• Location: Public Services Ring, Firetown
• Address: NW Public Services Ring Road 7
• Surroundings: Nearby the Firetown Darts Club

Founded in 2629 by notorious entertainment impresario Tina Bonanno — dubbed the “Puppet Master” for her covert Cartel networks — the Dark Side Hotel was the Free State of Settlers’ largest lodging, boasting 102 opulent rooms, a high-class restaurant, a sprawling gambling hall, and the celebrated New Venetian Palace showstage. Beneath its veneer of glamour lay the Cartel’s clandestine drug market, theft rings, and contract-killing operations.

Tina Bonanno was gunned down in an unsolved ride-by shooting in January 2631, three months before the Great War’s end and the Federal Confederation’s closure of the Dark Side Hotel (it failed to secure the Communardism-era exemption that salvaged Saloon Gloria, Fire Bill and the Firetown Darts Club). Her heir, son Alfonso Bonanno, slaughtered himself in one of the hotel’s luxury suites upon receiving news of the license denial — marking a tragic coda to the Bonanno empire.

• Construction Materials: The structure consists of vertically stacked cargo containers, reinforced with salvaged starship hull segments, docking clamps, and industrial truss frames recovered from the Last Frontier wreckage and decommissioned mining platforms. Exterior surfaces are patched with mismatched metal plates, ceramic heat shields, and reclaimed bulkhead panels. Decorative wooden elements — balconies, canopies, and interior wall cladding — were added to soften the harsh industrial core.
• Floors: 12 stacked levels, making it the tallest structure in Firetown — and visibly unstable compared to its surroundings.
• Design: A towering, asymmetrical vertical block with protruding container balconies, external maintenance ladders, and exposed reinforcement beams. The hotel’s silhouette resembles a repurposed orbital freight tower rather than a traditional building.
• Geothermal Feed Vents: Insulated steel stacks and vent assemblies integrated into the rear façade, channeling heat and hot water from the Geothermal Power Plant to maintain interior temperature
• Air Vents / Heat Recovery Ventilator: The building's air exchange was managed by a centralized, mechanical ventilation system with a central intake on the exterior of the building.
• Power Supply: Quantum Fusion Battery
• Lighting: Exterior clad in programmable luminescent strips that cycled vibrant patterns — earning it the nickname “Firetown’s Beacon”

Interior and Atmosphere (Beta Age)

• Lobby & Reception: A cavernous ground-floor space assembled from merged containers. Floors are layered steel plating covered by worn carpets. Reception desks are built from polished hull panels; hidden access hatches and false walls conceal Cartel drop points and service shafts.
• Guest Rooms (102): Ranging from standard quarters to penthouse suites
• Restaurant “Stella Nera”: Fine-dining hall with live piano lounge inlay, and private alcoves for Cartel negotiations
• Gambling Hall: Dozens of gaming tables for Frostpunkt and Twenty One, carpeted walkways muffled the click of concealed holsters
• Showstage “New Venetian Palace”: A dramatic fusion of container shells and theatrical scaffolding. Hydraulic lifts, retractable catwalks, and rigging systems are visibly improvised but meticulously maintained.

Exterior

• Façade: Twelve stories of polished volcanic stone interspersed with neon ribbons; massive marquee reading “DARK SIDE”
• Entrances: Two main portals beneath arched canopies; a discreet service entrance at rear for Cartel operatives
• Exterior Stall: A heated outdoor stall seating up to 300 Hoos, warmed by geothermal vents.

Walking into the Dark Side Hotel is like stepping into an alien Vegas: mirrored walls refract neon in every hue, while a steady hum of excitement and danger pulses through the air. Crystal chandeliers glint overhead, and velvet-draped lounges invite both lavish indulgence and secretive exchange. Patrons in evening finery rub shoulders with sharp-eyed Cartel couriers, and every corner seems to promise both ecstasy and ruin.

