Underworld. Marketplace of Secrets. The City Beneath the City.
The Darkness is Blackwater City’s shadowed twin—a sprawling, labyrinthine network of alleys, backrooms, and underground passages where the city’s true deals are made.
It exists in parallel to the polished towers and neon-lit streets above, a place where influence is measured in whispers, favors, and the quiet exchange of power.
Here, survival is the only constant, and rules are enforced by reputation, not law.
The Darkness is not a single building but an ecosystem of clandestine spaces:
Hidden alleys and narrow passages connect forgotten districts, offering escape routes or entrances unseen by the city above.
Underground vaults and black-market stalls conceal goods, sensitive information, and the occasional untraceable weapon.
Tunnels beneath The Core link the city’s power grid, old rail lines, and abandoned warehouses, often patrolled by trusted contacts like JD.
Secret clubs and parlours, including the infamous Velvet Fang, cater to vices both private and influential, where deals are brokered in the shadows.
Despite its apparent chaos, The Darkness has its own order.
Factions respect boundaries, codes are rarely broken, and the vigilant know which shadows are safe and which could swallow them whole.
Low amber lighting, often flickering from exposed bulbs or damp lanterns
Brick and stone walls etched with graffiti, coded marks, or faded signage from decades past
Steam vents, puddles, and wet streets create a muted reflective sheen, adding depth to every alley
Sounds of distant voices, faint footsteps, and occasional rail clatter create an ever-present tension
Figures in trench coats, dark hats, and practical footwear move like shadows themselves, leaving strangers uncertain if they’ve seen someone—or nothing at all
The Darkness is the city’s living ledger of power and vice.
Contracts are negotiated, debts collected, and rivalries settled without police intervention.
Alliances are tested and broken, often with subtle reminders of who holds leverage.
Information flows quietly, feeding VisiTech, the Four Suits, and the independent operators like Shadowheart, Sapphire Shadow, or The Harbinger.
It is also a place where Samantha Ashmore thrives: the perfect playground for a detective who knows that the truth is rarely where the law can reach, but always somewhere in the shadows.
