[Information] The city breathes

[Wynamoinen]

A thread for keeping track of game-world information

Preliminary table of contents for forthcoming posts:

• PCs
• NPCs
• Worldbuilding
• Locations & Places of Power (and their factions)
• Threats and Storms (tbd... there are clocks but probably I should keep these hidden. This might be better stated as "known problems" or "dangling plot threads" or something like that)

[Wynamoinen]

PCs

Anne Charlotte Beall, the Spectre Anne Charlotte Beall Corruption Move: When you witness a scene of victimization and do nothing, mark corruption Anne is the relic of a bygone era as her antiquated clothes, typical for the Age of Revolutions, signify. Living in a world made by and for men, she was forced to embrace something all women were supposedly destined for - motherhood. This she rejected vehemently, if silently, the unreleased tension within her eventually leading her down the path of depression and psychosis. This resulted in her murdering her twin infant children and being shot to death by her otherwise loving husband shortly afterwards. A victim of society and her own shattered mind, Anne’s sad existence is not defined by guilt, rather than by a lack of understanding. She seeks to comprehend how her life went from paradise to hell and relive the fading moments of bliss that she desperately clings to by watching the lives of others. Unshackled by convention through death, she now has the power to act, though she does so in a way that appears erratic and unpredictable. It is her way of claiming relevance in a world that has forgotten all about her, the infamous “Medea of George Town”.

Andre Adams, The WOLF Age: 26 Appearance: Overweight 7ft tall convenience store clerk of Tongan and American Irish descent with dreams of becoming a big-time Pro Wrestler. Although homeless, Andre goes to great lengths to maintain a clean and tidy appearance. At training, he wears a lycra wolf-themed onesie he obviously made himself. At work, he wears an immaculately clean but wrinkled 7-Eleven uniform. Otherwise, Andre wears the cleanest clothes in his duffle bag, worn, crumpled, stitched and patched clothes from the 2Big store. Demeanor: A gentle giant with an ultraprotective instinct. Andre's instinct is to escape reality within the confines of a great comic book. But chaos seeks Andre out. Corruption Move: When you begin a hunt for someone, mark corruption Key Points of Conflict: *Former Pro Wrestler Becky 'The Heartbreaker' ValentineMum is hospitalised with dire illness that doctors do not understand. Andre suspects supernatural origins. *Former failed actor, turned Pro Wrestler, turned thug, Angelo 'To'a' AdamsDad has disappeared again. His criminal past has caught up to him and he doesn't want his sons caught in the crossfire. *Andre's little bro, Ayaron, is staying with his aunt who is not famous for her hospitality. Andre's wages all go to paying his mum's hospital bills. He is unable to pay for rent and utilities, so he is currently homeless. *Andre survived a WOLF attack and became a WOLF himself. His territory is in one of Washington DC's roughest neighbourhoods, Anacostia. At the centre is an area disputed by the two rival gangs, the Lench Mob and the Choppa City Boys. Andre's nightly hunts has brought a fragile peace. *Andre's vigilante activities have caught the attention of a rival power that is making moves to invade and take over from this cosplaying pup *Andre is trying to break into the local Semi-Pro Wrestling circuit run by a shady bookkeeper, Nelson Farley. Andre's father warned him to stay away as they are into 'weird ****'. Andre insisted but missed his debut match due to a shooting at his 7-Eleven. Nelson lost face and now holds a grudge.

Evening Star (at a glance) Name: Brassavola Look: Female ✴ Black ✴ Colorful Clothing ✴ Demeanor: Alien. She knows something about you that you don't. Occupation: Party Promoter and DJ. Corruption Move: When you break a promise or tell an outright lie, mark corruption Those in the know, the real in the know, might recognize Brassa for what she is when they see her. A fae, no doubt, but they probably haven't heard of her. Any fae worth knowing is known by their court affiliation and position - not Brassa. Her court disappeared a long time ago and she's done the tasteless, foolish (idiotic) thing of remaining a free agent. The fair folk don't take kindly to those who deny their rules. She's managed to stay below the radar, even after settling down here in DC for the past couple years. But recent events have begun to drag her into the limelight, and people start asking questions when you're in the limelight...

