Cascade City

A sprawling metropolis which dominates what is now known as the Cascade Valley region, Cascade City is an independent corporate city-state located on the island of Japan which is ruled over by the powerful and influential Ascension Group who utilise it as their primary base of operations and the heart of their bleeding edge technological research.

For reasons unknown to the the public at large, an abnormally high number of people within Cascade awaken to an awareness of TRACE magick and its associated phenomena. While this does grant many people great power and has lead to the creation of a flourishing underground business of wetworkers known as 'Ghostworkers', it has also caused a massive increase in the incident of TRACE-related dangers too - TRACE-empowered criminals and bandits, localized magical calamities, and of course the proliferation of malicious TRACE-borne beings known as ALTERs.

The Ascension Group is of course well aware of this fact and has taken advantage of it, utilizing TRACE in many of its technologies such as high-grade Magitek cyberware or in the cores which power their android servitors. Whether the Ascension Group purposely built the city atop some manner of supernatural hotspot to encourage this development is a matter of much debate and conspiracy, however they go to great lengths to conceal the knowledge of this from the general public, non-sensitives, and other world governments. Magical calamities are carefully spun and reported as more mundane happenings such as sudden inclement weather, gas leaks, or outbreaks of gang violence, while scenes of TRACE-related violence are carefully cleaned up by ghostworkers employed on freelance contracts.

• Cascade Metro System - A comprehensive railway system which connects all the major locations throughout Cascade.
• Downtown - The beating heart of Cascade City, the Downtown District is the nexus of corporate activity within the city, both legitimate and otherwise.
• Academy District - An older region of the city further out from Downtown, the Academy District is a busy enough district in its own right.
  • Aethergarde Academy - Located in the northern reaches of the Historic District, this university serves as the secret headquarters and training grounds of the Tracer Order within Cascade.
• Outskirts - Also known as the Cascade Downs, these rural reaches are far out from the city and feature a much more relaxed lifestyle. However, beneath its idyllic surface one may find it possesses its fair share of dark secrets…
  • Outskirts Forest - Separating the city from the outskirts is a dense and foggy forest. Just past the eastern entrance from the outskirts, one will quickly find the entrance to Mt. Asahi, while deep within its reaches to the far west a luxurious onsen lies hidden within the trees.
• Shrine of the Fallen - This venerable Shinto shrine is located in the north-eastern corner of the Outskirts and serves as a rare spiritual hub in the corporate landscape of Cascade.
  • Lower Crypts - Located beneath the shrine and accessible via an access point on the shrine grounds, this gloomy underground lakeside altar serves as a place where people can bring the deceased to be properly attended to and to pray to the departed.
• District 12 - Located on the edge of a site of great catastrophe, the ruined slums of District 12 have been overtaken by vicious bandits and are often lurked by supernatural horrors looking for a meal that won't be missed.