Sealed by federal decree, the Dark Side Hotel stands dark and silent — its neon ribbons cold. Occasional flickers of unauthorized light betray late-night forays by Outlaws, who use hidden corridors for illicit trafficking. Nokari Mouse whisper in empty corridors; terrestrial cockroaches scurry through dark lobbies once filled with high-rollers. The ghost of its former opulence lingers in cracked carpets, woods and iced chandeliers.

• Tina Bonanno (Founder & Cartel Matriarch): Oversaw hotel operations and Cartel networks.
• Alfonso Bonanno (Heir & Show Director): Curated performances and managed VIP clientele.
• Hotel Manager (1): Ran day-to-day lodging, reservations, and guest services.
• Butler Bots (20): The Butler Bots were serving guests throughout the hotel and waiters in Stella Nera.
• Cleaning Bots (20): The Cleaning Bots maintained cleanliness of all 102 rooms, public areas, and the restaurant.
• Head Chef & Sommelier (2): Curated the Stella Nera menu and rare spirit list.
• Sous Chef (1): Assisted the Head Chef, managed kitchen operations.
• Kitchen Helpers (10): Supported food preparation and kitchen logistics.
• Hosts (12): Managed and hosted Frostpunkt and Twenty One tables — handling wagers, guiding players through the rules, and ensuring fair play.
• Showmasters (3): Directed and hosted performances on the New Venetian Palace stage.
• Security Team (20): Armed guards at entrances and roaming patrols.
• Stallhands (10): Staffed the Exterior Stall—serving refreshments, seating guests, and managing crowd flow during large events.

• Cartel Operations: Drug distribution, contract hits, and high-value theft orchestrated from hidden suites.
• Money Laundering: Restaurant and gambling profits funneled through shell corporations.

• Smuggling Runs: Occasional midnight shipments of narcotics through service tunnels.
• Black-Market Auctions: Secret sales of contraband artifacts in closed VIP rooms.

• Public Access: Open to high-rollers, performers, and registered guests only.
• Operating Hours: 24/7

All rooms at the Dark Side Hotel are windowless and insulated against the region’s frigid darkness.

• Entrance Checkpoints: Two armed checkpoints verifying guest status and searching for concealed weapons.
• Emergency Escape Routes: Hidden stairwells and service shafts known only to Cartel leadership.
• Armed Security Personnel: Screened and patrolled the entire facility continuously.

Use the Dark Side Hotel as a multifaceted set piece — lavish social intrigue, hidden criminal underworld, and vertical exploration:

• Vanished Farmer – Late one evening, Jacob Lenz, a devoted father and farmer from Hope, slipped away with a friend for a quick night out in Firetown’s Entertainment District. Their bar‑hop ended at the neon‑lit dive known as Kittens from Space, where Jacob’s last coherent words were “I need to chat with Madama Talara.” When he didn’t rejoin his friend, panic set in. Another witness places Jacob, Madama Talara, and an unknown man entering the notorious Saloon Gloria. Now his desperate wife has hired you to retrace his steps through Firetown’s seedier spots, unearth what happened behind those swinging doors, and bring her husband home — alive, if he still is …

• Ghosts of Glory – Rumors of lost Bonanno treasure lure the PCs into the sealed hotel, where they must evade federal locks and fend off desperate squatters to uncover hidden caches.

• Beta Age
• Free State of Settlers
• Ralar Region
• Firetown
• Tina Bonanno
• Peace Treaty
• Communardism

Venues within the Firetown Entertainment District (Beta Age):

• Kittens from Space
• Nebula Fight Arena
• Red Wheel
• Saloon Gloria
• Firetown Billiards Saloon
• Firetown Darts Club
• Dark Side Hotel
• German Imbiss

Venues within the Firetown Entertainment District (Gamma Age):

• Saloon Gloria
• Firetown Billiards Saloon
• Firetown Bowling Alley
• Firetown Darts Club