New+Orleans,+LA,+USA

=New Orleans, LA, USA=

toc

Theme (#1): City always on the Verge of Doom and Disaster, so let's party
a.k.a.

The City that the Living have stolen from the Dead


 * Hurricanes, floods, incompetent politicians, the drying up of the Mississippi if its route changes, etc.
 * The people deal with this by focusing on the now and enjoying the present, and thus carnal pleasures are seen as virtues. Which makes it easy for the White Court to dominate the city. It is a city where the White Council is careful to tread as the White Court has claimed it as their territory/feeding ground.
 * Cults, especially doom cults, *love* the city. Opposing cult threats is major reason White Court permits White Council to act in the city at all.
 * Confluence of Vampires - One of the places which the Black Court finds easiest to hide.
 * White and Black Courts look for different victims so have a long-standing truce.
 * Of course, in the end, Death always wins, and everybody in the city knows it.
 * The barrier with the Never Never is especially thin, but you can travel short distances in the city and connect with radically different areas of the Never Never (Lust-focused areas, Death-focused areas, Water-focused areas, etc.) Some practitioners suspect New Orleans is used as a crossroads by creatures from the Never Never to travel quickly from one place to another, much like skilled practitioners typically use the Never Never itself.


 * The Aspect:**

Live & Lust in the face of Death and Disaster


 * The Faces:**


 * Marquis de la Verigioux** - NOLA White Court Vampire House Head

a.k.a. "The Marquis"


 * The Marquis owns the city, and it throbs to his will.
 * NOLA is his home and jewel and source of power. He runs the city through networks of lust and corruption, and has done so for several hundred years.
 * Has his own independently powerful faction within the White Court, but he is less interested in power plays, so avoids most of the inter-house factions. However, he has a massive food supply, so has a large and very powerful house.
 * Runs the food tourism industry for the white court.
 * Quite possibly a rival in wealth and power within the house to the King, but he has no ambition to rule. Let the other factions fight it out while he remains neutral and cashes in by doing business with all of them.
 * He is both a powerful spellcaster and has a powerful white court demon, and is extremely intelligent to boot.


 * Jean Fléau** - Powerful Black Court Vampire w/BC entourage
 * A powerful black court vampire who has a large networked entourage.
 * One of the few who almost entirely escaped notice with the publication of Stoker's work, using both the reputation of the city and his natural inclination to hide and be subtle (more than most black court vampires) to avoid being detected and exposed.
 * Has long had a negotiated truce with the Marquis, enforces it among black court vampires who visit or settle in the city.
 * Is trying to regenerate the black court and bring it back to its former glory by building up strength in NOLA and then sending out his created vampires to other cities. Most of them have ended up hunted down so far. He is working on a better plan.
 * Doesn't care very much about other black court vampires and what they do so long as they keep the truce with the white court that allows him to operate freely.


 * Dion James** - Local Talent who can speak to ghosts


 * Is very talented at talking to ghosts.
 * Is half insane from all the voices he hears from all the people who have died violently in the city whether at the hands of man or nature (or both).
 * If you can figure out what he says that is relevant to your question, he can be a great source of information. Or a complete red herring.

Theme (#2): Haven for Outcast Magic Users, Magical Beings

 * Haven for Talents, Sorcerers, and Independent Magic Beings from *everywhere* and of any disposition
 * The city revels in its tolerance for differences between people, and revels in its occult/supernatural nature, thus lots of fake stories cloud information and make the real ones very difficult to find out


 * The Aspect:**

Haven for good and bad


 * The Faces:**


 * Al (Alfred) Freeman** - Sorcerer who protects talents from more powerful beings


 * Al had been a slave, had taught himself to read and write, then had used his magical talents to free himself from slavery by escaping from the Virginia plantation on which he was born. But instead of running north, he had stayed in the south, making a home in NOLA as a free black (with forged papers), working as a dockworker by day, and by night working to free slaves via the underground railroad. As a result, Al has a fierce loyalty to the repressed, firmly believes in empowering people to stand up for themselves, and firmly believes in solidarity. However, he has little respect for the White Council who was happy to stand by while his people were put into and kept in slavery, and who only became interested in Al once he used his talents to free himself. In the process of freeing himself, he had killed an overseer in self defense. While he had used farm implements to do so, not having enough hate in his character to summon up the needed energies to commit murder with magic, his escape had used much magical energy, and as a result some Wardens were convinced he had used magic to kill, and attempted to hunt him down. In NOLA, he found refuge from the Wardens because the city was so dominated by the Marquis and the White Court. While he hated the Marquis and the White Court, he knew he wasn't strong enough to take them down, and so he made peace with the fact that their presence gave him some refuge from the Wardens. However, that meant that once he moved to NOLA, he never left the city again, no matter what disaster befell the city. It became his haven, his source of power, and his jail.
 * Escaped former Slave. Grumpy old man. Self trained. Is a sorcerer but not a warlock.
 * Al is a kind of father figure/protector for minor talents and practitioners and will take in any sorceror who does not currently or regularly practice darker magics. He will help train them and will shield them/protect them from supernatural predators, the white council, vampires, or any other group that takes an interest in them.
 * He has built this group of outcasts into a strong network of support that through numbers if not through individual power can resist most threats. Even the Marquis has learned to leave Al and his students alone.
 * Very powerful, not clear where he learned what he did.
 * Very clear he has little time or patience for the white council.
 * He doesn't exactly have followers, but has a lot of people, some quite powerful, who owe him favors, and he has a *lot* of people (mostly former students) who are extremely loyal to him, and will have his back if he needs it, no matter who he is fighting.
 * His network of students were early participants in the Paranet, and have worked tirelessly to expand the organization.


