Lower Levels

Overview

Beneath the city’s towering structures lies the Lower Levels (the Underbelly), a network of crumbling streets, shantytowns, and abandoned industrial zones. It’s the home of the city’s impoverished and a haven for criminal organizations, smugglers, and outlaws.

Corporate Presence

None - though there is a significant organized Crime presence throughout. Many smaller criminal enterprises have hidden outposts and safehouses here, often dealing in illegal goods. The Veil Consortium holds the majority of power in the area.

Notable Features / Locations

1. The Black Market Bazaar: A sprawling marketplace selling everything from Alien Artifacts to illegal Cybernetics.
2. Shadowspire HQ: The hidden base of the Veil Consortium, a criminal organization deeply embedded in New Arkham’s underworld.
3. Iron Flats: A crumbling tenement complex notorious for its overcrowding and dangerous conditions.
4. The Flickering Light Tavern: A notorious bar frequented by smugglers, bounty hunters, and mercenaries.
5. Red Vein Alley: A district infamous for its gang wars, marked by crimson neon lights and constant danger.
6. The Hollow: A vast underground cavern repurposed as a living area for the Underbelly’s residents, featuring improvised housing and communal spaces.

Security & Law Enforcement

• Law enforcement rarely ventures here unless conducting major raids.
• Criminal gangs and syndicates, like the Rusted Syndicate and Veil Consortium, enforce their own brutal order.
• Residents rely on black-market mercenaries or neighborhood militias for protection.

Culture & Atmosphere

The Underbelly is shrouded in perpetual darkness, lit only by flickering lights and the faint glow of scavenged tech. The atmosphere is oppressive, with narrow streets packed with makeshift shantytowns, crumbling infrastructure, and hidden enclaves. The air smells of damp concrete, unwashed bodies, and desperation. Life here revolves around survival, with trust being a rare commodity. The residents are resourceful, finding ways to thrive amidst the decay, but crime is rampant, and danger lurks around every corner. Despite the harshness, the Underbelly has a strange, chaotic charm—a sense of community among the downtrodden, where even in the shadows, hope flickers faintly.