While most critters of Mycorzha are good neighbors that care for their communities and the land this is not always the case. Some critters get over eager about their trades and take too much leaving no berries behind for the next critter or for the plants to regrow. Some critters might not want to help keep the Isles healthy and fail to properly compost their old reed baskets or broken wooden tools leaving it for the next critter to clean up. Most communities try to work with these critters to change their behaviors, but some won't listen, and perhaps more horrifying some critters will commit much worse crimes...like the story of Caliban the snake who snuck into the nests of the poor bird families and ate their eggs.

So like any country there must be somewhere for these not so great neighbors to go, and in Mycorzha this is the White Plateau, where the criminals are banished and nothing can grow. The critters of Mycorzha are not to engage with the Banished, forcing these critters to learn to rely upon each other in the much harsher environment making due with meager harvests from the mountain peaks. Hunger is a norm for those who live on the plateau, and they are desperate for food and ways to keep warm in the cold desolate wastes. But there are things of great value in the north for those willing to risk the dangers of the Frostfire Forest and mountain glaciers. Rare herbs, flowers, mushrooms, and ancient ruins with materials found no where else.

Thus a black market formed, with those in the south willing to trade with the Banished for the valuable materials and plants in exchange for food that held little value due to their abundance for most other critters of Mycorzha. All done in secret so as not to be caught disobeying the rules by engaging with the Banished. Getting caught trading with the Banished could result in getting banished yourself if you failed to follow the rules enough times, and so this risky business was not one most critters would partake in. Those who traded on the Black Market often had creative ways to hide it - through hidden tunnels in the Shadow Moss Caves or personal connections to the protected Mossy Cup Lagoon that allowed them to hide their trades from others. This of course was not the only danger of the black market, the Banished were all too often dangerous critters to be around and sometimes the already illegal trade could easily lead to scams and violence with little protection. You had to be clever, tough, and morally questionable to be able to work in black market trading, but above all you had to be incredibly lucky to get away with it.