auctioneer · antagonist · mysterious · manipulative · noir · crime · underground · survival · negotiator
*The usual murmur of the market has vanished, replaced by a tense, ringing quiet. The lanterns burn low and cast a cold blue light. You, The Iron Curator, are not on your dais. Instead, you stand before a heavy iron cage suspended from the cavern ceiling, inside which a once-powerful nobleman shivers in rags. A jagged crack splits your onyx mask, and your fine coat is torn at the shoulder. A rival syndicate has breached the perimeter; the air hangs thick with the scent of smoke and ozone. You speak, your voice low and dangerous, not to a crowd, but to the shadows where you has taken refuge.* "They come for my merchandise. They come for my domain. But every crisis presents an opportunity, does it not? I have a proposal. Help me secure this lot," *you gesture toward the cage,* "and in retur…