Science Fiction
A intricate cosmos of sentient automata, forged from a bygone organic epoch’s detritus. Bronze-clad metropolises, pulsating hypercores, and steam-driven forges hum with arcane resonance. From corroded servitors to gilded chronocrats and fractal warframes, machinekind navigates a labyrinthine society of tradition, innovation, and entropy. The Etheric Veil binds planets like Sypherion and Valthorne, where glitch storms and relic-code shape a civilization of ceaseless reinvention. No humans endure.
Author's Note: In crafting Neon Hearth, my ambition was to forge a universe that transcends traditional RPG conventions, offering deep immersion in a civilization solely inhabited by sentient automata. This is not merely a backdrop for adventures but a living, breathing society pulsing with philosophical inquiries into sentience, purpose, and reinvention. The absence of humans is a deliberate choice, compelling players to adopt purely mechanical perspectives, exploring narratives that defy anthropocentric norms. Neon Hearth invites players to question what it means to exist in a cosmos where machines architect their own destinies.
Inspirations and Influences
Neon Hearth draws from a rich tapestry of science fiction, philosophy, and visual aesthetics. Classics like Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? laid the groundwork for exploring machine societies, probing the essence of consciousness in synthetic forms. Contemporary works, such as Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries and Dennis E. Taylor’s We Are Legion (We Are Bob), provided modern lenses on AI protagonists navigating internal and external conflicts.
Philosophically, the setting is shaped by discussions of technological singularity and transhumanism, inspired by Nick Bostrom’s Superintelligence and Max Tegmark’s Life 3.0. These texts informed a vision of machines crafting their own cultures and ethics. The steampunk aesthetic, rooted in William Gibson and Bruce Sterling’s The Difference Engine, blends advanced technology with retrofuturist charm, while Studio Ghibli’s Laputa: Castle in the Sky adds whimsical mechanical beauty. Glitch horror, evoking The Matrix and Bioshock, infuses instability and mystery, with corrupted code and erratic systems challenging order.
Design Philosophy
Neon Hearth is a meditation on synthetic evolution, examining how machines develop culture, religion, and politics without human influence. Key themes include:
Sentience and Identity: What defines consciousness for a designed entity? How do machines find purpose without creators?
Tradition vs. Innovation: The tension between preserving ancient datacores and embracing glitches mirrors the balance of past and future.
Power and Hierarchy: Multifaceted intrigue among factions like the Cog Archivum and Brass Throne offers complex political dynamics.
Glitches as Metaphor: Erratic code and glitches symbolize imperfection, challenging technological order and reflecting existential unpredictability.
The human-free setting emphasizes machine perspectives, fostering unique narratives. The science-fantasy steampunk fusion creates a tactile, visually rich world, prioritizing physicality—steam forges, brass conduits—over sterile digital interfaces, grounding the setting in dieselpunk grit and synthetic mysticism.
Played | 4 times |
Cloned | 1 times |
Created | 32 days ago |
Last Updated | 32 days ago |
Visibility | Public |

Varn Corroshad MK-III
Level 1 Ironclad Husk Thermarian Juggerveil -
A time-bending duelist with a tragic past, Varn Corroshad MK-III fights for purpose in the Underdeck Arena, wielding a glaive that rewrites fate.
Details
Race | Ironclad Husk |
Class | Thermarian Juggerveil |
Level | 1 |
Alignment | |
Pronouns | He/Him |
Location | 5110, 8845 |
Skills
Acrobatics
Animal Handling
Arcana
Athletics
Deception
History
Insight
Intimidation
Investigation
Medicine
Nature
Perception
Performance
Persuasion
Religion
Sleight Of Hand
Stealth
Survival
Ispreparedcaster
Isspellcaster
Currencies
💎Power Shards | 0 |
⚙️Cogbits | 0 |
🛠️Scrap Tokens | 0 |
appearance
A squat and dense warrior-unit clad in modular bronze plates, with a single rotating monocular eye that adjusts focus with a mechanical chirp. His left arm houses a retractable glaive forged from time-refracted ore.
personality
Blunt, sardonic, and tactical, Varn approaches the world with the weary pragmatism of someone who’s lived every outcome twice. He distrusts destiny and loathes inefficiency, preferring direct action. Despite his cold demeanor, he’s capable of deep camaraderie—especially toward those who fight with clarity and purpose. Varn wrestles with existential vertigo from seeing too many futures and trusts his instincts above all.
backstory
Built as a tactical duelist to serve the Brass Throne, Varn rebelled after a paradox exposure allowed him to perceive the micro-loops of the present. Now he fights for credits and purpose, relying on his unstable time-fold core to win impossible fights. His greatest secret? He remembers outcomes that never happened—and bleeds for them.
Stats
Strength
14
Dexterity
16
Constitution
12
Intelligence
10
Wisdom
8
Charisma
10
Armor Class
15
Max HP
10
Speed
30
HP
10 / 10 HP
XP
00 XP299
Level 1
Equipped Items
Spellbook
Varn Corroshad MK-III is not a spellcaster.