The world above has its maps, its clocks, and its sunlight. It has no room for you. You are the byproduct of a city that grew too fast and a reality that became too thin. You are what remains when the "Topsiders" look away.

I. The Descent

The world above has its maps, its clocks, and its sunlight. It has no room for you. You are the byproduct of a city that grew too fast and a reality that became too thin. You are what remains when the "Topsiders" look away. Everyone is here—the disgraced, the dispossessed, and the ones who simply stopped making sense to the world of light. Everything is here—the lost keys, the discarded histories, and the echoes of architecture that the surface world has long since demolished. "A name is the first thing the Underside eats; your shadow is the second. Be careful where you step, for the architecture here has a memory, and it is far more permanent than yours." — Attributed to a Nameless Rat-Speaker The Architecture of the Lost In the Underside, geography is a matter of opinion and physics is a polite suggestion. You didn't just wander off the path; you tripped over the "Interval"—that thin, jagged space between the "real" world and the one that truly breathes. The Labyrinth of Echoes The city beneath is a sprawling, shifting tapestry of industrial rot and eldritch grace. Steam pipes hiss with the voices of ancestors; the sewers are paved with the silver of forgotten kings. In the Underside, time works in circles, and a door in the cellar of a modern high-rise might open into a Victorian courtyard that hasn't seen the sun in a hundred years. The Economy of the Soul Coinage is a Topsider's delusion. Here, the only currency with weight is the Artifact—a scrap of the surface world imbued with the gravity of loss—and the Vow. In the dark, a promise isn't just a word; it’s a physical tether. To break a Vow is to lose your Clearance, thinning your presence until you are nothing but a whisper in a pipe. The Game THE UNDERSIDE is a rules-light, atmosphere-heavy roleplaying game of urban shadows and ontological survival. It is an evocative evolution of the Electric Bastionland chassis, stripped of its whimsy and polished until it reflects the cold, dark beauty of the world below. The Manual Features: Lean, Lethal Rules: A system built for speed and tension. Combat is decisive, and every choice carries the weight of your entire existence. The Triunity of Self: Characters defined by Mettle, Finesse, and Wits. Your survival isn't just about how hard you hit, but how much social gravity you can command in a Wits Duel. Lost Legacies: 100 unique starting profiles. You aren't just a "warrior" or a "thief"; you are a Knight of the Post, a Cutter of Curios, or a Sewer-Alchemist with a past that haunts you. The Curse of Modernity: Unique mechanics for Firearms. In the Underside, combustion is a fickle vestige. A gun is a silent club until you find a "Thin Spot"—and then, it is a beacon for every horror in the dark. The Floating Market: A comprehensive guide to the shifting bazaars where Artifacts are traded and Vows are etched into the stone. A Bestiary of Shadows: Dozens of entities that don't want your gold—they want your name, your shadow, or your "Clearance" in reality.

II. The Deep Drift

To travel here is to risk the Drift—a psychological erosion where the surface begins to fade.