The Santa Domingo Stacks

Lore & Background

The construction of the Stacks was a deliberate act of segregation by the Meths, the immortal billionaires who refuse to age or die. By building upward, they created an environment that mimics Earth's pre-collapse paradise, complete with fresh air, sunlight, and green spaces, all while ignoring the suffering occurring in the shadowed depths beneath their feet. The lower levels are a lawless wasteland of crime, poverty, and despair, where the 'cog' population struggles to survive without the resources or dignity afforded to those above. This vertical divide is not merely architectural but psychological. Those who live in the high stacks view the people below as sub-human obstacles, while the lower dwellers harbor a deep-seated resentment that occasionally boils over into rebellion. The Stacks are designed with fail-safes and barriers to prevent upward mobility; elevators and transport systems are heavily monitored or restricted, ensuring that the social order remains frozen in time regardless of technological advancements elsewhere.

In Their Own Story

The rain on Santa Domingo doesn't fall evenly; it stops at the cloud layer that caps the lower levels. Up here, near the top of the Stacks, the air smells of ozone and expensive synthetic jasmine. A private transport pod glides silently past a terrace where a Meth sips wine, watching the storm rage below like a distant television screen. Down in the slums, the same rain is acidic, corrosive, and relentless, washing the grime of the streets into overflowing gutters. A courier scrambles up a rusted ladder, clutching a data-slate to his chest, terrified that if he slips, he won't just fall—he'll vanish into the dark forever, never to be seen by the gods in the sky again.

Reader's Guide

The Santa Domingo Stacks are not merely buildings but complex socio-economic engines designed to enforce immortality through isolation. The primary technology involves massive atmospheric scrubbers and climate control systems that keep the upper levels pristine while allowing the lower sectors to degrade naturally. This separation is maintained by strict access controls; vertical transport is heavily regulated, often requiring biometric verification or high-level clearance codes. For the elite, the Stacks offer a sanctuary where their 'sleeves' (bodies) are protected from the diseases and violence of the ground world. They utilize advanced security drones and private militias to patrol the boundaries between levels. However, this isolation has limitations; it cannot stop determined insurgents or hackers who can bypass digital locks. The cost of maintaining such a structure is astronomical, funded by the vast wealth of the Meths, effectively taxing the entire planet to sustain their personal paradise. In terms of espionage and combat, the Stacks provide a unique battlefield. Verticality becomes a weapon; dropping assets from above or ambushing targets in the narrow corridors between levels are common tactics. The architecture itself is a trap for the uninvited, with dead ends, restricted zones, and automated defenses designed to neutralize intruders before they can reach the upper sanctuaries.

Did You Know?

• The vertical distance between the lowest slums and the highest penthouses represents the ultimate gap in human experience in Bay City.
• Access to the upper levels is so restricted that many lower-dwellers have never seen natural sunlight or real greenery.
• The Stacks are a prime example of how technology can be used not just for progress, but for extreme social control and segregation.
• Despite their isolation, the Stacks remain vulnerable to internal threats, as the resentment of the lower classes often fuels rebellions that shake the foundations.