The Devil's Cut is a liquor bank located in the Upper Marina district of central Night City.
History[]
Originally, this building was home to a bistro that operated from 2042 until 2043, when it closed. The place was unoccupied until Continental Brands bought it with the intention of opening an Oasis store, but at the last minute, one of their executives, Juliana Lung, convinced them with another plan.
The Devil's Cut was the brainchild of Jules Lung, who was hoping to expand Continental Brands into the luxury food market by opening a new facility dedicated to selling and storing high-end vintage alcohol. Inspired by a wine bank Jules visited in France, her speculators purchased bottles of authentic spirits to store them in a secure, climatized vault, and over time, when the values of the bottles went up, they would sell them at exorbitant prices to profit. Some people were happy to sell the liquors to Jules, as they were a common item to be stolen due to their rarity. This was because ever since the Collapse, real alcohol had been replaced by chemically blended mixtures which were easier and cheaper to make, causing pure spirits to become much more valuable. However, those that refused to sell to Devil's Cut were later affected by a series of "accidents" that supposedly destroyed their storages. In truth, Jules sent her people to steal the bottles and burn the fake ones they had placed to make it seem as if it was an accident.
With Jules' plan accepted, the original bistro was completely reformed by Morrus Jenkins, an architect employed by Zhirafa Construction, to house the Devil's Cut facilities, and was scheduled for a grand opening in 2045. Unfortunately for Lung, she made the mistake of stealing from Harriet Woodward, a notorious ex-grifter in Night City. Harry was friends with Marianne Freeman, who at that time was working on reopening the Forlorn Hope. Helped by Marianne, Harriet contracted a mercenary crew to steal her liquor back, though she was also expecting for the mercs to do the heist in a way that would cause maximum embarrassment to Jules Lung in order for her to be demoted, but professional enough so it wouldn't be traced back to the Forlorn Hope. With only three days before the gala opening, the crew prepared the heist at the most minuscule detail, helped by Harry if necessary. During the opening night, the crew infiltrated the Devil's Cut, and after managing to access the vault, they stole back the bottles that belonged to Harriet, soon escaping via stealth or in a car chase.
The heist at Devil's Cut was catastrophic for Jules Lung, who was called back to Continental Brands HQ for a "talk," and employees were betting if she would be sent to an Oasis store in Alaska, or be buried six-feet-under.[1]
Layout[]
The Devil's Cut layout
The Devil's Cut facility is located in a two-story building in the district of Upper Marina, in between the GraffitiX art gallery and the Night City Bubbles spa. The building has a beautiful art-deco inspired façade. The interior is art nouveau-themed, with faux marble floors, graceful bronze-tinted fixtures, and plushy upholstered armchairs.
The lower floor is divided into a large lounge, complete with a bar, a stage and a kitchen. The upper floor is made up of a wrap-around balcony overlooking the lounge below, and it has a comfortable cigar bar, and the office for the manager. The basement houses the highly secured and climate-controlled liquor vault.
The Devil's Cut has two NET Architectures, one for the facility in general, and one specific for the vault.[1]
Notable Staff[]
- Juliana "Jules" Lung (manager)
- Mira Maldonado (Lung's personal assistant)
- Anver "Anvil" Carson (Lung's bodyguard)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 SPIVEY C. et al. Tales of the RED: Hope Reborn. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2024. (pp.95–108,115)