 * Heike Gastwirt** - Wyldfae Innkeeper of Hair of the Dog Roadhouse


 * Enigmatic Wyldfae who has never been seen without a glamour, and whose glamours are strong enough that, to common knowledge, nobody has ever seen through them.
 * Sometimes appears as a man, sometimes as a woman. Appears as different races of human beings. Appears as different kinds of changeling. Appears as different kinds of Fae. Appears however he/she wants. And frequently changes appearance in front of customers without ever revealing his/her true nature.
 * Runs an establishment for Fae passing through the city to rest on their travels. Though they better sleep soundly because it has a 24/7 bar with a constant, wild party going on, with Heike at the center of it.
 * Heike seems to feed off of partying, pleasure, enjoyment, but makes the experience more intense for the people/Fae/etc. affected, and does not drain them the way a white court vampire would.
 * Heike encourages visiting Fae to experience everything the city has to offer them.
 * Some Fae have taken up permanent residence in rooms of the Roadhouse. Is a major hang-out spot for many of the Fae and changeling who live in the city.
 * Entrance to Roadhouse is glamoured so it is hard to find by non-Fae, and almost impossible to find by pure mortals. Nobody will stumble in the Roadhouse by accident, unless Heike wants them there.
 * Rare to find many non-Fae in the Roadhouse. The exception being humans and others who are black-out drunk. Somehow, they find their way in, and the next morning, wake up in a gutter somewhere with no idea how they got there and the worst hangover of their lives.


 * Chris Van Buren** - Cult Leader of Doom Cult, well funded by inheritance.


 * Settled in NOLA because of, in his view, degenerate lifestyles of the people, and because he can easily find followers.
 * Building up towards a ritual to, via destroying the city, give him enough power to ascend to demi-god-hood. Or so he believes. He has been working on setting it up for years, slowly accumulating followers, materials, sources of power, etc.

Threat (#3): Terror from the Deep
Shemishin, an ancient sea goddess-type entity has inspired a cult who is attempting to summon her. The Oblivion War is in full swing as her cult followers try to popularize her, and make her more powerful, and bring her more strongly into the world, opposed by agents of oblivion. Is trying to drown the city to make it an "Atlantis" type location for her followers.


 * The Aspect:**

Terror from the Deep


 * The Faces:**


 * Sarah Simmons** - High Priestess of Shemishin


 * Sefos Effestias** - Prophet of Shemishin


 * Aoyun Chen** - Shadowy agent of Venatori, poses as a member of the Venatori Umbrorum


 * Thats all that's known of her. It's not even clear if she's mortal.

What is the Supernatural Status Quo?
The White Court headed by the Marquis claims the city for its own, feeding primarily off of the lust in the city, and influences its every move and action. They recognize how the character of the city where the pleasures of today are considered a virtue are a direct result of the constant sense of doom and destruction that lies just over the horizon and can strike at any time. As such, they find the city to be a rich feedlot for the Marquis' house.

The Black Court have found the city as a refuge from vampire hunters reading Stoker. The popularity of vampires and the number of vampire stories and people imitating vampires gives them plenty of shadows and misinformation in which to hide.

The black court and the white court have had a truce for almost 200 years, the result of a direct agreement, periodically renegotiated, between the Marquis and Jean Fléau. It is ironclad, and unlikely to be disrupted anytime soon. Both sides enforce it mercilessly.

Always a host of different talents, sorcerers, warlocks, etc. in the city, each doing their own thing, each causing more or less trouble.

Lots and lots of ghosts too, but the natives make up ghost stories for the tourists, so finding the real ghosts can be more of a challenge than one would expect.

Ghouls seem to love the above-ground graveyards, but it's not clear if there are any permanent habitations, given the propensity for underground tunnels to flood. Rather, Ghouls are either drawn to the city for work or will visit on their way to other locations.

And, many, many cults, most with more passion than actual magical power or knowledge. However, this attracts the attention of the old gods because it is easy for them to find followers. Thus, New Orleans is ground zero for many battles in the Oblivion War.

Most Fae encountered in the city, by far, are Wyldfae. Most are just passing through, or visiting it as supernatural tourists, but some have made it their home.

Surprisingly small Fae presence from either Winter or Summer. But they seem to ebb and flow in number and power, the more Summer in the city, the fewer Winter, and vice-versa. Perhaps due to the manipulations of Heike, no Winter or Summer Fae of any power or standing within their courts ever seems to make NOLA their permanent home. Summer has a very strong presence outside the city in the Swamps and Bayous. Winter Fae seem to hang out along the river and in the CBD.

