The Runners are a special group of voluntary offGrids who've decided not to be part of the Conglomerate machine. Living on the rooftops and grouping together in tight-knit Cabals they race across the urban landscapes, performing burglaries and courier jobs for those willing to pay. The Corporate Houses secretly depend on the Runners for their constant scheming and though KrugerSec has a standing order to neutralize any Runner on sight, some claim that they are not clamping down as hard on them as they could.

Faith was seven years old on the day of the November Riots and barely got away alive, saved by Noah Kekai, a friend of her parents. He became her adoptive father, raising her on the rooftops far above the city and inspiring her, though that wasn't his intent, to become a Runner. He has made sure to keep her out of the conflict between the Black November resistance movement and the Conglomerate, and Faith has adopted his neutral stance into her own.

Though deeply scarred by the loss of her family, Faith has grown to become a self-assured, even cocky, young woman. A thrill-seeker, she runs more for the kick of it than for the money it pays. But deep down she knows that her current way of life can't last, and that one day she will be forced to take a real stand against the Conglomerate.

An early walker and late talker Noah ran everywhere all the time. As soon as his growing body would allow he began climbing as well, to the great distress of his parents who gave up trying to reign him in. His father was killed in the Triumvirate War and his mother went into a prolonged depression, which resulted in Noah being shuffled around among friends and relatives for many years. Some were willing to take him while others were downright abusive. This fostered a nomadic nature and a deep distrust of authorities in the young Noah and the distrust soon grew to encompass all of society. He spotted the corporate encroachment early and eventually found others who shared his sentiments. Among them were Martin and Erika Connors and the three of them forged a deep and lasting friendship.

And then came the November Riots where Noah lost his closest friends and suddenly found himself with a child to raise. Disillusioned with the struggle and the general populace he took to the rooftops where he established an informal burglary and messaging service often employed by the Corporate Houses in their constant infighting. Blaming the ongoing conflict between Black November and the Conglomerate for the deaths of his closest friends Noah has vowed never to take sides again, and he has done his best to transfer that same neutrality onto Faith.

When Icarus was seventeen he spotted a runner from his bedroom window. Two days later he snuck out of the apartment, a small rucksack strapped to his back and dead set on becoming a runner himself. Life on the rooftops has never been easy, but Icarus is a fast learner and he soon made a name for himself as a fast, safe and dependable player.

He is counted among the very best, second only to Faith Connors. Noah took him into the cabal while Faith was in prison, and the two have developed a close bond. Like Faith, Icarus runs mainly for the thrill of it, and every day he revels in this life which is very different than the one originally staked out for him. But unlike Faith, he is not very impulsive, and his skill comes from careful calculation rather than brash risk-taking. He detests being compared to her, and he decided long ago to not let her tarnish his reputation once she was let out of juvie.

Nomad doesn't know when he was born, nor does he care. He has concocted a story for himself that his dad left before he was born and that his mother, of whom he has no recollection, took care of him alone during his toddler years but was then killed in the November Riots. He has vague memories of other adults, of running away and being brought back, but whether by the authorities or someone else he can't recall. All he knows that by the time he saw other kids going to school he was already living on the streets, hustling his way among the outCaste of Glass.

An avid graffiti artist, Nomad's profound hatred of the Conglomerate form a common theme for his works. In addition to his painting he has also found a way to hack into and subvert the giant advertisement projections to show the true nature of the Conglomerate - but for these endeavours he usually needs Faith's help.

He met her for the first time almost ten years ago, and though he would never admit it openly he has more or less adopted her to be the big sister he never had. True to his name he has never settled and is always a little restless. With his roaming nature taking him to both the high and the low places of Glass he knows much about where to go and who to talk to, and though he's not a runner himself he fits well into their extended community.

Dedicated to bringing down the Conglomerate, the Black November organization will use any means available to reach their goals.

Once she was an aggressive idealist and proponent of worker's rights and social justice, but after losing many friends in the November Riots Rebecca Thane became a woman driven purely by revenge. Always prone to rash decisions she had advocated early on that the protest movement should employ violent means against the government and the corporations. In this she was opposed by the other movement leaders, Noah Kekai and Faith's parents especially, and during those early days her calls for decisive action went unheeded. But then the Connors were killed during the riots, Noah took to the rooftops and only Rebecca was left to lead the remains of those protesting against the authorities.

She has since formed Black November, an organization dedicated to bringing down the Conglomerate using any and all means available. Their hardcore stance is that there are no innocent civilians in this struggle, and that anyone not fighting the Conglomerate is indirectly supporting it. Therefore they are all viable targets. The general population Rebecca considers to be sheep, unable to govern themselves, and as their self-appointed shepherd she intends to lead the flock to greener pastures. It's a long, hard road and if some are lost on the way – so be it.