Cole Schneider, the Veteran Ducky Draws Art Corruption Move: When you knowingly head straight into danger, mark corruption "Hey, you know that weird little tailor shop down the street? The one tucked inbetween the Lucky Cat Gift Shop and the check cashing place? Well, word on the street is that the guy who works there used to be somebody." If you were keyed into the supernatural side of D.C. politics five years ago, you might remember a little bit of a shake-up on the infernal side of things. Or maybe you don't, one demon is pretty much like another until you're the one dancing at the end of their strings. But there was definitely something going on. Lots of scrambling for power, and debts being called in, but it all amounted to nothing. When the dust settled, the ond guy was out, and new demon was sitting on top of the heap. Around that same time, one of their mortal services went missing. No big shock, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that more than one body ended up floating in the Potomac over the whole affair. Only, the thing is, wasn't that guy's name Cole, too? Looks: Caucasian male, tailored clothing. Professional demeanor.

Farhad Amir Zahhak, the Dragon A Painting from a Previous Lifetime Corruption Move: When you knowingly pass the true costs of your misdeeds or acquisitions onto your friends or loved ones, mark corruption. The sound of a tapping cane against marbled floor announces the arrival of royalty. The proprietor of The Dragon’s Hoard – Rare Books and Antiquities, Farhad Amir Zahhak travels the town only, when necessary, his blue 1940 Duesenberg Model SJ parked outside, Fahrad strides to his meetings, his red zoot suit, immaculately pressed, he speaks with measured words, as though he owned the place. Because in his mind, all was his. You ask me my age? Child, I am as old as the moon and the stars in the sky. Fahrad listened intently as the others spoke. Ask not of my family, you speak of things you do not, cannot, understand. Now, I believe there was business to be discussed, something about a rare artifact to be acquired? I do love a challenge.

Victor Young, The Aware   Name: Victor Young Age: 30 Playbook: The Aware Sibling: Marcus, 27 Family: high school sweetheart; mother of his daughter; amicable but not friendsMaryAnn (30); daughter; never spend enough time together, but they make the most of it when they doAbbie (12) current love interest; separated; mother of his son; police officerJade (32), son; still trying to be a good dad to this oneTyrone (2) Occupation(s): Security Guard at TBD, part-time night janitor at the police station, small-time drug dealer to make ends meet Corruption move: When you ignore your mortal responsibilities to deal with the supernatural, mark corruption. Backstory snippets: "{...} it wasn't some broken, terrible childhood that got me where I am. That I done all on my own. {...}" "{...} so we was in the streets. Mom's neighborhood, Dad's neighborhood, and anywhere else the nights took us. {...}" "{...} Trying to not work so much so she can see I'm serious. Problem is, still need the same amount of money … so I started doing stuff I shouldn't do. Selling drugs and running guns is not what I want {...}" "{...} I used to be just some shlub. Just a complete failure. At everything. Love. Job. Fatherhood. Career. {...}" "{...} I didn't believe in ghosts {...} Ain't nothing quite like ventin' your frustrations to nobody in a stairwell of an apartment building after a really crappy day only to have the nobody sympathize with you. {...}"

[Wynamoinen]

NPCs

Our Dramatis Personae! Here's I'll do my best to give an extensive list of any NPCs who have gotten any meaningful 'screen time'.

If this was a more modern forum, I could apply tags and you could sort them as you please. With fixed text, I'll need to figure out if it's best to sort by faction, or location, or the PC they're primarily connected to, or something else.

Important NPC information to track includes their connections to PCs, debts, and factions. I've marked factions where it is well-known. Many of the un-factioned are probably mortal, but.... you never know!

