*NOTE: (most of the stories and arcs will take place in downfall market)
# **What is the Downfall Market?**
A massive, semi-subterranean district built from the skeleton of an unfinished megastructure.
Originally meant to be:
* a transportation hub
* a multi-tier commercial city
* an industrial sector
But due to political corruption, budget siphoning, and a Fault-related construction disaster, the whole site was abandoned.
Criminal groups, Fault Bearers, and refugees occupied it.
Now it's:
* the largest black market in the Dominion
* home to illegal labs, brokers, mercenary guilds, smugglers, and syndicates
* a chaotic but *functional* economy with its own rules
It is technically forbidden for civilians to enter, but everyone knows the government looks the other way — because the Market solves problems the government doesn't want to handle publicly.
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# **STRUCTURE OF THE MARKET**
Downfall Market is divided into distinct layers.
### **1. The Spine (Upper Layer)**
Former highway interchange and crane platforms.
Now:
* rooftop trading zones
* roaming food sellers
* info brokers
* unregistered doctors
High crime but relatively "safe."
---
### **2. The Maw (Mid-Level)**
The central bazaar of illegal goods.
Here you can find:
* Fault enhancers
* suppressors
* forged IDs
* slave labor brokers
* exotic creature parts
* dark web terminals
* mercenary recruiters
* body mod artists
Crowds are dense, fights break out often, and it's always noisy.
---
### **3. The Rot Pits (Lower Layer)**
Where dumped biological waste and failed experiments are discarded.
Smells awful, humid, dangerous.
Here live:
* Aberration scavengers
* Failed awakeners
* Fault addicts
* rogue scientists
Most people avoid it.
Some syndicates throw bodies here.
---
### **4. The Hidden Layer — "The Bonehall"**
A massive underground hall accessible through hidden elevators and old freight tunnels.
This is where:
* the high-table meetings of crime bosses occur
* top-tier auctions happen
* rare Fault artifacts are sold
* secret alliances are formed
Unwritten rule:
**Anyone who causes trouble in Bonehall disappears.**
---
# **FACTIONS OF DOWNFALL MARKET**
Here are the major groups that shape the underground.
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# 1. THE SCARLET LOTUS TRIAD
A transnational syndicate with Asian roots.
Main activities:
* Fault enhancer production
* trafficking of awakeners
* protection rackets
* medicine smuggling
Traits:
* extremely organized
* strict hierarchy
* ritualistic violence
* prefers long-term political deals
Territory:
* The Maw (pharmacy alleys)
* Bonehall seat
Leader (Powerhouse):
Madam Kyouka.
Fault Type: Apathy-Line
Ability: **Null Dream** — suppresses FE in a wide radius, making awakeners helpless near her.
She's terrifying but calm.
---
# 2. THE IRON DOGS
Street-level gang that grew into a full syndicate.
Main activities:
* weapons trafficking
* escort and mercenary services
* scavenging rogue Fault creatures
* collecting bounties
Aggressive, loud, violent, chaotic but loyal.
Territory:
* The Spine (vehicle lots and scrapyards)
Leader (Powerhouse):
Goro "Steeljaw" Ito
Fault Type: Anger
Ability: **Biometal Growth** — generates steel-like bone and skin plating.
Essentially a walking tank.
---
# 3. THE CHRYSALIS COLLECTIVE
A pseudo-scientific cult + research group.
Main activities:
* illegal Fault experiments
* human-mutation rituals
* creation of artificial awakeners
* trafficking "fault embryos" (experimental cores)
Traits:
* fanatic
* believe Fault is evolution
* wear lab-coats mixed with ceremonial attire
Territory:
* The Rot Pits
Leader (Powerhouse):
Dr. "Mother" Sarai
Fault Type: Fear
Ability: Neurospore Field — induces hallucinations, short-term insanity, panic.
Rumored to be partly non-human.
---
# 4. THE GREY CHOI
Information syndicate — the silent puppeteers.