Black November has its headquarters and main recruiting grounds in the Rezoning District in Glass where outCaste and offGrids have gathered to escape Conglomerate authority. So far the group is confined to Glass but there are plans to start up cells in the other Cascadian cities as well, the main challenge being intercity communication and coordination.

Black November count several hundred members though many of those can be considered loose supporters and hangarounds at most. Those willing to go out on actual missions, number around a hundred and many of them are spread out in hidden cells around the city. Constantly hunted by KrugerSec, they still do what they can to terrorize the authorities.

The ruthless Gabriel Kruger is a direct descendant of Dieter Kruger – leader of the Kruger Uprising that began the path to Cascadia's formation – and the head of Kruger Holding. The security firm KrugerSec is part of Kruger Holding, and K-Sec personnel can be seen everywhere in the city of Glass.

Even though Gabriel Kruger has inherited his ancestor Dieter Kruger's zeal and vast intellectual capacity it hasn't come with the basic faith in humanity that Dieter exhibited. Gabriel is convinced that what he's doing is for the best of the Conglomerate, Cascadia and its inhabitants, and he is well aware that some hard sacrifices are needed to ensure that the Conglomerate rules supreme, and that House Kruger rules the Conglomerate.

His son, a regular police officer, was killed in the initial outbreak of the November Riots. Gabriel learned of the death only moments after it happened and his deep contempt for the protesters and their naïve ideals turned into a bitter hatred. He has since spent his life advancing KrugerSec. He has also taken great pains to raise his daughter Isabel to one day assume the heavy mantle of leadership, and in so far as he is able to love anyone, it would be her.

The Sentinels are the Elite level of KrugerSec and represent the highest trained enemy you will face. The training program is shrouded in secrecy but their effectiveness is undebatable. They keep employs safe – often from themselves. The Sentinels are fast, tenacious, and quick to deliver punishment.

The Enforcers are the special tactics team of KrugerSec, trained in tactical positioning and high damage ranged combat. The Enforcers are however only lightly trained in close quarters fighting. Used for external military purposes they have only been present in correctional facilities or as Gabriel Kruger's personal bodyguards. This is about to change.

The Protectors are an uncommon and uncomfortable sight for Employs as their presence is often associated with direct policy enforcement, a demotion, or even deportation to lower caste facilities. Resistant to damage and able to counter or retaliate against repeated attacks, their increased level of competence and protective gear make them a serious threat when found in groups.

There has been little to no overt resistance to Conglomerate rule in Glass since the November Riots. Still, KrugerSec has a class of units called Shock Protectors trained and ready to handle large groups or difficult employs or loCaste. Equipped with the Kinetic Pacifier, one or two can effectively corral large groups and force them to the ground. Shock Protectors are tough and extremely resistant to direct attacks.

The most common face of KrugerSec to a well behaved employ. A constant reminder to the employs to closely follow Conglomerate policy and keep job performance high. Runners have been dealing with them for years and the Guardians offer little challenge to even a relatively new cabal member.

A stationary AI turret developed by KrugerArms with a long fire range. It's GridPrint detection systems and GaN lasers allows it to efficiently recognize unauthorized personnel quickly at a significant distance. Using the highest calibre munitions authorized in mid-hiCaste centres, the drone is extremely dangerous and accurate against low speed targets. Once detected Faith must keep moving at all costs to avoid being hit.

The majority of the citizens in Glass have become willing participants in their own enslavement, numbed into submission by pointless consumption and mindless entertainment. But there are those who oppose the powers that be.

Erika was born and raised in the city of Glass, her parents old already when she was young. They grew up under OmniStat rule and though they had misgivings about the direction new fledgling nation of Cascadia was headed in they claimed anything was better than the Party and its dogmas. Erika's father was a physicist and her mother a mathematician and they managed to instil in their daughter a deep love of the natural sciences and informed discussion. Being old, they both passed away when Erika was in her late teens, but their legacy was a young woman with a sharply honed mind and an informed, altruistic stance on the political shifts sweeping the country.

She met Martin Connors while at the university, and only two years later Faith was born – not planned but deeply loved all the same. In Martin Erika had found a kindred spirit. He might have been the more socially adept and overtly passionate of the two, but deep down they were the same.

As a mother Erika was quite stern, though she loved Caitlyn and Faith to death. She believed the sternness was needed because of the tough times she was certain would come. She also saw Faith turn into quite the little rebel, and though Erika endorsed free thinking and a healthy distrust of authority she didn't want her daughter to become completely wayward.

