| The Mavericks | New Lilith |
~Shadows of Darkness~
| GM: Lord Wraith | Deputy GM: Roman |
― W.B. Yeats
New Lilith, a towering monument to progress, a city literally caught between moving forward and in the echoes of times gone by. Skyscrapers stand side by side with elegant buildings adorned with spires and other Gothic influences. Gargoyles hang over ledges, keeping a close watch over the city below as other intricate works of stone catch the eye and attention of those who walk the manicured streets. New Lilith boosts some of the best masons in all of North America and as such the city's fine craftsmanship is one of its primary draws. This attributes to New Lilith's booming tourism industry which brings people from all over to the city nearly all year round.
But fine masonry and stone working is not the only draw that New Lilith has on tourists, the city itself is home to vast and rich history spanning nearly a thousand years from when the area was first mysteriously settled to its role during the Salem Witch Trials right up to the birth of the city's revolutionary hydroelectric dam. New Lilith is always constantly moving, like the great tide that crashes against its Eastern coast every day, giving power to the city through the dam. Some say the tide is like a heartbeat, pounding as it pumps life into the city, and anyone native to New Lilith would swear the city was alive. The ground moans and groans, as though it's waking up after a long slumber, stirring as it awakens once more.
Perhaps it's because the world is changing, twenty years ago no one would have thought of putting on a mask and taking the law into their own hands and yet in a West Coast city that is exactly what has happened. People gifted with unique abilities have begun to emerge from within the crowds, people capable of changing the course of mankind. While it may have started in the West, the effects have rippled across North America and have no washed over New Lilith, drowning the city in the rising tide. Yet the question still remains, will they usher mankind into a new era of enlightenment or plunge it into the shadows of the dark ages.
CONTENTS:
SETTING:
| New Lilith, Rockingham County, New Hampshire State |
New Lilith experiences a humid continental climate, with warm, humid summers, cold, wet winters, and uniform precipitation all year. The climate of the southeastern portion is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and averages relatively milder and wetter weather, while the northern and interior portions experience cooler temperatures and lower humidity. Winters are cold and snowy throughout the state, and especially severe in the northern and mountainous areas. Average annual snowfall ranges from 60 inches (150 cm) to over 100 inches (250 cm) across the state.
Average daytime highs are in the mid 70s°F to low 80s°F (around 24–28 °C) throughout the state in July, with overnight lows in the mid 50s°F to low 60s°F (13–15 °C). January temperatures drop to an average high of 34 °F (1 °C) on the coast. Average annual precipitation statewide is roughly 40 inches (100 cm) with some variation occurring in the White Mountains outside of New Lilith. New Hampshire's highest recorded temperature was 106 °F (41 °C), while the lowest recorded temperature was −47 °F (−44 °C) atop Mount Washington.
Extreme snow is often associated with the North East, such as the Blizzard of '78 and the Blizzard of 1993, when several feet accumulated across portions of the state over 24 to 48 hours. Lighter snowfalls of several inches occur frequently throughout winter, often associated with an Alberta Clipper. New Lilith, on occasion, is affected by hurricanes and tropical storms although by the time they reach the state they are often extratropical. The city averages fewer than 20 days of thunderstorms per year and an average of two tornadoes occur annually statewide.
The shoreline is generally very rocky and rough in nature, although a few sandy beaches have been created using jetties/groins, New Lilith is home to a notable sandy beach. The city is in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome, thus the area surrounding New Lilith is covered by the conifers and northern hardwoods of the New England-Acadian forests. The southeast corner of the city are covered by the mixed oaks of the Northeastern coastal forests. The typical structure of these forests includes four layers. The uppermost layer is the canopy composed of tall mature trees ranging from 33 to 66 m (100 to 200 feet) high. Below the canopy is the three-layered, shade-tolerant understory that is roughly 9 to 15 m (30 to 50 feet) shorter than the canopy. The top layer of the understory is the sub-canopy which is composed of smaller mature trees, saplings, and suppressed juvenile canopy layer trees awaiting an opening in the canopy. Below the sub-canopy is the shrub layer, composed of low growing woody plants. Typically the lowest growing (and most diverse) layer is the ground cover or herbaceous layer. Characteristic dominant broadleaf trees in this biome include oaks, beeches, maples, and birches. The term "mixed forest" comes from the inclusion of coniferous trees as a canopy component of these forests. Typical coniferous trees include: Pines, firs, and spruces.
