Downtown Kowloon

The effective “capital” of the Below and its only major inhabited space of note, Kowloon is settled in a massive room within the caverns. Lit in neon pink by glowing mushrooms native to the region, the tallest of these fungi can easily surpass a 10-story building. Yet despite the size of the cavern itself, there’s little space for a city to expand in the traditional sense. So Kowloon simply built up; only comprising the land area of a few city blocks’ size, Kowloon’s buildings are all densely packed together and average around 14 stories tall. It’s a well-known story that Kowloon got its name and architectural ideas from a similar city of a lost world. While the cities above are fairly permissive in what they allow citizens to partake in, Kowloon truly has no restrictions or care for any of its potential consequences. You’ll find gambling dens where you can bargain more than money; drugs from across worlds for sale; pleasures darker and more indulgent to cater to creatures like vampires; and places happy to pay you for your work, so long as you do well and don’t ask too many questions. If you've got an in, you're in. Much like the tunnels that lead you down to Kowloon, the city is a twisting maze of corridors, stairways, and climbs that lead you to countless doors. It’s near impossible to spot a specific place unless it’s one of the lucky ones located by Kowloon’s only two streets that cut through the buildings enough to see the glow of the mushrooms. Ultimately, it all comes down to connections: convince the right person to be more talkative, and they may just lead you to exactly what you're looking for.

UPDATE: Since the separation of Skysong from the continent itself, Kowloon has split itself in twain. The settlement of Kowloon that lies in the Below is now known as "Downtown" Kowloon, and often the subject of derision from those in Old Springstar. Downtown Kowloon epitomizes the crime and vice that it had always reveled in, but given that the city has split, Downtown now seems to see it as a point of pride; a reason to revel in it further. Those who remain in Downtown have no interest in the conflict at large, no interest in Meridian or Highstorm, but pursue hedonism and depravity like tomorrow could be its last day. Though the city has experienced numerous changes because of the nature of Kowloon's leadership, it has mostly remained static — at least the establishments that remain. However, with the technology that has progressed by leaps and bounds both topside and in Highstorm, Kowloon has embraced it as well, leading to something of a "marrying" of the two. Kowloon looks almost organic with the way cables, lights, and devices are woven into the very fabric of the winding alleyways and streets. The buildings are still the same as they always were, but the massive cavern is lined from top to bottom with makeshift, ever-changing small establishments. Some even call them "pop ups" with the way they seem to pop into existence, and vanish just as quickly. They can be everything from smuggled goods, to tattooists, to even small-scale inventors, trying to share their inventions with the populace.

While some establishments within Kowloon had spread their wings or moved to Old Springstar, they still maintain a presence deep beneath the surface. One can find outposts or secondary locations within Kowloon where the original establishment was, because most who are operating in both Downtown and Uptown are keeping a finger in each pie. After all, the types who remain in Kowloon are used to looking for any advantage they can get.

That being said, now that Old Springstar is separated from Meridian as a whole, there is less of a control on violence between the two cities. Old Springstar is not associated with Meridian, and thus Downtown Kowloon feels no responsibility to hold back from the other city. Frequent raids topside are organized on the behalf of a myriad of gangs or groups of hungry former-Ryad regulars. Downtowners who don't participate, of course, will shrug, and say: "Why, if they didn't want to be raided, why don't they ask for help from Skysong, since they want to emulate them so much?"

Government

Kowloon has no laws or “ruler”, it's a true self-regulating and anarchist city. The closest thing the city has to figures of authority is established business owners of great renown and power — enough so that when issues do arise in the city and don't go away on their own in a timely and "acceptable" manner, they may step in to throw their weight. All intensely distrustful of each other, they tend to independently resolve issues relating to their areas of work, but they've also been known to come together to decide matters that affect the city at large. In general, the rule that governs Kowloon is that you can do whatever you want. Though if you're looking to speak up about one faction or the other, one might want to reconsider. The current organization of this council is:

Coalbrand
~~Birdie Martinson~~ (Formerly) (The owner of Draumahol occupies this spot)
~~Yura Szczepański~~ (Dissipated and held as a hostage in Heliopolis)
Arjun
One very traditionally styled gangs: ~~The Jade Crows~~ (Formerly) the Unseen. While the Jade Crows and the Unseen once shared a bitter rivalry, the Unseen have spread to all of Downtown Kowloon.
Rather than a single person, there’s a few other people on the council with the same relative position: landlords for property in Kowloon. Because space is limited, it makes it valuable even if it’s kind of shit. The easiest way to get on the council is definitely via gaining property, and these are the people that rotate in and out the most, though there hasn’t been a hostile takeover in a few years, at least.

In-Game Timeline

Early Takiltu (November 2022): The current generation of Shard-Bearers begin to gain access to Kowloon.

Late Emru (February 2023): Silco dissipates Birdie Martinson and becomes the new propreitor of Draumahol.

Early Pelu (March 2023): The leader of the Jade Crows is killed by Silco's Shimmer-induced retainer. Silco joins Kowloon's council.

Late Erqu (June 2023): Meris start to run into more trouble in Kowloon than Zenites.
Late Takiltu (December 2023): After months of escalation, Meris are met with open hostility in Kowloon, as the balance of power has shifted. Some monsters have been escaping from Ryad to Springstar proper, with violent attacks occurring topside.

Late Emru (February 2024): The monster activity comes to a head as they are unleashed en masse upon Springstar as a distraction for Cyrus' assassination.

Faction Attitudes

Meridian: Distrustful. While Downtownies are less hostile to Meridian-aligned bearers, they still distrust them. After all, Meridian just decided they didn't want to be neighbors anymore.

Zenith: Neutral.

Founders