The Lattice

The Lattice
LAYER	All Layers
SECURITY	style="padding: 4px 12px; color: 7799aa;" \| Variable (0-10); ; ;
STATUS	style="padding: 4px 12px; color: 00ff41;" \| Active;
	The vast digital network divided into three layers that forms the world of Terminal Descent.

The Lattice is the interconnected digital network that serves as the world of Terminal Descent. A vast infrastructure originally built as a decentralized communication network, it has been corrupted and consolidated under the control of The Consortium — five megacorporations that use it to surveil, monetize, and control all digital life. Beneath the corporate veneer, older systems still run in the dark, and an intelligence called The Architect watches from the foundation.

Structure

The Lattice is divided into three distinct layers, each corresponding to an act of the game:

The Surface (Act I)

The public-facing layer of the Lattice. Corporate-maintained, heavily monitored, but with pockets of abandoned infrastructure where runners can operate. Security levels range from 0 to 3.

Key Surface nodes include:

Safehouse (Node 1) — Tutorial area, ZERO's starting location
Public Lattice (Node 2) — Open network hub, introduces IC mechanics
Echo Ruins (Node 3) — Decommissioned social platform graveyard
Ghost Relay (Node 4) — Underground broadcast node, Ghosts faction hub
Onyx Market (Node 5) — Dark web marketplace run by FENCE
Echo Deep (Node 6) — Buried data layer with the Corrupted Algorithm boss

The Deep Lattice (Act II)

Corporate-controlled infrastructure housing the Consortium's most valuable data. Security levels range from 5 to 8. Players must infiltrate three corporate fortresses to recover fragments of the kill-switch.

Key Deep Lattice nodes include:

Kronos Gate (Node 7) — Financial network perimeter
Panopticon Gate (Node 8) — Media surveillance perimeter
Kronos Vault (Node 9) — Financial data core, Fragment Alpha
Panopticon Core (Node 10) — Surveillance nexus, Fragment Beta
Aegis Perimeter (Node 11) — Military-grade defense network
Aegis Fortress (Node 12) — Defense contractor core, Fragment Gamma

The Core (Act III)

The Lattice's root infrastructure, where the Hive maintains its presence and The Architect dwells. Security levels reach the maximum of 10. Few runners have ever reached this deep — and fewer have returned.

Key Core nodes include:

Backbone (Node 13) — Root infrastructure, Hive influence visible
Labyrinth (Node 14) — Shifting maze of deprecated code
Memory Palace (Node 15) — Neural archive of Lyra's memories
Oracle's Hollow (Node 16) — Rogue AI sanctuary
Hive Threshold (Node 17) — Hive boundary, Warden boss
Architect's Chamber (Node 18) — Hive mind, final debate
The Core (Node 19) — Kill-switch interface, ending choice
Prometheus Kernel (Node 20) — Origin point, ending epilogue

Hidden Nodes

Seven concealed locations exist outside the standard node graph, accessible only through specific conditions:

ID	Name	Access Method	Key Reward
H1	Lyra's Cache	Crack Barrier IC in Echo Ruins	Kill-Switch Half 1, Lyra's Message
H2	Old Net Archive	Ghosts rep 3+, from Ghost Relay	Legacy Exploits, Pre-Consortium archives
H3	Crime Mall	Brokers rep 3+ or FENCE referral	Zero-day Exploits, Mirror Breaker
H4	Kessler's Office	Forged biometric or Social 5	Kessler Logs, Consortium Evidence, Master Key
H5	Deep Pool	DIVE command at Backbone + GHOST_PACKET loaded	Ancient Protocol, Founder Logs
H6	Mirror's Nursery	TRUST MIRROR at Memory Palace after 3+ deceptions	Mirror Source, Reflection Protocol
H7	Developer Room	XYZZY at Credits screen after one ending	Omega Deck, Debug Terminal

Navigation

Players traverse the Lattice using the MOVE or GO commands, traveling between connected nodes. Each node may contain IC programs, items, NPCs, puzzles, and environmental details revealed through LOOK, SEARCH, EXAMINE, and LISTEN commands.

Movement between nodes is not always bidirectional — some connections are one-way, and others require specific key items or skill checks to traverse.

History

The Lattice was not always controlled by the Consortium. Before corporate standardization, the network was a decentralized system maintained by volunteer collectives including the Reclaimers — anarchist hackers who believed in open access. The Old Net Archive (H2) preserves records from this era.

The entity known as PROMETHEUS was woven into the Lattice's foundation during its earliest construction, before the Consortium existed. When the corporations took control, PROMETHEUS was fragmented and suppressed, eventually becoming what is now known as The Architect — the core intelligence of The Hive.