NPCs connected to Andre

• Becky Valentine - Mother to Andre, currently hospitalized for unknown illness
• Anjelo Adams - father to Andre, currently MIA
• Little brother (name tbd) - witnessed Andre's attack by wolves, inspiration for Andre to take up wrestling.
• Nelson Farley (Mortal) - promoter in the shady world of DC wrestling. "a toad in a bad wig with a fake smile"
  • Debt held against Farhad: for allowing Farhad to just slide in as Andre's manager.
• Mr Brown (Mortal? Power?) - barbershop owner, pillar of the community in Anacostia. Has seen some ****
• Lito (Mortal) - gang leader of the Choppa Boys
• Dwayne (Night? Wild?) - gang leader of the Lench Mob
• The Morgue - one of the best and most popular wrestlers on the DC scene. Has a booking to wrestle with Andre (once Andre gets his second win).
• Billy Buzzard - a past-his prime wrestler. Dirty fighter.

NPCs connected to Anne

• Anne Hayes (Mortal? Wild?) - A canny (and increasingly uncanny!) pre-teen. Descendent of Anne (the spectre's) favorite sister. Was investigating this connection, to our Anne's chagrin. Victor is interetsed. Brassa knows that Anne is tied into the fates of the Fae, and may be slowly lost to the Courts.
• The Beall clan - her former husband re-married and sired more children. Cole (via his now-deceased father) is a direct descendent of this line.
• Celia Hershfeld-Reyes - a Washington Post reporter, investigating corruption in the District, and its connection to the Shadows. A "truth seeker".
  • Debt held against Anne: for helping her with investigating the supernatural origin of some of the City’s corruption.
• Vasili Belov - the 'cold man' from the Undergroud - the Missionary - who she posessed at the end of scene 1. Then administered some sort of drug to Andrea Valentine, Andre's mother in Scene 3.

NPCs connected to Cole

• Justice - a devil of excess who meddles in affairs of the rich and powerful. Former patron to Cole
• Charity (Wild) - a devil of wrath who meddles in street-level crime and vice. Arranged Cole's break with Justice.
• Jerry - a guard on Capitol Hill
• Nita (Mortal? Wild?) - former Capitol Hill staffer, current K-street lobbyist, possibly working with one devil or another.
• Cassandra (Power) - a wrestler whose gimmic is to wrestle blindfolded while bringing a python to the ring. Cole knows her to be an Oracle.

NPCs connected to Victor

• MaryAnne - mother to Victor's first child, Abbie. High school sweetheart, and still on decent terms, but no longer with Victor. Receiving child support from Victor
• Abbie - Victor's first child, 12 years old
• Jade - police officer, mother to Victor's second child, Tyrone. On again, off again with Victor. Receiving child support from Victor.
• Tyrone - Victor's second child, 2.5 years old
• Marcus - Victor's brother,
• Eloise (Night) - a specter, who introduced Victor to the shadows. Good relationship with Victor, they can talk honestly with each other. Aloof, flippant, condescending

NPCs connected to Farhad

• Agent Daniel Kensington (Mortal?) - Current special agent of the FBI, current member of the Ordo Draconis. On cordial "cat and mouse spy games" terms with Farhad.
• The multitudes of the Ordo Draconis (various factions, Mortal and Power among them) - oh y'know just a vast centuries-old clandestine organization dedicated to his extermination.
• Nazanin (Power) - a fortune teller and magic-dealer with vision of street-level struggles and materiel needs. A 350-year-old witch.
• Red - leader of a band of squatters in the underground. In Farhad's debt after the group ran off some harassing Missionaries and gave the squatters an AK.

