I’m bored so here’s a personal ranking of how screwed you’d be in the Mutant Undercity if you were mutated and found your way there somehow;
The Catches- 7/10: There’s no competition or major drama here, so it’s good for if you wanna keep your head low and avoid most violence. The only bad things are here you’d be really poor and face occasional tension from the Dock Masters trying to buy property or butt into the businesses here. As long as you keep to yourself and band together with any other new mutants here, you’ll be fine. Most freshly mutated mutants come into the Undercity through here anyway, so there’s no shortage of possible allies. However, this does mean that The Catches are a bit overpopulated, so getting a job here would be harder than it already would be elsewhere. If you like jobs that have to do with textiles and/or fishing, you might be in luck, though.
Town Central- 6/10: The good news is it’s the richest part of the underground, so you’d have access to LOTS of resources from the surface, even ones you can’t find anywhere else in the sewers. Anyone who’s managed to claw their way to the top lives here, so there’s flashiness, luxury, and wins all for the taking everywhere you turn. The bad news is, with all of that comes danger and shady stuff behind the gold and glitter. Not only that, but this is where all the ‘POLITICAL’ action happens too, so if you’re not careful, you could end up in the crossfire of a feud between gangs, or worse— the Mutant Families who run everything. Every person who’s famous here didn’t get that way from natural talent or innocent work- there’s gaslighting, backstabbing, and cheating in every corner of this place. Basically, you can make it big, but unless you got powerful friends, you need to sleep with one eye open— and if you DO have powerful friends, you need to sleep with eyes open for said friends’ powerful ENEMIES.
The Slums- 2/10: The absolute worst case scenario. You’ve ended up DEEP- too deep. The very air is filled with toxic fumes from the sewage down there, and filth coats every surface. The only food down there anyone can possibly find is either rotten or scraps, and clean water is pretty much a myth. There’s VERY little shelter except for torn-up tents or things like trash cans, and power or fuel? Forget about it. And THATS not even mentioning the monsters. Mutants who have no sentience or very little remaining. They ALWAYS end up in the Slums when they’re not in the Unclaimed Territories. They constantly prowl on the hunt or lashing out in immense pain, so if you see an inviting looking cave down there, I’d think twice. As for friends or allies down there, well, in The Slums, it’s all-for-one, so those concepts are pretty much abandoned. The only people who hold any sort of power down there are dealers- drugs, alcohol, weapons, you name it- and the same person you could end up giving a scrap to is just as likely to feed you to a Mutant monster or stab you as “thanks”. There’s a reason the phrase “If you end up in the Slums, then pray you’ll die soon.” exists.
The Market- 8/10: Honestly your best bet, all things considered. All the Mutant Families and Gangs may want to control this place, but even they know not to touch it, so they offer their protection instead. Plus, there’s no ‘ruling’ class here (other than a few emerging Guilds, but they’re all mostly fair and reasonable.) so no one’s really competing or anything. It’s not exactly luxurious there, but there’s a big surplus of resources and businesses everywhere you look, so as long as you have money or any mutant ‘currency’, you’ll be able to get necessities fairly easily. The only downside is how chaotic it can be; just because the Families protect the Market District doesn’t mean no one tries to cause trouble, and with how much businesses there are everywhere, there’s not a ton of shelter. There’s small communities where mutants can live, and definitely a number of makeshift hotels, but if you’re looking for independent living, then other than starting your own business, you’re outta luck. There’s an upside though, and that’s community here. There’s allies and business partners you can find through the Guilds and neighboring markets, and when push comes to shove you’ll know who to trust.
Main Docks- 4/10: Not great, but could be worse. You’ll need a job under the Dock Masters, and you’ll get worked to the bones quickly, but you’ll be protected by them and get the necessary amount of resources. If you like traveling and you’re curious about the rest of the Sewer Paths, then you also might like the jobs available in transporting goods and new mutants who aren’t from The Catches. The worst part is, however, you rarely get rewarded and unless you’re rich enough, you won’t get anything good except by luck. Very similar to the surface that way, but unfortunately also while living in the sewers.