Legend tells of an ancient coastal town located in England that was erected and named in honor of the daemon Lilith. This prosperous town was filled with her followers, most of whom were females. Though the men worshipped Lilith as well, she never responded to their cries, the women however were greeted by her tender voice and soon the women of the town would meet together to call upon the Daemon Queen. These meetings took place in secret where the women were enlightened by gentle whispers which bestowed upon them the knowledge of manipulating nature in the form of magick. The women met religiously to practice the arts of their mistress in private, afraid of what the men of the village would do if they found out the powers the woman had been taught by the whispers in the dark while their cries were left unanswered.
The town eventually fell to a Viking raid, as the invaders from the North came ashore, cutting down the men who rose to defend the town. The vikings razed the town, killing the children and livestock while they rounded up the frightened women, binding them and dragging them back to their longboats. Loading the woman on board, the Vikings pushed off and began to set sail for home, and perhaps the woman would have ended up in Denmark had the Captain not gotten anxious and decided to force himself on the youngest among them. Not willing to be raped or beaten into submission as the VIkings had planned for them, the woman turned on their captor, reaching out to the power Lilith had taught her as she drained the life from the man before her. Drawing their weapons, the other Vikings turned on the woman, only for her sisters to follow her lead and rise up, freeing themselves as they destroyed the men who opposed them.
Despite having freed themselves, the women had never left their town before the day they had been captured let alone sailed a ship. Calling once again on Lilith, the women could only hope she could save them. Though many days and nights passed over their heads and the Vikings' rations depleted, the women were awoke one day as the Longboat ran aground. Starved, dehydrated and sick, they ventured onto the land where Lilith taught them how to renew their strength in the vast resources before them. They learned to hunt, they learned to survive as Lilith showed them the way and the woman soon put together a settlement. Eventually they came in contact with the aboriginals who inhabited the land and through Lilith's magick, learned to communicate with them.Brokering deals with the natives, the women soon established a settlement of their own as they rebuilt what they had lost. They all eventually made a home and married men who they met on the land and the settlement flourished and prospered for many generations.
As the settlement grew into a village which grew into a town, the people named it New Lilith, after the supernatural power the woman believed had guided them to their new home. However while the town continued to flourish, peace would not last long as New Hampshire fell into the conflicts of the Witch Trials. These trials brought angry colonists from all around the state and the adjacent ones into New Lilith where they attempted to stamp out every last witch and worshipper of Lilith. Part of the town was razed during the trials only for it to be rebuilt. During the eighteenth century, new colonist came to New Lilith, bringing within the Gothic Architecture Revival as the town was slowly transformed using stone from the nearby mountains to create the grand historical buildings which still stand today. The stone removal site was eventually made into a quarry which like the stone buildings, remains in operation.
But architecture was not the only industry which flourished as the townspeople began to build mills and harvest the lush lumber from the forests which surrounded the city. This industry would continue to grow and flourish lasting through the Civil War before dying off in the late Nineties. As the lumber industry began to lose its profitable front, New Lilith had to turn to another industry in order to keep the city afloat. Turning back to its quarry, New Lilith began exporting masonry. As the renown of the stone works grew, people began to venture to the city to see the stone work which ignited the tourism industry. The city's wealth grew and it began to once again flourish in a way it hadn't in years, since the city was untouched throughout the Civil War, and both World Wars, it's history remained in pristine condition. Now New Lilith functions as both a time capsule and an industry and tourism city.