She never wanted to bring the kids along to the protest rally on that fateful day in November, but they couldn't find a babysitter and Martin wanted his daughters to be part of what would surely be a historical event.

Martin was born in the same year OmniStat was dissolved, the son of two renowned musicians who had miraculously survived both the purges and the civil war. Growing up in a musical home it was no surprise that he showed an early aptitude for the piano and composing, and though the fledgling nation of Cascadia had little to offer in terms of musical education his parents made sure to nurture his talent, while also instilling him with a deep sense of social responsibility. They had both been active in the Kruger Uprising, though they had tried to advocate a more peaceful approach, and those same ideals were transformed unto Martin who took an early stance against the growing corporatism in Cascadia.

He met Erika and while attending the first Cascadian University in Liberta and their love was both certain and instant. And then Faith and Caitlyn were born and his life changed profoundly. He wanted his beloved daughters to grow up in a truly democratic society where people were the masters of their own destinies. His daughters inspired him start performing his music in public, and Martin fast became the figurehead of a growing anti-corporate movement – a position he would keep until his tragic, premature death in the November Riots.

Birdman was a runner long before it became a concept. When the Kruger Uprising started he was thirteen years old and he became one of the unsung heroes of that rebellion, often working directly for Dieter Kruger himself. The civil war that followed saw him fight with the conspirators against OmniStat but he often operated on his own, and his distaste for war and killing grew with every mission. Then the war ended and Cascadia was formed, but Birdman was unable to return to a regular life.

Instead he ran. For Birdman it became a natural way to get from A to B, running, leaping and climbing, and doing it more out of an urge to stay on the move than for the joy of it. As the Conglomerate began to reshape Glass, he found other offGrids also living on the rooftops, and Birdman reluctantly shared with them his vast knowledge of the many hidden routes he'd established.

These days he's stopped running and he's content to feed and care for his pigeons, with which he also provides a simple, offGrid, messenger service between the cities.

Aline Maera only ever wanted to do science. From an early age she was engrossed in books and experiments, mainly related to human-machine interfaces and the merging of the digital and the biological. As she grew older she found employment with Elysium Corp, already then a premiere biotech and pharmaceutical company, and soon enough she came to head up her own division.

Over the years Aline would rise to assume a prominent director position within the Reflection project. Her area of focus concerned how the nanites could monitor and improve the health of the host, and for a long time she convinced herself that the Reflection would only ever have positive benefits. But as her seniority grew she got more glimpses into other parts of the project, and those prompted her to start asking questions about the true purpose of the technology, questions which would turn out to have dire consequences…

Beatrix ranks among the third circle of heirs in House Bloch. After prolonged negotiations she has been promised in marriage to Peter Bryson, a second circle heir of House Bryson. Their relationship is devoid of love and it is a purely corporate union intended to strengthen the ties between the houses. House Bloch stands to gain the most from the match since they currently have no seats on the Conglomerate board, but as everyone knows, things might be very different next Fiscal Year.

Beatrix feels trapped in a cage of conventions and expectations. She nurtures secret dreams of escaping her betrothal and the city. But in reality she would never dare give up the only life she knows and part of her is all too happy to enjoy the privileges of being a House girl, third circle heir or not. She despises this about herself as much as she despises her lack of bravery.

The identity of Plastic - the finest coder in Glass - is initially a mystery to Faith. All she knows is that this off-Grid, technical mastermind could be a powerful ally to the Runners. Plastic may not the most sociable individual around and prefers to live and communicate through The Beat. Taking on only the hardest tech assignments available, Plastic's usual fee is high enough to make even some Corporate Houses think twice before a consultation.

Kuma is one of the ambitious pet projects of Plastic, the finest coder in Glass. This small robot with an evolving AI core has been constructed over several years, but is still a handful due to his unpredictable, somewhat psychotic personality.

There are some individuals in Glass who have chosen to live off the Grid. The offGrids are often called "leeches" in reference to them living like parasites off of the hardworking employs.

Dogen is the crime czar of Glass and his real name and murky origins are known only to himself. He specializes in black market goods and contraband and his customers are found among the high and low. His network is extensive, especially among the more corrupt elements of the Conglomerate, and many a security officer has at one time or another found herself indebted to Dogen.

Black November are equally dependent on him and though Rebecca Thane has vowed to shut his business down once the revolution is complete, she too cannot do without the services provided. Dogen happily plays all sides and it's hard to tell what, if any, his ultimate objective might be. Some claim he's doing it all only for the hell of it, aiding one corporation only to turn his back on them the next day if there's more money to be made. He can always be trusted to get a job done, in that he's never failed, but he shows allegiance to nothing and no-one but himself.

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