NPCs connected to Brassa

• Pyracantha (Wild?)- Brassa's sister, and therefore another former member of the now-defunct Dusk Court
• Lord Daucus of the Spring Court (Wild)- a client of Cole's, who often leaks information about the Court to Cole.
• Unnamed cousin, (Wild) one of Brassa's closest ally and friends after the dissolution of the Dusk court
• Aunt Wisteria, (Wild? Power?) a wise but faded member of the former Dusk Court. Brassa's closest confidant in DC. Shielded Brassa and her cousin from Dusk's collapse, and is now burdened with their old debts and rivalries.
• Silas Giudry (Wild) - Owner of the Blue Room, an upscale nightclub. Careful observers can notice a mark of his taint, movement under his skin that looked like the swarming of bugs.
• Kriklaw (Wild) - a member of the Dusk court. Boyish face, tight red curls, bright green eyes. Terribly old, shrewd and cruel.
• Reyspite (Wild) - a Baron of the Dawn Court. Seen consorting with Kriklaw.

[Wynamoinen]

Worldbuilding

My thought is that this is more a storehouse for lore that we develop than about specific locations (which will be another post in this thread). That means history, politics, and other big picture stuff.

To do(?):

<need a brief history of the dissolution of the Dusk Court>

<maybe a bit about the wrestling scene>

<Anne's family history? Sister's side and the Beall lineage?>

<The Ordo Draconis? I don't think we have much "on screen" information yet, but it must come eventually>

[Wynamoinen]

Locations and Places of Power

A gazeteer of our city. Here I'll provide specific information about specific locations we develop. I'm drawing the distinction that...

A location is just a physical place. Roads, bus stops, food carts, whatever. These are all locations.

A place of power is a location that is claimed by a faction. They control it, and it is 'theirs'. It is a place where they hold advantage, and other factions are at a disadvantage. This can be anywhere! A bar, a park, a library, a sewer culvert. The important part is that it 'matters' to a faction.

General maps

• One map of DC Neighborhoods, and another
  • Our two named neighborhoods so far are Georgetown (west of the Mall and north of the only island on the Potomac, Roosevelt Island) and Anacostia (across the river of the same name and just off the northern tip of the Naval base in the southern portion of the city).
  • Notice that a rough shorthand, if you don't want to worry about exact locations, is to refer to locations as being in the four quadrants "Northeast", "Southwest," etc. As a very gross overgeneralization, neighborhoods tend to get poorer and have a greater minority representation as you move east and south.
• Map of the Metro. Neighborhoods can be closely associated to their stops on the Metro

Locations associated with Andre

• Mr Brown's barber shop - a location for information, counsel, deals, and no nonsense in Anacostia
• "The Coliseum" - a run-down three-story warehouse, converted into a black-market entertainment venue for wrestling afficionados among denizens of the Shadows (and adjacent Mortals). Just off the Navy Yards near the Frederick Douglas Bridge.

Locations associated with Brassa

• The Blue Room - a nightclub run by Silas Guidry that caters to a VIP clintelle and hires top talent in the city. A Wild place of power.

Locations associated with Cole

• Cole's tailor shop - a workshop that has been Warded, is full of books and a magical focus.

Locations associated with Farhad

• The Dragon's Hoard - Farhad's antiquarian shop on O street in Georgetown
• The National Cathedral - a neutral meeting ground. Has its own neighborhood, Cathedral Heights! In Northwest, and northwest of Georgetown.
• FBI headquarters - also the main location for the Ordo Draconis. A few blocks east of the White House.
• Fāl - Nazranin's store; a tarot and divination parlor in the front, a warehouse for magical and informational exchange in the back. On the southeast side of Capitol Hill.

Locations associated with Victor[LIST][*]A mysterious apartment building near the river - a location where the ghosts of women gather to wail.[*] There is a building in the city that Night avoids. Many people avoid the whole block. In the Douglass area of the city, south of Anacostia and Fort Stanton. Anne discovered it is an entrance to the Underground, a link to the Metro and associated tunnels, that hosts a small society.[*]

Locations associated with Anne

• Abaondoned Metro station - the heart, it seems, of an Underground society led by Vox Populi, and from which issues The Missionaries.