The GangLands- 3/10: Unless you join a gang of some kind, you’re dead meat. Every single day in that too, you need to fight tooth and nail for everything; even against your own Members. Everything you do or earn, you give half of it to your Leaders, and if a Mutant Family decides to ask for your resources? You hand them over, no questions asked. Oh sure, you get more privileges and power than the average Mutant civilian- they know not to mess with Gangs since they get the near-cream of the crop, and they can bully whoever they want. But make one wrong step or bump elbows with the wrong guy, and you’ll get pumped full of lead or worse.
Bellsworths Territory- 6/10: Fairly nice. The Bellsworths are harsh, but fair, and there’s ample resources available if you know where to look. In the winter, there’s even a nice “Festival Week” where you can stroll freely through the paths and enjoy the calm traditions. All in all, the place is calm and wealthy, just as long as you look the other way when you see crime and keep your head down. If you want to join in and get lucky, you’ll be fine as long as you follow orders and do a good job. The Bellsworths are allies with most of the other Families, including the Hamato’s, and Frēs, so there’s good protection too.
D’Antonis Territory- 5/10: Same as The Docks, there’s ups and downs. The D’Antonis are greedy and arrogant, and only care who gives them enough riches while making them look good. That makes it easy to do things under their beaks for your own benefit, but get caught and they’ll make sure EVERYONE in the Undercity knows. They may not have brute strength or swift cunning, but they do have glitz and glamour- and that glitz and glamour does have ties to the media too. On the bright side, there’s lucrative opportunities in those, and even if the Town Central is owned by no one, the D’Antonis still have a big chunk from the media under their belt, so if you impress them enough, god-willing, you’d get a sliver of luxury.
Frē Territory- 5/10: Same as the other Territories, except with a little more influence over the marketplace. There’s also something unique too- greenery and plants! If you want gardens or fresh food you don’t want to barter for, you need to look too far, but it still doesn’t come without a cost. Every plant and vegetable belongs to the Frēs and they know it, and thievery is NOT appreciated.
New Foot Territory- 6/10: You’re probably safe, but you shouldn’t get picky. Almost nothing is illegal, so you can get away with a lot to make money, AND the Mutant Gangs are too scared of Karai (The Serpent Queen) to do much of anything mischievous. However, the place is still run by the Foot Clan, so watching your back is still a good idea. They’re also close allies of the Hamato’s, so you can get all the benefits from that as well. It’s very similar to the ‘Pride Ring’ from Hazbin Hotel, complete with all the flashes and clubs.
Unclaimed property- ?/10: Who knows, but you’ll either be screwed or lucky. There might be monsters and possible Kraang (yes, the Utrom are free in this iteration, but there are still ones who call themselves ‘Kraang’.) but there might be paths to the surface and resources you can grab that no one can control. There are a few small groups who live outside the Undercity that lurk in the unknown, but no one knows about them much. After all, the Undercity isn’t perfect, but there’s no other place just for Mutants and it’s the closest thing you can get to a home. You want to go out where nobody’s owning anything, go ahead, but there’s threats out there, so who knows how well you’ll do.
Hamato Territory- 8/10: After the Market, you’d be best off here. The Hamato’s have incredible access to the surface and supplies, and they rule their territory well, for a group of turtles barely in their 20s. There’s tons of jobs, clean water, and even shelter for anyone who comes into this place. There’s even something for you if you’re a kid on your own in their Dojo, since it serves as both an orphanage and homeless shelter too. Only thing not appealing is the tension between them and everyone else…the Hamatos may be loved by the Civilians, but the other Families and Gangs hate them, and if it weren’t for the New Foot, the fights between them and the Gangs would be a lot worse. As long as you stay away from the outskirts of the Hamato Territories, you should be fine, and even finer if you don’t start trouble. The Hamatos may be merciful, but they’re not weak.
After all, they have The Elemental Mutant on their side. And EVERY single person in NYC knows to NEVER get on their bad side.