Main activities:
* intelligence gathering
* spying
* digital warfare
* selling identities
* exposing dirt or burying it
Traits:
* soft-spoken
* wear grey masks
* agents operate alone
* rarely violent unless needed
Territory:
* tunnels beneath The Spine
* hidden nodes in Bonehall
Leader (Powerhouse):
Unknown.
Rumored to be a Fault Bearer whose ability manipulates memory or data.
---
# 5. INDEPENDENTS
People not tied to any syndicate but respected or feared by everyone.
They include:
* lone wolves
* rogue awakeners
* former military
* illegal bounty hunters
Tarou is one of them — a legend whose reputation keeps factions respectful.
---
# 6. GOVERNMENT GHOST WING (Unofficial)
Secret police cell operating inside Downfall Market.
**They pretend not to exist**,
but they:
* assassinate troublesome awakeners
* silence whistleblowers
* sabotage drug labs competing with government supply
* abduct individuals for experimentation
Even syndicates avoid crossing them.
Their presence keeps Downfall from becoming a full rebellion.
---
# **FAULT DRUGS & BLACK MARKET DISTRIBUTORS**
There are three major drug categories used underground:
---
# **A. ENHANCERS (Boost + awaken)**
### 1. **"Blight-Bloom"**
Most popular awakening stimulant.
Increases FE output exponentially → risk of mutation.
Distributed by: **Scarlet Lotus**
---
### 2. **"Spiral Vein"**
Injectable FE conductor.
Enhances Reflex + Pain tolerance.
Highly addictive.
Distributed by: **Iron Dogs + freelance chemists**
---
### 3. **"Rift Heart"**
Made from Aberration cores.
High-risk, high-power.
Temporary ability mimicry.
Distributed by: **Chrysalis Collective**
---
# **B. SUPPRESSANTS (Stabilize)**
### 1. **Calmline**
Government formula stolen in bulk.
Reduces FE output → high demand.
Side effects: numbness, memory loss.
Distributed by: **Grey Choir**
---
### 2. **Ethereal Patch**
Pain-absorbing suppressor patch.
Used by low-grade awakeners.
Distributed by: **Iron Dogs**
---
# **C. ILLEGAL EXPERIMENTALS**
### 1. **"Dead Air"**
FE-nullifying gas.
Used to hunt Fault Bearers.
Government denies its existence.
Sold only in **Bonehall**, controlled by **Ghost Wing**.
---
### 2. "Halo Spore"
Chrysalis-made inhalant.
Temporarily pushes a weak awakener into Tier Gamma.
High risk of permanent mutation.
---
# ECONOMIC ECOSYSTEM OF THE MARKET
Currency accepted:
* Dominion credits
* Fault cores (from slain Aberrations)
* drugs
* favors
* human labor
* information
* territory rights
Key business types:
* black clinics
* illegal awakening labs
* scavenger outposts
* weapon mod shops
* organ traders
* bounty cages
* auction houses
* smugglers' docks
* Fault training dens
The economy runs on:
* desperation
* power
* violence
* fear
* supply & demand cycles
* corruption of officials
Government allows it because :
* it concentrates criminals in one place
* syndicates suppress their own problems
* it's profitable
* it keeps the middle ring peaceful
* it allows scapegoats for political failures
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# RELATIONSHIPS & TENSION MAP
* Scarlet Lotus ↔ Chrysalis Collective
* Cooperation on drug production
* But hate each other ideologically
* Iron Dogs ↔ Scarlet Lotus
* Constant street fights
* Compete for distribution territory
* Grey Choir ↔ EVERYONE
* Neutral but feared
* Holds blackmail on all factions
* Ghost Wing ↔ All Factions
* The real top dog
* Assassinate anyone who becomes "troublesome"
* Independents
* Wildcards
* Their alliances shift
* Their presence alone changes politics
Downfall is basically a pressure cooker
of conflict, but balanced by the unspoken rule:
"If the Market falls into chaos, the government will wipe it off the map."
Every faction knows this.
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