No Denarians currently--nothing of interest to them, though they've tried (and failed) to give Al Freeman a coin in the past.

What is the Mundane Status Quo?
Highly corrupt police, highly corrupt politicians, lots of gang violence, little of it very organized. The police corruption is 2/3rds of the force, half of whom drive their squad cars home for the day and don't do their job/patrol, the other half who are either on the take or extremely abusive to people they arrest, including severe beatings, stealing their property, etc. Also, tourism supplies 80% of the economy, so always packed with drunk tourists on Bourbon St. Strong racial tensions.

Movers and Shakers
Business Owners ||=  ||=   || The Marquis ||= Heike Gastwirt ||= Shemishin Cult White Council Al Freeman Venatori ||
 * =  ||= **The Current Order:** ||=   ||=   ||
 * = **The Supernatural:** ||= **Who Wants to Maintain the Status Quo?** ||=  ||= **Who Wants to Rock the Boat?** ||
 * = **Who is in** **the Dark?** ||= Politicians
 * =  ||= Cops ||= Drug Gangs ||= Cults ||
 * = **Who is in the** **Know?** ||= Jean Fléau

Also, Check Point Charlie's on the intersection of major ley lines including ones that approximately follow Elysian Fields, Esplanade, and Decateur

Most Cemeteries are gates to the Nevernever

Check Point Charlie's (Theme)

 * Description:**

A 24/7 bar at the confluence of several extremely powerful Lei lines which roughly follow Decateur St., Elysian Fields Ave., Esplanade St., & Chartres going into the Marigny. Its building was subtly encouraged by various interests including the White Council who wanted a permanent watch over activity at this joining of power, so that no occult activities could happen in the location without people knowing about it and the cops being called. This was primarily because groups like the White Council who have an interest in preventing abuse of this power do not have a strong presence in the City due to the power of the Marquis.


 * The Idea:**

A 24/7 bar built on top of one of the most powerful lei line intersections in North America. Talents and other magical beings often go there on pilgrimages, sometimes just to feel the throb of power that courses under the bar.

Due to the White Council sneaking agents onto the construction team, various magical artifacts for diffusing and disrupting power have been built into the foundation of the building to make magic use around the building difficult and unpredictable, thus disrupting most efforts at spellcasting. Unfortunately, this means that the effects of the spellcasting are unpredictable, not non-existant. Their idea was that if they cannot contain or control the power, they can at least make it very difficult for anybody else to use the power to further their goals.

All magic cast around the building suffers a -4 penalty to control. If the control fails, any fallout manifests in unexpected ways: e.g., a fireball may manifest as a burst of flower petals, a gust of wind may manifest as music blaring out of a nearby car stereo, a death curse ritual manifests as a demon summoning, etc.

The Marquis was aware of the White Council's actions, but allowed them to proceed, since use of that much raw power could be enough to challenge his dominion over the city. Since the building was built, he has surreptitiously studied the effects of the disruptive artifacts by posing as a customer, and has honed his skills to the point where he can cast magic and get the effects he intends. Thus, he suffers no control penalties when casting magic in the area as long as he uses an extra shift of power to reliably achieve his desired effect. This is an ability that the Marquis has kept to himself.

Al may have also practiced his magic in the area. He is a regular at the bar. However, few magic users in the city have enough discipline to master casting over the artifactual distortions, and none of the rest of them have been seen frequently enough in the vicinity to have been able to pick up this skill.


 * The Aspect:**

Massively Powerful Lei Lines, Disrupted Magic


 * The Faces:**

Name Concept


 * Raul Diaz** - CC Regular, alcoholic, guardian of the ley line

Raul can be found at the bar nearly every day, nearly any time of day. Nobody can remember the last time they saw him sober, but he is a relatively quiet drunk, so aside from worrying about his health, nobody really minds. Ironically, Raul is a Salutemancer (Health-focused talent), but years ago when he lived elsewhere his boyfriend Frank of many years fell critically ill and nothing he was able to do seemed to help. In desperation he resorted to using a nearby ley line to amp up his power, but unknown to Raul it was corrupted by dark magic, and when he used the power it changed Frank, and made him something corrupted and dark before finally his body gave out and he died. Raul was shattered, and for years he wandered from city to city, cursing his gift, and drowning his sorrows in the bottle, until he was recruited by the White Council to become the guardian of the Checkpoint Charlie ley line confluence. The idea of preventing another ley line from being used for bad purposes appealed to Raul, as did the ability to stay in a nearly constant inebriated state to avoid thinking about Frank and get paid for it. He now uses his Salutemancer skills mostly to cure his recurring cirrhosis. He is also the bleary eyes and tin ears of the White Council in the city. Before his tragedy, Raul was an expert in ritual magic, so he is particularly skilled at spotting subtle signs of disguised ritual magic. He has disrupted many attempts, both sophisticated and not, to draw upon the power of the ley lines for ritual purposes. So far, his disruptions have been unnoticed because nobody expects the drunk stumbling around the bar to be the source of the disruptions of their magic.

City Sheet (Faces)

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