Central:
The Spires: The Spires is the oldest area of the city consisting of an ancient City Hall made out of carved stone making it very difficult to retrofit as time went on and technology developed. That aside, the building itself is one of the most durable buildings in all of New Lilith. Aside from the City Hall, the Spires is made up of a historical downtown and is one of the focal points in tourism as people look at the older buildings. Accompanying this is the New Lilith Public Library which is nearly as old as the City Hall itself and the Hobbes University of Law. The University's administrative building was one of New Lilith's original schools, it has been upgraded and expanded since as well as the University as a whole receiving various wings added on. The school occupies a good portion of the central city now.
The Bazaar: In addition to the historical downtown is the Bazaar district which is several blocks of historical buildings converted into novelty and specialty stores. Many of these buildings also offer apartments above the stores which can be quite pricey but often some of the nicest apartments in the city especially for the history buffs. The Bazaar is always the ending point of any historical tour through New Lilith is almost always guaranteed to be busy with tourists looking for the perfect keepsake to bring home. The Bazaar is also home to New Lilith's 'Pub Crawl' a street lined with numerous pubs and bars many themed to the city's history such as the Stein and Cauldron.
North:
The Greek Quarter: The Greek Quarter was originally the Lumber District until the lumber industry began to fall in New Lilith, as such, it has several abandoned mills within it. However in the late fifties, an influx of Greek immigrants moved into this area and turned the land into fertile farm land. As such it's now a rural community which is a stark departure from the tower urban Gothic of New Lilith's downtown. This area is also home to a few small mountains which back the old quarry from where most of New Lilith's stone came from. The quarry is still in use today but to a lesser extend. A few small mines are also located near the quarry, though they don't produce much, the mines are home to several precious and semi-precious gems. The mountains also house a large Ski Resort which is a huge hit with natives and tourists alike when the winter months come. The mountains also contain ancient ruins of some sort of stone ring not unlike that of Stonehenge, it's a rather popular place for both tourists and teenagers a like. The 'Stone Ring' as its known is also referred to as the 'Lover's Ring' and has seen its fair share of nudity and proposals.
The Farmer's Market: An extension of the Greek Quarter, the Farmer's Market is the middle ground between Suburbia and the Rural Farms. The Farmer's Market is exactly what its name suggests, a market run by the farmers of New Lilith. The area consists of both permanent and semi-permanent structures which are removed when the season passes. During the summer and harvest months, the Market is filled with stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables, home made pastries and numerous other ideas. As well the area is occupied by flea markets and tradesmen peddling their wares. Butcher shops can be found newby and there's always livestock or pets for sale. In the winter, the area occupied from the stalls is turned into several large ice rinks allowing for public skating or hockey games. The city erects bleachers to ensure the public can watch and someone is always serving coffee, apple cider, tea or hot chocolate on site.
East:
East City: While not as old as the downtown, East City is comprised of older homes, the oldest of which date back to the forties and the newest of which date back to the seventies. Amidst these homes is the Hobbes Elementary School and the Abramson Secondary School, not to mention the older convenience stores which dot the corners of the streets. You can occasionally find a more modern building or store in the area but it's rare since the city tries to protect its 'historical' buildings.
The Docks: As the name implies, the Docks lay along New Lilith's coastline and consist of a variety of different notable locations. While most of the shoreline is in fact rocky and rather rough, Snowy Beach is made of perfect white sand and kept groomed by the city. Always a popular location in the summer, the beach is backed by several restaurants and aquatic sport related stores. Down the coast a little further lies the harbour with the wharfs and warehouses atop of great wooden structures to compensate for the tide. Slightly further South lies the construction of New Lilith's famous Hydroelectric Tidal Dam which produces enough power for more than half the city on its own.
South:
The Tower District: Directly to the South of the downtown, the Tower district is made up of fairly modern buildings primarily skyscrapers which consist of offices, apartments and condos. The tower district is also home to numerous clubs which means there's not a time of day when the Tower District isn't crawling with people as men and women of all ages come to blow off steam when the sun goes down losing themselves in the melodies of one of the city's talented DJs. Aside from hopping clubs, the Tower District is also home to numerous upper class restaurants all of which serve the very finest in dining.
