Neoedo with each acting as the guardian of one of the city's wards.
Valentino Detective Agency: A more traditional detective agency operated by a woman that served as Akari and Enji's mentor. They take cases that are seemingly not supernatural. Unfortunately trouble with the Miskatonic Witches have forced her to go underground.
These aren't my own creations but instead organizations belong to friends who have interacted with my Machina characters that I wanted to include here. They're not exactly canon to the world but I guess they're kinda semi-canon.
Fawkes Island: A creepy island with its own creepy cult that maybe exists on the opposite side of the planet. Created by K.
Kinnou Family: Another Yakuza family that Enji is a member of in some verses. While being limited in terms of supernatural power they manage to persist through the chaos. With an emphasis on gambling. Created by my good pal Ches.
Hakurei Shrine: A variant of the Hakurei shrine that exists in Cyberpunk Japan belonging to my friend Crim's Reimu. The shrine remains in good condition and serves as a focal point for the worship of the main gods of Shinto, allowing Reimu to manifest unique powers of multiple myths tied to the creation of Japan.
Time Travelers?: Multiple muses from other settings have found their way briefly into Neoedo, seeming to have hopped across time and space. This falls under NSS13 to investigate because they don't have anything else to do dawg. Notably several muses of my friends Kako and Fausta fall under this.
Giant Alien Spacebugs: A giant spacebug created by my friend Coda has rained destruction upon Neoedo before. NSS13 frothes at the mouth over this.
Scions of Ragnarok: Scion and the Mythborn setting have a fair bit of crossover in concept, and my good pal Void's has a Scion of Odin that is working on fixing shit after Ragnarok has occured that sometimes crosses over with Machina stuff.
