Welcome to Afterlight

“It is absolutely necessary, for the peace and safety of mankind, that some of earth’s dark, dead corners and unplumbed depths be let alone; lest sleeping abnormalities wake to resurgent life, and blasphemously surviving nightmares squirm and splash out of their black lairs to newer and wider conquests.” H. P. Lovecraft

The Afterlight setting is a dystopian cyberpunk world set in the year 2039. It is a world dominated by megacorporations that control every aspect of society. These corporations have built their own cities, complete with police forces, transportation systems, and other infrastructure. The world is highly urbanized, with sprawling megacities and polluted skies.
This world is also deeply unequal. The megacorporations control nearly all wealth and power, leaving most of the population—known as Sleepers—in poverty and struggling to survive. While technology has advanced to the point where cybernetic implants and genetic modifications are available, only the wealthy can afford these enhancements, creating a sharp divide between the haves and the have-nots.
Yet beyond technology, supernatural forces also exist in Afterlight, concealed by a veil called the Mist. This barrier obscures reality, keeping the average Sleeper oblivious to the dark Magic, ancient deities, and secret societies lurking in the shadows. Those able to see through the Mist, known as Rifts, can channel ancient myths or forbidden powers, treading a dangerous line between the real and the unreal. Corporations and governments hunt these Rifts, hoping to exploit or suppress their abilities, for they represent forces both ancient and alien.
The Afterlight setting is a dark and dangerous world where the line between technology and magic is blurred, and the powerful few hold all the cards.

Basics

"Myths, history, just different ways to interpret the past." Indiana Jones

This setting is a near-future cyberpunk world where much folklore and legend turn out to be real, hidden from the Sleepers by layers of secrecy. In Afterlight, monsters and super-technologies exist in the shadows, while conspiracies and cabals vie for control over every corner of society.
As a player, you’ll take on the role of a Rift—someone who has glimpsed The Nether and lives with one foot in the Mist. You’ll work to unearth secrets, uncovering the realities beneath the surface, all while maintaining your life in a world that would consider you mad. For most Sleepers, talk of ghosts and magic is delusional at best, dangerous at worst. To speak openly risks branding yourself as a target for the organizations working to keep the Nether hidden. This is life in Afterlight: a shadow world, where everything exists behind a veil.

Familiar but Different

The world is the same as ours but with key differences. You’d recognize the map, but not all the names. Conversations in a bar would be familiar, but new slang and tech would reveal that things have changed.
It’s twenty years in the future, and technology has continued its breakneck pace. Cybernetic enhancements are available, though not yet commonplace. However, devices like the Linx—allowing users to connect their minds directly to technology—are gaining popularity among younger generations. Flying cars, or Aerodynes, are now a common sight, filling the skies above urban sprawls. Catch up on the latest in NuTek.
World governments continue their power struggles, with recent conflicts in SouthAm leaving no clear victors. The Zaibatsu/MegaCorps have grown wealthier, a few acting as de facto governments for smaller nations, often under the influence of China’s expanding “Belt and Road” initiative. This effort has left much of the developing world effectively indebted to Chinese megacorporations.
Behind all this exists the Nether, a shadow world filled with ancient horrors and guarded by mysterious factions like The Ministry. In their quest for dominance, corporations and shadow governments secretly study the Nether, hoping to weaponize it or control those who can pierce through it. This is Afterlight’s darkest secret—one kept hidden from the Sleepers who would neither understand nor survive the truth.
Check out the Lexicon for some definitions and slang used here.

Roleplaying Game Systems

We have switched from Fate Condensed to the City of Mist rules under the Powered by the Apocalypse framework. Both systems focus on storytelling over strict dice-rolling mechanics, fitting Afterlight’s blend of myth, magic, and technology.