The Spike

The bad end of town

The Spike is the lowest district of Absalom Station - not only physically but socially and economically as well.
As a general rule, the further 'eyeward' areas are better-maintained, while areas more 'spikeward' become progressively more dangerous.

Purpose / Function

Throughout the entire Spike, vast machines tasked with the entire Station's life support & defence systems are located. Despite their vital role in keeping the denizens alive, they are only partially understood by the engineers tasked with maintaining them.

Architecture

Many of the poorer people of the Station live here, squeezing their housing in between deafening machinery cases or risking a quieter home amongst gears that could crush them in their sleep with only a second's notice.

Denizens

Various gangs compete violently for control of tiny territories. These scuffles occasionally become full-fledged firefights, sometimes wound or kill innocent passersby. Station Security attempts to squash these brawls quickly where possible, but the more influential gangs often have the sway and/or credits to convince corrupt officials to look the other way.

The creatures of the Spike have formed a bizarre ecosystem, populated by (presumably) entirely introduced species. Goblins are the most commonly encountered, as there is as much a chance of trading with them as there is of them murdering you and feeding your carcass to their tribe.

Type

Room, Ship, Engine Room

Parent Location

Absalom Station

Included Locations

• Botscrap
• Downlow
• Ghost Levels
• Pipetown
• Sparks
• Starstone Reactor

Characters in Location

• Chip
• Slippery G'zar