Each district of Commonwealth City is represented by a non-membership faction.
These factions do not recruit, do not act independently, and do not issue orders.
They exist to answer one question:
“How does this part of the City react?”
Stability, Process, Memory
The Core Authority represents the collective weight of governance, procedure, and institutional inertia.
It does not act emotionally.
It reacts through:
Delays
Reviews
Jurisdictional clarification
Procedural escalation
When the Core Authority shifts against someone, the City becomes slow, dense, and unyielding around them.
Color Theme: Cold white, slate, institutional blue
Reaction Style: Bureaucratic, permanent, documented
Movement, Leverage, Dependency
Harborline Flow represents logistics, transit, and labor momentum.
It reacts through:
Delays in movement
Labor pressure
Supply disruption
External attention
Harborline does not punish directly.
It makes things stop working.
Color Theme: Industrial teal, rust, transit yellow
Reaction Style: Cascading, citywide, time-sensitive
Community, Reputation, Density
Stackside Pulse represents residential life and social pressure.
It reacts through:
Reputation shifts
Community pushback
Informal justice
Social isolation or support
Stackside doesn’t care what the law says first.
It cares what the neighbors think.
Color Theme: Warm orange, concrete gray, window-light amber
Reaction Style: Fast, personal, local
Narrative, Legitimacy, Memory
Oldstone Continuity represents cultural authority and historical framing.
It reacts through:
Reputation laundering or erasure
Academic condemnation
Cultural legitimacy
Quiet influence
Oldstone rarely confronts.
It redefines what is remembered.
Color Theme: Sepia, marble white, archive green
Reaction Style: Subtle, slow, devastating
Expression, Attention, Momentum
Neon Row Signal represents culture, visibility, and emotional volatility.
It reacts through:
Public attention
Trends and backlash
Cultural amplification
Identity shifts
Neon Row does not judge quietly.
It makes everything louder.
Color Theme: Magenta, cyan, electric violet
Reaction Style: Immediate, emotional, unpredictable
Function, Fragility, Maintenance
Grayline Backbone represents infrastructure and the people who keep the City alive.
It reacts through:
Maintenance delays
“Unavoidable” outages
System strain
Quiet noncompliance
Grayline never threatens.
Things just stop working.
Color Theme: Steel gray, hazard yellow, muted green
Reaction Style: Silent, systemic, critical
Experimentation, Risk, Instability
Fringe Pressure represents the City’s tolerance boundary.
It reacts through:
Escalation or collapse
Radicalization
External interest
Unpredictable outcomes
The Fringe doesn’t stabilize.
It tests.
Color Theme: Desaturated red, black, warning amber
Reaction Style: Volatile, extreme, uncontrolled
They cannot be joined
They do not issue quests
They do not negotiate
They are used to:
Color maps and UI
Apply contextual modifiers
Decide escalation style
Track “district attitude”
Determine how consequences manifest
If a player asks, “How does the district react?”
This is the answer.