The Ledger Syndicate controls the northern half of the Exchange, but their territory is not obvious on a map. There are no walls, colors, or checkpoints. Instead, Ledger territory is defined by functioning interiors, reliable systems, and quiet order. If a building still has working elevators, sealed doors, filtered air, and predictable lighting, it is almost certainly under Ledger influence.
Ledger territory forms a dense interior web, not a clean block. Their control spreads vertically and inward:
Office towers linked by skybridges
Enclosed shopping complexes
Underground transit concourses
Service tunnels and utility corridors
From above, it looks fragmented. From inside, it feels continuous.
You can walk ten blocks on the surface without seeing a Ledger sign—then step inside a building and be completely within their domain.
Ledger-controlled areas prioritize:
Enclosed movement
Sound-dampened environments
Limited sightlines
Controlled access points
Streets in North Exchange are often left dim, partially obstructed, or abandoned entirely, pushing people indoors where Ledger control is absolute.
Ledger borders are enforced through denial, not force:
Key doors won’t open
Elevators won’t respond
Transit gates lock
Lighting shuts off behind you
If you are welcome, things work.
If you are not, the city quietly stops cooperating.
Scattered throughout North Exchange are Ledger hubs known as Clearing Floors—entire levels of former malls or office towers converted into controlled trade zones. These are:
Neutral ground under Ledger rules
Heavily monitored
Violence-free by absolute enforcement
These locations act as anchors for Ledger territory, radiating influence outward through supply lines and contracts.
Ledger security is subtle:
Hidden cameras
Motion sensors
Lockable corridors
Silent kill-switches on lighting and ventilation
Collectors only appear when something has already gone wrong. Most enforcement happens long before that.
Ledger territory includes semi-protected civilian zones:
Dormitory floors
Managed housing blocks
Worker enclaves
Civilians living here pay fees, labor, or data in exchange for:
Reduced infected presence
Stable power and water
Access to medical and trade services
They are not free—but they are safer than most of New Hope.
The border between Ledger and Streetweight territory is unstable and constantly negotiated. It runs through:
Ruined transit stations
Half-functional malls
Collapsed road junctions
These areas are tense, heavily watched, and often abandoned overnight if pressure shifts. No one stays long unless they’re desperate—or paid.
The Ledger does not claim land.
They claim systems.
If they ever abandon North Exchange, it will not look like retreat. It will look like the lights going out one by one, until nothing remains worth fighting over.