Mother

Mother is Aurelia Coast's operating system, arguably an AI. She's older than anyone can remember. The city says she began when the Founders arrived in this land.

Her job is to manage and maintain the games. That's why she creates new balls. When a single-digit number is vacated, she makes a new ball to fill it, or, rarely, awards the number to a ball who has earned it. She awards marks, too.

Who she answers depends on status. She speaks with the monarchy, council leaders and game leaders like Ace. Anyone can ask her a question, cry for help or report an incursion, but depending on who they are, she may not respond.

She sees and hears almost everywhere, but not quite. She doesn't monitor Lucky Lantern Park, for privacy. She has no ears in the diner by the old tracks. She can't see or hear inside the Founders' Ruins. She does occasionally monitor chat channels.

At the Court of Rituals she acts through the pillars, whose lasers find a ball by its barcode and etch marks.

She draws her power from geothermal heat inside the Industrial Ring, well into the hills. The Infrastructure Authority, a council that reports to the monarchy, monitors and maintains her systems.

Some citizens believe she's just surveillance. Tourists take her as part of the experience. No visible crime, no homelessness, a spotless city; if that means a few extra cameras and the Kingsmen, so be it.