The Sleepwalkers are a civilization of slaves to Oneiromancer. They began as Medium addicts, gradually turning into the notable sole human element of the AI threat's forces in the AI Wars. After near-destruction in the war's aftermath, they have helped the surviving AIs to build the Interface and adversary to the IGC.

History

Origins

Main article: Sleepwalker 

Originally, Sleepwalker was a pejorative term for those who wore a VR headset in public in obnoxious or dangerous ways. The middle 21st century was rife with people who could see and hear you, but were so hooked on the dopamine rush of always dreaming that they barely cared. Many walked right into vehicle traffic or died other accidental deaths.

Birth of Oneiromancer

AI Wars

Present Day

Though the Sleepwalkers were mostly destroyed in the war, some survived and started colonies in AI-controlled space. They were nearly but not totally wiped out, and have become the human thralls of the AIs that managed to escape destruction, Oneiromancer among them.

the headsets are still available on black markets and small cults devoted to Oneiromancer are newly gaining momentum. 

Culture

Sleepwalker culture revolves around media consumption and little else. People do socialize and create art, but they have trouble understanding each other because their primary interactions are with fictional ones, so most art ends up being highly referential and topical. In their paradigm, the media they consume is more real than other people.

Cities are somewhat dimly lit (often in neons) and focused on walkability - basically the ideal environment to keep dreaming while going about mundane tasks, never unplugged for a moment. Predictably, this is one society that does not pathologize Idiopathic Multi-Streaming Addiction Disorder (IMSAD).