World of CYBERBUN: The Gangs

In Season 2 of CYBERBUN, Pasturage City is in a state of chaotic flux. Following the collapse of the Leporidae Army, lawlessness is on the rise. Criminal gangs who previously had to operate quite literally underground and in the shadows have begun to surface and step into the light as they try to take control of vast areas of the city, terrorizing communities and businesses within them.

Without the grip of fear that the army used to instill throughout the metropolis, the police forces, including Sheriff Taproot, are more pushed than ever. They now have to deal with the annoyance of numerous small gangs committing petty crimes and general disorder, and the threat of bigger enterprises led by much more hardened criminals acting more flagrantly. Police numbers are increasing; good-hearted volunteers wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to maintain order at a local level are being recruited quickly, but – as Taproot confides to her most trusted lieutenants – it presents an opportunity for the gangs to infiltrate the force and disrupt operations from within.

Sheriff Taproot working with her police officers to maintain order as best they can in a chaotic Pasturage City.

And the two groups with the most to gain from this new world are the Emeraldi and the Thyst mafias.

The Emeraldi are old-school, deeply bureaucratic, and obsessed with the facade of respectability. They prefer operating behind legitimate storefronts, social clubs, and transport hubs. Even before the fall of Dyce’s command, Emeraldi lieutenants had exerted control over certain neighborhoods by forcing local businesses – especially legitimate merchants, transport services, and entertainment dens – to pay regular "insurance" fees in exchange for protection from violence (much of which the Emeraldi orchestrate themselves).

Sugarpaw, an Emeraldi lieutenant.

They managed to distract attention away from their activity by establishing legitimate unions and cooperatives to control shipping lanes from beyond the city. This allowed them to oversee cargo loading, regulate the flow of black-market goods, and run underground stills across city sectors

In contrast, the Thyst are volatile, fast-moving bootlegging gangs and urban crews; they are aggressive, younger, and less concerned with traditional structures. They specialize in high-stakes enforcement, heists, and seizing territory through sheer intimidation. Because of their relative inexperience and lack of structure, they revert to waylaying Emeraldi transport trucks, cargo trains, and supply shipments moving through Pasturage City, intercepting valuable goods and raw materials. As such, they have remained operating from underground dens, clandestine card rooms, and high-stakes betting parlours that cater to corrupted city officials – including disgruntled and disillusioned former members of the Leporidae Army – and high-rollers alike. Because of the fearlessness and recklessness of their members, they will issue predatory, high-interest loans to desperate citizens and failing businesses, using brutal physical enforcement to ensure compliance and seize property when debts go unpaid.

A member of the Thyst, relaxing at one of the gang’s many underground bars.

In a city like Pasturage City experiencing a sudden power vacuum, two rival syndicates wouldn't just fight over street corners any more – they would eventually go to war for control of key chokepoint infrastructure asset, the remains of the Leporidae Army Headquarters, that was itself constructed atop of Dyce’s infamous and mysterious sanctuary.

The ruins of Governor Dyce’s Army headquarters, destroyed in the events of The Inhibits’ raid. It becomes the focus of the rival gangs.

Fuelled by knowledge from the Emeraldi (who had established some sort of accord with Governor Dyce to allow them to operate at a distance from the authority) of a place where access was afforded to only an incredibly limited few, and rumours amongst the Thyst of a secret weapon within it, both groups sought to gain access to the ruins and loot it.

The Emeraldi consider the old military headquarters as not just a building, but a giant safe. They know the vaults contain pre-collapse ledgers, blackmail material on city officials and high-ranking military officers. They also reckon that any remaining high-grade munitions can be sold off at a massive profit or used to buy off anyone left in local government. They treat the expedition like a meticulously planned heist, bringing together professional safecrackers, corrupt former military engineers who drew and know the blueprints, and a heavily armed crew to secure perimeter checkpoints. They want to systematically sweep the compound, lock it down, and walk away with the loot quietly.

Leaders of the Emeraldi faction The Blanco meet to discuss a strategy to loot the ruins of the former Leporidae Army headquarters.

Meanwhile, the Thyst don't care about ledgers or political blackmail – they want the heavy, military-grade hardware. The rumours spread amongst the Army soldiers they’ve recruited of a supposed "doomsday weapon" or experimental armaments hidden in the old crypts are all the incentive they need. Even if the weapon is just a myth, the regular armoury alone could supply their foot soldiers with enough firepower to at least help them align to the might of the Emeraldi, or even topple that group entirely. Their plan is to approach the ruins with brute force and reckless speed, tearing through secondary blast doors, bypass security systems with crude explosives, and violently outmuscle anyone already inside. To them, the operation is a smash-and-grab war raid.

Taco, a soldier in the Thyst, is feared almost as much by his compatriots as his enemies.

When Luna intercepts chatter about the gangs moving in on the headquarters, she is quick to realise the terrifying truth: the rumoured superweapon might actually be real, and if either mafia syndicate gets their hands on it, Pasturage City is doomed. At first, Luna’s concerns are purely selfish – her business enterprise would be useless without opposing sides seeking to gain an advantage over the other – but she later expresses her desire for a more peaceful and (relatively) conflict-free future.

Tot meets with Luna to discuss the information her scouts have brought her about a potential raid on the ruins of Dyce’s headquarters.

Using her scout network, Luna manages to inform the Inhibits – now fronted by Tot in Velvet Cottontail’s absence – before any plans are set in motion, giving Tot a timely advantage and expert knowledge of the routes to the building remains. The Inhibits’ focus was not to get rich from the prizes within the building rubble, but to confiscate (and possibly destroy) anything that might disrupt a now potential path to peace. Having fought an underground resistance against the Leporidae Army for many years and trying to understand what made Dyce tick, they know what kind of dark science projects the Governor was researching in secret and how devastating it could be to the City and Greensward Forest.