Little Orleans: Backed by a river which flows both into a swamp and down into the Atlantic, Little Orleans is another ethnic area in New Lilith. Originally home to French colonies, they were eventually outnumbered by the English and absorbed into New Lilith. However, they still managed to preserve their ethnic background though Little Orleans has much more in common with New Orleans in Mississippi opposed to the city in France it named itself after originally. Perhaps to improve tourism for itself, Little Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras each year just like New Orleans. Homes here have a distinct European flavour while the Catholic church and Our Immaculate Hope Catholic School embody the Gothic architecture of New Lilith proper.
West:
New City: New City embodies its name in every sense as the Inner West District of the city is made of modern supermalls, fast food and restaurant chains and homes built within the last twenty years. It's also home to two elementary schools, New Lilith Elementary School and the Calvin Elementary Institute. New City also contains two high schools, the New Lilith Vocational Academy and the Thomas Aquinas Secondary School. Also not to be outdone by the Hobbes University of Law, New City contains the New Lilith Institute of Technology. Several apartment buildings and condos can also be found in New City. Many of the city's auto dealers are found on this end of town as well.
West End: The West End can essentially be looked at as an extension of New City with a great emphasis on residential as it thins out into homes before turning into freeways towards the rest of New Hampshire. West End has its own stores, though mainly smaller chains as well as a few restaurants and convenience stores. There are also several small business offices in the West End though these are primary entrepreneurs working out of their homes or small shared lots.
Central:
The Stein And Cauldron: A highly popular pub and bar run by Serena Ravencroft, it's a popular hang out for both the Highway Men and the local student body. The pub is open everyday from 4pm to 3am and serves some of the best chicken wings and fries in the city. If that's not enough to sell you on it, it tends to only hire very attractive people and the dance floor is known to get clothes to fall off.
The Lamp: In the Bazaar District, The Lamp is a small but reputable antique shop that deals largely in Gothic and ancient artifacts located below a generally active apartment complex. It's complete inventory, due largely to a small group of highly sought after pieces, is worth a total of approximately twelve-million dollars. Though it has a decent supply of less valuable items to keep revenue flowing regularly. It is owned and operated by Warren Whimer, who had purchased it from a bank after it's previous owner had used the space for a video rental shop before mysteriously disappearing.
The Lamp: In the Bazaar District, The Lamp is a small but reputable antique shop that deals largely in Gothic and ancient artifacts located below a generally active apartment complex. It's complete inventory, due largely to a small group of highly sought after pieces, is worth a total of approximately twelve-million dollars. Though it has a decent supply of less valuable items to keep revenue flowing regularly. It is owned and operated by Warren Whimer, who had purchased it from a bank after it's previous owner had used the space for a video rental shop before mysteriously disappearing.
North:
New Lilith Ski Resort: The New Lilith Ski Resort is open from the first snow fall to the end of March. In the summer its slopes and trails are used for biking and offroading but in the winter it's home to numerous skiers, snowboarders and even has a toboggan and tube hill. The resort also includes a full hotel, including the pool, hot tub and restaurant.
East:
The Hydroelectric Tidal Dam: New Lilith's Hydroelectric Tidal Dam creates about 80% of the city's power needs for the years and creates these currents based on the rising and lowering tide. It's unique design was provided by Richard Murdoch who was flown in from Kilbride in Washington state during the early 2000's to work alongside the city's engineers. The project was a success and has thus led to several identical dams to be commissioned in other coastal cities.
South:
~Coming Soon~
West:
~Coming Soon~
| Crime |
The Highway Men: The Highway Men are a well establish biker gang that runs out of New Lilith's west end. Specializing in preying on travelers and stealing their cars, the Highway Men have quite a reputation out near the freeways. They operate out of several garages around the city, keeping their base on the move since their last leader was busted just over two years ago. These garages are all equipped for stripping a car of its identifiers and making it easy to sell on the black market. While they weren't originally a violent gang, ever since the new leader took over the Highway Men have become steadily more vicious in their attacks and car jackings.
