Sub Machina Angelus takes place in the 2300s. Technological development has advanced far enough to make space travel routine, and while the majority of humanity remains on Earth, a thriving space infrastructure and society still exists. Technology for augmetics has also expanded, and it's rare to find a human who is fully unaugmented.
The Earth cultures that we know and are familiar with no longer exist in this world - at least, in the way that we know them. While 'countries' still exist, they are seen as more of a formality as the concept of statehood and cultural unity is overshadowed by corporatocracy. Generally, most culture on the mainland has become mostly homogenized, and with it the concept of racism and other genetic prejudices has more or less died out. Cultural exclaves still exist on the high seas, though.
Global shipping is facilitated through a fleet of massive cargo ships, each independently owned and contracted. During the instability in the 2150s, many groups decided to take refuge aboard these cargo ships, and this developed an unshakeable cultural identity. Some of these groups still sail today. The Venerable is one of such vessels, originating from pre-collapse France.
New religions have found their home in this new world. Mostly space-based, the worship of machinery and the divinity of augmetics over the flesh has become an influential new belief. Split into various orders, such as the Order of the Cog's Teeth or the Order of Vigilant Steel, the cult can extent its influence over all of human society. It currently has no real power over the governments of humanity, but the more militant orders strive to expand the cult's domain through extralegal means.
Overall, things are stagnant, but the incremental rise of the machine cult threatens to disturb the balance of power across the whole of human civilization.
Aurelia Lemoyne:
Aurelia is an agent of the Order of the Cog's Teeth. Skilled as a pilot, demolitions operative, and combatant, she undertakes many missions for the cult. She is 23 years old as of the beginning of the canon, and has been with the cult for three years at this point. Before joining the cult, she was known as Ophélie and grew up on the Venerable alongside her partner Callisto and best friend Adrien de la Fontaine. After a tragic event, she cut ties with her home and ran to the mainland, where she lived on her own for a few months before being inducted into the cult of the machine. From there, she took her new name and was implanted with a mindshackle augment. She now carries out the will of her Overseer, Asterius.
Her Augments: Aurelia has been implanted with a mechanical left eye, left arm, Mindshackle augment, life-support package, morphine drip-feed, aural radio receiver, bone-grafted servo motors, and skin heaters. The final augment is required in order to keep her skin warm, despite her failing body systems leaving it naturally cold as ice.
Callisto Moreau:
Callisto is the logistics manager aboard the Venerable. After Aurelia left the vessel, she took over in her new administrative role. A devoted childhood friend and lover of Aurelia's, who she knows as Ophélie, she is the only one aboard the Venerable who still maintains contact. She's exceptionally sharp of wit and focused on her goal, which is to establish a comfortable life for herself of which she is in control, even at the expense of others.
Her Augments: None, save a few neural ports. Standard practice for most upper-class citizens.
Overseer Asterius:
Overseer Asterius is the enigmatic leader of the Order of the Cog's Teeth. As a more militant order, Asterius focuses his energy on undermining the power structures of the day, creating voids for the cult to fill. Whether those voids be gaps in power from an important leader suddenly going missing, or an actual gaping hole in the side of a major legal center, it matters not. His augments are so extensive that it's difficult to tell he was even human in the first place. After his extensive years as a field agent, he has since replaced his legs with hexapedal claws. Despite his cruel exterior, he has sponsored and cared for Aurelia during her time in the cult.
His Augments: Too many to count. Near full-body replacement.
Lorelai Engel:
Another operative for the Order of the Cog's Teeth, Lorelai Engel is the field operative to Aurelia's specialist role. Experimented on to the same extent as Aurelia, she's ended up a little bit better off than her younger colleague. Her loyalty to Asterius and the cult as a whole is quite evident, and as such the Overseer did not see fit to implant her with the same Mindshackle used for Aurelia. Lorelai helped Aurelia integrate into the cult, teaching her of the unwritten rules of life aboard the Iron Hand. She's something of an adrenaline junkie, and her enjoyment comes from carrying out missions for Asterius.
Her Augments: Lorelai is implanted with bone-grafted servo motors, aural radio receiver, neural ports, stability datalinks, and a time-dilation perception augment. The interaction between these augments leaves her with severe tremors in both arms and hands, unless she focuses intensely on holding her hands steady.
Art by 
daviiid
Aurelia, post Corps Divine
Art by @bunny.in.comatose on IG
Aurelia and Callisto, before the horrors.
Callisto, as of Domestique
Thank you for taking the time to read the hub and hopefully check out some of the stories.
If you'd like to write for the series, then you're more than welcome to do so. I've left the worldbuilding intentionally vague in order to support creativity with the setting, and nothing would warm my heart more than to see more stories added to the universe. If you do write for the canon, feel free to add the information you expand upon in your story to the hub.
This series, by nature of it subject matter, can go to some pretty dark places. These are topics you're welcome to explore through the lens of the setting (look to Corps Divine as an example). Just, be tactful if you decide to discuss these kinds of topics.
There's a lot that this setting implies, and reading the existing works definitely helps develop a feel for the setting and direction of stories. I would recommend reading the catalogue before contributing.
