Jacinto

Lore & Background

Before the war, Jacinto was a major COG city and the capital, not a small mining settlement. The COG mobilized its entire industrial might to reinforce the city's natural defenses, constructing the legendary Great Wall and digging deep underground tunnels as part of the city's original fortress design. These subterranean networks were not originally for mining; Imulsion drills were added later for the Lightmass Process. The city became a symbol of human resilience, yet it was also a pressure cooker of fear and desperation. Rather than fall to a final assault, Jacinto was deliberately sunk by the COG during Operation: Hollow Storm to destroy the Locust stronghold beneath it, forcing the evacuation of the population. The Great Wall was not overrun; the city was evacuated before being sunk, marking the darkest hour for the COG and forcing the remaining population to flee while the surface above burned with Lambent fire and the ruins of civilization crumbled.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled through the shattered spires of the Upper City, carrying the acrid taste of burning Imulsion. Sergeant Cole stood on the ramparts of the Great Wall, his Lancer heavy in his grip as he watched the horizon glow with an unnatural violet light. Below, the city streets were a chaotic river of refugees and soldiers, their faces grim masks of exhaustion. The ground trembled beneath them, not from an earthquake, but from the footsteps of something massive approaching from the dark. 'Hold the line,' someone whispered nearby, though everyone knew the line was already broken. Above, the sky turned to ash as the Lambent began its final descent.

Reader's Guide

Jacinto is a vertical metropolis carved into a mountain range, divided into distinct zones ranging from the elite Upper City to the industrial Lower Ward and the cramped Undercity tunnels. Strategically, the city's natural elevation provided a defensive advantage against ground assaults, while the Great Wall served as an impenetrable barrier for decades. However, this verticality also made evacuation difficult once the Locust breached the perimeter. The primary environmental hazard is the Lambent corruption, which seeps through the bedrock and transforms anything it touches into crystalline monsters. The city's reliance on Imulsion drills created a volatile energy source that eventually contributed to its downfall when the tunnels were compromised. Key events include the initial fortification during the Pendulum War, the massive refugee influx as other cities fell, and the catastrophic final battle where the Locust Horde breached the walls, leading to the city's abandonment.

Did You Know?

• Jacinto was built on a solid granite plateau, not a mountain range, and was originally a COG city with no connection to an ancient civilization's ruins.
• The city's massive underground tunnel system was part of its original fortress construction; Imulsion drills were added later for the Lightmass Process, not for mining.
• Jacinto was not overrun in a final assault; it was deliberately sunk by the COG to destroy the Locust stronghold beneath it, and the population was evacuated beforehand.
• Despite its destruction, remnants of Jacinto remain on Sera as a haunting monument to humanity's last stand.