The Welcome Crew: Primary made up of bored local rich kids ranging from mid to late teens, the 'Welcome Crew' prey on lone or weak looking tourists. Once they've found a target they split their numbers in half, with the one half running ahead to find an ambush alley while the other half tails the target. Once the target passes the ambush point, the 'Crew drag them into the alley where the rest of the gang rushes in and the collective group brutally beats the tourists before running away leaving the victim in critical condition and sometimes dead. Police believe that the gang is run by a single authoritative figure who has found a way to manipulate these kids.
Anarchists: The Anarchists are a small terrorist cell bent on causing as much chaos as they can at a time. Often they employ arson as their primary means of attack but they're no strangers to bombs and other forms of explosives. If they can get their hands on guns or other firearms they will use them but most of their attacks are done using untraceable home made devices. The Anarchists tend to target the historical areas of the city to cause the most harm, however thus far due to their amateur nature they've been stopped. The police can't seem to isolate the leaders though and with each failed attempt the next one puts more and more of the city's populace at risk.
Five Coins: One of New Lilith's oldest legends says that the city's original founders have five ceremony coins minted to mark the occasion. It was also said that these fives coins were stolen by a group of thieves. The Five Coins are a secret sect of thieves who live and operate within New Lilith though many dismiss them as urban legends and fictional. The police refuse to take the notion of a underground network of thieves secretly despite the fact the Coins leave a signature calling card in the form of a gold coin. The Five Coins live by a very strict code and anyone in the group who kills or attacks while performing a heist is immediately kicked out of the group and turned into the police either by way of entrapment or a frame job. It is unknown if the Coins have a set headquarters or if they're nomadic, constantly changing their base of operations from location to location within New Lilith.
Human Traffickers: No one knows the name of the group who is behind the kidnappings in New Lilith, but there's a small group of human traffickers who preys on anyone out alone in the dark. Police can't seem to find a pattern as people of all ages, genders and race go missing at random never to be heard from again. Any of the bodies that have showed up have been stripped of both their blood and their organs. Police believe there's some kind of black market deal behind this but they have no leads as neither the bodies nor the kidnapping sights yield any evidence.
The Courtesan: New Lilith's Brothel House operates out of the Bazaar District from the back of the 'Courtesan' bar and club. A gray area in terms of legalities, this highly functional prostitution house sees a fair share of patrons from the Towers almost every night while in the day operates as a historical feature. While the police have tried to make a few arrest, the owner of the Brothel, Miss. Mina Harker, has always been able to clear the building as legal. Though rumors say that quite a few of the workers are acquired through less than legal means, in addition to the fact that quite often someone who 'forgets' to tip can be found dead as a doornail in a dumpster a few blocks away. Despite all this Miss Harker proclaims his establishment to be the shining example of legal, it also doesn't hurt that Miss Harker seems to have access to immeasurable wealth.
The Coven: The Coven is a group of supposed 'witches' but in reality they just seem to be a group of animal and environmental activists who use traditional stereotypes combined with nature based religions to entice people to believe that are in fact witches. So far they haven't caused any damage to the city or caused anyone bodily harm. to any of the citizens. But they have been detained for unlawful gathering and protests. Police are keeping a close eye on them as they fear their methods will grow more extreme especially with the attention the media has been giving other gangs in the city.
Drug Trade: The drug trade is rather high in New Lilith, specifically in the form of crystal meth and crack cocaine. Heroin is also readily available in most shady alleys. The police have tried to close down a few different labs and dealers but no one keep springing up in their place, as long as there is crime in New Lilith the drug trade will continue to be active.
Name: Simon Freud aka Frostbite
Age: 21
Skills: Cryokinesis
Personality:
Bio: Originally a member of the Highway Men biker gang, Frostbite struck out on his own after Roy Caspian was incarcerated after the betrayal of his right hand man and daughter's boyfriend Jack Cobb. Discovering his metagene which had given him cryokinesis, Frostbite struck out on a crime spree targeting jewelry stores are he sought to capture all the 'ice' in New Lilith.
