The Underdeck
The Underdeck is occupied by the Brezh, and no one openly associates with the Brezh, save for Captain Rill.
The Underdeck is kept dark out of respect for Brezh sensibilities, lit only by the occasional Comet Orchid, And the backlighting of various systems and panels. Only the reception area is kept lit, with dim lighting to show the shabby, stained couches and the water damaged, stained reading material and the cracked art on the walls.
A small hospice is maintained for the dying. The Brezh offer a peaceful, painless death - but only for the willing. They find the concept of assassination distasteful - or perhaps they are aware that they are poorly regarded by the rest of the galaxy, and do not wish to tarnish their reputation further.
The underdecks hold the waste processing and recycling center. The Brezh sort through the discards of the Comet, returning what is valuable to the upper levels through service elevators.
The Brezh also maintain the morgue and funerary services of the Comet. Some of those who worship the Brezh for their supposed transcendence of life and death come willingly. Most do not.
Demographics
The majority of the Underdeck is populated by the insectoid Brezh and their Queen. Brezh do not have individual identities outside of a host. The number of Brezh aboard the Comet at any given time is unknown, as they do not report their numbers and Captain Rill does not care to take a census. The remaining population are the Brezh cultists and the dying.
One of the more eerie subsection are the Brezh Corps; consisting of the Brezh Queen And her attendants. They perform the majority of interactions between outsiders and the Brezh, and consist of Brezh who are occupying the corpse of the recently deceased. The Corps are the only Brezh that maintain individual identities - usually the identities of their occupied bodies.
Government
The Brezh Queen makes all decisions for the Brezh in her hive, and by extension, any cultists or patients under her care.
Defences
The Brezh are the only defense the Underdeck needs. Very few people associate with them openly outside of Brezh cultists.
The Brezh find assassination distasteful, as it is a waste of a life with purpose. Brezh are overall peaceful, but are capable of defending themselves if need be. As Brezh are an insectoid hivemind, the death of any individual Brezh is not treated as a significant event; but multiple Brezh dying at once is considered a threat to the colony and they will defend themselves.
Brezh can attack individually or in a swarm. An individual Brezh will attempt to bite and burrow into a body and attatch itself to the nervous system and attempt to gain control of their victim's brain function. If the target is not dead, the Brezh must overpower their consciousness. The victim can survive this attack if the Brezh voluntarily surrends control, or the Brezh is surgically removed.
A singular Brezh can potentially infiltrate automated attackers and disable their electrical systems.
A swarm of Brezh (25 or more) can consume and devour an average sized human in minutes.
Industry & Trade
The Underdeck maintains the waste reclamation and processing systems. They are responsible for all waste and cleanup in the Comet, which is done discretely. Most of the systems are automated; but the Brezh will occasionally send a technician to perform maintenance and manual cleanups when necessary. The majority of these technicians are the Cultists who follow the Brezh, though it will occasionally be a Brezh occupying a body.
Infrastructure
The Underdeck houses facilities for waste reclamation and recycling. Presumably those facilities are still up and operational, but few rarely visit beyond reception and the hospice to determine otherwise.
Assets
The Underdeck handles all of the waste processing for the Comet, and the Brezh maintain those systems. They ask for little else, other than to be left to their own devices. Anything valuable found in waste processing is held for a six month period to be claimed by any owners, cleaned and serviceable. If it is not reclaimed, it is sent up to the Artisans for repurposing.
Guilds and Factions
There are only three types who live in the Underdecks.
The Brezh Hivemind and their Queen make up the majority of the underdark residents. The Brezh Queen manages most of the affairs of her hive and by extension the affairs of the other residents.
The Brezh Cultists believe that the Brezh transcend death. In general, the Brezh do not understand their obsession, but welcome the assistance of species that can go out and interact with the rest of the Comet. The Cultists are not exactly subservient to the Brezh, but they honor their requests out of respect and reverence. The Brezh do not ask for much, nor do they ask often.
The last remaining faction are the hospice patients. Some come willingly, to surrender themselves to the unique post-death experience of the Brezh. Some of them experience trauma or illness on the Comet; and are sent down to the Brezh to make their passing as easy and painless as possible. The hospice patients have no particular political influence.
History
The Underdecks were once managed by automation and technicians. It was at one point a state of the art system. Time has moved on, and though previous Captains of the Comet have managed to make the Underdecks punishment duty, Captain Rill knew of the Brezh from past experience and invited them to operate the Underdeck, while living there rent free. One Brezh Queen, Lazra, accepted the offer and has been Queen of the Underdecks since Rill took over.
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