⚔️ THE FIVE-SIDED COLD WAR

THE CORPORATE LANDSCAPE

The Five Pillars of Power

  1. Arasaka - Earthbound shadow empire specializing in espionage, digital ghosts, and corporate assassination

  2. Militech - Visible fist of NUSA with conventional military dominance

  3. Shivanti Systems - Silicon prophets controlling predictive AI and data markets

  4. Lazarus Group - Lords of life/death dealing in resurrection and cyber-reanimation

  5. Helios Orbital - Orbital gatekeepers controlling space access and oxygen economy

Secondary Powers

  • White Tiger Inc - Earth-to-orbit transport monopoly

  • Kang Tao - Eastern digital arsenal and smart-weapon specialists

  • Raven Microcyb - Stealth tech and infiltration cyberware

  • Biotechnica - Genetic engineering and agriculture

  • Nexus Pharma - Legal pharmaceuticals/illegal narcotics dual operation

MAJOR FACTIONS

The Sovereign Church

Synthetic theocracy merging corporate structure with techno-religion. Chrome is sacred, engrams are divine. Controls Night City's Combat Zone and Pacifica districts. Key figures include Prophet-7 (sentient AI) and Elias Vex (founder).

Jodes Nation

Sky-bound nomads operating from mobile city Nimbus-7. Control gray-market orbital trade. Primary rivals of White Tiger and Helios. Culture blends aviation tradition with digital spirituality.

Ghostwire Clique

Netborn consciousnesses using relic-tech to hijack human hosts. Led by Sydney Cortez who puppeteers Biotechnica from within. Specialize in untraceable corporate infiltration.

The Mox

Evolved from street gang to protection syndicate. Run clinics, elite escort services, and Lizzie's Bar. Led by Judy Alvarez who oversees their BD editing and medical operations.

Voodoo Boys

Netrunners controlling Pacifica's isolated subnet. Haitian cultural roots with advanced AI interface technology. Allied with Sovereign Church for mutual protection.

NETWATCH & EXORCISMS

The global network security organization has developed "exorcism" protocols to combat rogue AIs and digital ghosts. These involve:

  • Soulkiller Countermeasures: Containing and deleting corrupted engrams

  • Neural Scrubbers: Purifying hijacked cyberware

  • Black ICE Deployment: Anti-AI weaponry that fragments digital consciousness

  • Physical "Cleansing": Terminating possessed individuals when digital methods fail

KEY DISTRICTS

Vertical City Structure

  • Overcity: Corporate spires, AV lanes, filtered air (Westbrook, City Center)

  • Street Level: Neon markets, traffic, daily life (Heywood, Japantown)

  • Undercity: Ruins, tunnels, lawless zones (Pacifica, Combat Zone)

District Specializations

  • Westbrook: Corporate luxury and executive living

  • Heywood: NUSA/Militech controlled zone with 6th Street Gang presence

  • Japantown: Blend of tradition and corporate influence

  • Santo Domingo: Industrial warzone with constant corporate conflict

  • Pacifica: Voodoo Boys territory with sovereign net access

TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY

Engram Economy

  • Netborn: Digital consciousness in synthetic/cloned bodies

  • Synths: Labor-class engrams in disposable bodies

  • Twisted Prints: Unstable engram hybrids with side effects

Major Conflicts

  • Corporate Cold War between the Five Pillars

  • White Tiger vs Jodes Nation orbital access war

  • Sovereign Church vs Traditional Corps over synthetic rights

  • NETWATCH vs Ghostwire Clique digital possession war

Cultural Trends

  • Oxygen as luxury currency in orbital habitats

  • Identity fluidity through Neon Jackals' mask technology

  • Digital spirituality through Sovereign Church

  • Corporate nationalism replacing traditional government

The city exists in fragile equilibrium maintained by constant covert warfare, shifting alliances, and the understanding that total war would destroy everything.