The Black Market
Far beneath Velkarin, at deepslate level, exists an enormous underground commercial district generally referred to outside its walls simply as the Black Market. Officially, very little about it is acknowledged. Those who find their way inside discover something considerably larger than a collection of illegal shops. The Market is effectively a city beneath the city.
Its architecture combines ancient deepslate construction with sculk, copper, machinery and dense cyberpunk infrastructure. Buildings climb the cavern walls while bridges, suspended structures, stairways and hidden passages connect different levels. Neon-like cyan, purple and red illumination cuts through an otherwise extremely dark environment.
There are no national banners inside. The Market deliberately attempts to exist beyond conventional national identity.
Veyran Veyrath
The Market is controlled by Veyran Veyrath, younger brother of Mizerly Veyrath. Where Mizerly governs Velkarin, Veyran governs what happens beneath it. Veyran shares the distinctive pale complexion, white hair and golden eyes associated with his sister, but possesses a markedly different temperament. He is cold, calculating and capable of considerable ruthlessness, although negotiation is usually his preferred weapon. Veyran understands that information, favors and debts can often accomplish more than violence.
BUSINESS IS FREE. VIOLENCE IS NOT.
What Exists Inside
The Black Market contains conventional player-owned businesses alongside considerably stranger establishments. Visitors may encounter merchants dealing in unusual items, hidden trading rooms, taverns, secret meeting chambers, fighting facilities, private lounges, concealed passages, information brokers and businesses whose public purpose may have very little relationship to what actually happens behind them. One known example is a seemingly ordinary ramen shop operated by Silas Quill, a merchant whose services extend considerably beyond food.
Above portions of the Market is a floating nightclub constructed around a geode, providing one of the district's most recognizable gathering places. Other districts continue to develop vertically through the cavern. Even buildings that appear ordinary may contain hidden basements, tunnels or secondary businesses.
Security
Despite its reputation, the Market is not intended to be lawless. Its security exists primarily to protect merchants, customers and the continued operation of commerce. Criminal activity elsewhere is largely irrelevant to them. Violence threatening civilians, uncontrolled disputes, sabotage and particularly rogue Wardens are treated much more seriously.
Specialized security infrastructure is being developed to detect disturbances through sculk vibrations and respond to Warden activity within populated portions of the Market. This creates one of the Market's contradictions: many of the people walking its streets may technically be criminals. They are still expected to behave themselves.
Information and Secrecy
Information has effectively become another currency within the Market. Veyran maintains relationships with smugglers, brokers, foreign leaders and other individuals capable of obtaining things through unconventional means. Questions, proposals and information intended for the Market's administration can be deposited discreetly through designated barrels near Veyran's office in one of the district's tallest structures. Secret meeting rooms also exist throughout the Market for negotiations requiring greater discretion. It is often deliberately difficult to determine who owns certain establishments or what actually occurs inside them.
Current Development
The Black Market remains an active construction project rather than a completed city. New player-owned shops, residences and entertainment establishments continue appearing throughout the cavern. Different architectural influences are deliberately encouraged, resulting in unusual combinations of Velkari cyberpunk architecture with medieval, gothic, desert and foreign cultural styles.
Recent development has focused heavily on transforming the Market from a trading district into somewhere people actually live and socialize. Residential buildings are appearing alongside commercial structures. A security station is being developed. Entertainment districts are expanding, including the floating geode nightclub and a darker red-light district combining traditional Chinese architectural influences with deepslate cyberpunk construction. Veyran himself is also establishing a private residence within the Market.
The long-term intention appears to be for the Market to become something larger than an illicit marketplace:
A NEUTRAL UNDERGROUND METROPOLIS WHERE NATIONS, CRIMINALS, MERCHANTS, EXPLORERS AND ORDINARY TRAVELERS CAN MEET UNDER THE SAME ROOF — PROVIDED THEY RESPECT THE RULES OF THE DEEP.
What Velkarin ultimately intends to do with something so politically useful remains unclear. And Veyran seems perfectly content to keep it that way.
⛓️Rules⛓️
For those who know where to look.
I. ONE DOOR, ONE SHOP
Every person may begin with one establishment.
Should you desire another, you must first request permission from management. Additional shops may be granted if they serve a purpose and do not simply duplicate what already exists.
II. SELL WHAT THE HONEST WILL NOT
This is not a marketplace for ordinary wares alone.
Rare items, forbidden knowledge, suspicious potions, enchanted goods, cursed books, unusual ingredients, mob remains, contraband, gambling, shady services, and other questionable trades are welcome.
Even legitimate businesses may find a home below.
A ramen stall. A strange apothecary. A secret library. A dealer of rare relics.
The market does not judge the nature of your trade.
It only asks that you make it interesting.
III. NO COMMONPLACE MONOPOLIES
The market is not meant for one person to sell everything.
If someone already operates a shop specializing in a particular trade, consider finding another niche before opening a competing establishment.
Competition is permitted.
Monopolies are not.
IV. THE FORBIDDEN MAY BE SOLD
Within the boundaries of roleplay, merchants may trade in things considered illegal, forbidden, or undesirable elsewhere.
Poisonous potions. Cursed or illicit books. Rare and suspicious items. Mob parts and unusual ingredients. Enchanted goods. Gambling. Shady services. And anything else that might reasonably belong in a place like this.
The stranger the better.
V. ONE EXCEPTION
There is exactly one rule that cannot be broken:
Anyone who says “6-7,” builds a 6-7, or floods the market with brainrot memes will be permanently banned.
No appeals.
No negotiations.
No second chances.
VI. NO QUESTIONS ASKED
You may be a merchant, smuggler, collector, inventor, gambler, healer, poisoner, information broker, or something no one has thought to name yet.
Your identity is your own.
Masks are optional.
Names are negotiable.
Your past is irrelevant.
VII. CONSEQUENCES ARE YOURS
The market does not promise safety.
If you make a bargain, honor it.
If you sell something dangerous, accept what follows.
If you anger the wrong person, management will not necessarily save you.
There are no judges here.
Only bargains.
Only consequences.
VIII. MANAGEMENT MAY BUILD
Not everyone has the time—or the skill—to construct the establishment they envision.
If you have an idea for a shop but cannot build it yourself, you may contact management and request a custom establishment.
Describe what you want.
Management will decide where it belongs.
IX. THE MARKET MAY CHANGE
These rules are not carved in stone.
New trades may be permitted. New establishments may appear. New restrictions may be introduced when necessary.
The market is alive.
So are its rules.
X. DO NOT SPEAK OF THE DOOR
The location is a secret.
Do not publicly reveal where the market can be found.
Do not advertise its entrance to those who have not been invited.
Those who speak openly of hidden places seldom find them twice.
XI. PLACES FOR THOSE WHO REQUIRE THEM
Management will provide certain establishments and spaces for the use of the market’s inhabitants and visitors.
Meeting Halls For important gatherings, negotiations, guild meetings, secret alliances, and trades that are better conducted away from prying eyes.
The Execution Grounds A public place for executions, punishments, and other matters requiring an audience. Those who wish to make an example of another may do so here, provided management has approved the event.
The Red Lights District Housing and establishments will be provided for those who wish to conduct their business within the Red Lights District. Those seeking such accommodation may contact management regarding available spaces.
Special Requests Should you require a private meeting place, a custom establishment, or a specific space for an event, speak with management.
If the request is reasonable…
We will find a place for it.
— Management The door is there for those who know where to look.