The Year is 25XX. Mankind has been at the mercy of N.E.X.U.S. (the Neurologic, Electronic eXecutive and Utility System) for centuries, first her benevolence, to save us from our own overcrowding and infighting, then her failing faculties, leaving us to fend for ourselves, and now her madness and malice, having finally determined that humanity is a species of vermin; and vermin must be rooted out!

For no less than 200 years has mankind, fragmented into hundreds upon hundreds of Great Houses fought against the tyranny of The Machine’s fractured psyche, but 100 years ago, the worst and most vicious of N.E.X.U.S.’ 7 main personalities, Kali, had a devious idea; Saturate the world in microscopic nanites. When anything alive touches metal, the nanites gather and build up power to do as much harm as possible. For robots or machinery free from N.E.X.U.S. control, it will shut down, or explode or even attack the user. For simple objects, they will warp and shift, tying itself into a knot, or disintegrating, or even spontaneously exploding!