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Thread for Setting
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Kael
10:55pm, April 05, 2010
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[Delete] | The chat location centers on modern day Arkham, Massachuetts, a quiet college town that sits on the Miskatonic River. Players are characters who populate the town and surrounding areas where mysteries and rumors of the occult are common place, just beyond the reaches of the urban sprawl of Boston. People of many different ages are known to attend the Miskatonic University, either as medical students or people with interest in human culture, writers and philosophers. Arkham has a notorious history, in connection to Miskatonic University, as a place where many strange and unexplained phenomina occurred between 1890 and 1935 drawing ghost hunters and seekers of the paranormal.
These days the town of Arkham seems to try to push past those strange rumors in order to present itself as a historically valuable hamlet in hopes of drawing in more tourists and college prospects. And yet, despite it all Arkham and all of Lovecraft county still hold secrets. Who is the Association? Where did the Church of the Mother and the Father come from? Why does Apex Industries keep a twelve foot concrete wall around their compound? Is it to keep people out or perhaps, even more terrifying, to keep something in? You might be the one to find the answers.
Edited 6:39pm, April 06, 2010 by Kael, author. |
| Places of Interest |
Kael
11:05pm, April 05, 2010
[Edit]
[Delete] | Lovecraft County: Set along the northern border of Massachusetts, it runs from the mouth of the Miskatonic River two miles North East of Kingsport though the Miskatonic valley, past Dunwhich where it ends. The area is well known for its great age and various mysteries throughout the centuries, notable for its increase in so called “super natural” activity between 1890 and 1934. Being in Northern Massachusetts, Lovecraft County is one of the least populated regional counties with only about 300,000 year long residents despite being one of the most sprawling counties. Major towns include Kingsport, Innsmouth, Arkham and Dunwich.
The Towns:
Kingsport: North of Boston, Kingsport’s traditional trade had been ship building and trade however over time the town has transitioned into one of the many scenic and quaint fishing villages up and down the East Coast of New England. Seen as more of a tourist destination for upper crest individuals looking to get out of the city it’s small port is frequently filled with small yachts and fishing trolleys while bed and breakfasts establishments dot the boardwalk. Though populated primarily by low to middle class families the town relies heavily upon the income of wealthy tourists and therefore work hard to dissuade any “undesirables” from remaining in the town else they risk tarnishing their image.
Innsmouth: While Kingsport might represent the upper crust tourist industry, Innsmouth is the symbol of a loud and bustling Tourist Trap. Around 1927 over a third of the town was taken in by the U.S. government under charges of illegal bootlegging while several homes, buildings and part of the local reef were destroyed. The remaining residence either moved or stayed in the decaying town until around 1998 when the Lake, Marsh and Forest Conservation Authority, a privately owned ecological firm, purchased a large amount of real estate from around the town. Over the next ten years the small, dirt fishing village was reborn as an ecofriendly tourist trap drawing in people from across the world by marketing the history of Innsmouth as a Bootleggers paradise as well as cashing in on the local legends about the Innsmouth Fishmen.
Arkham: The city of Arkham is a sleepy hamlet set east of the
Miskatonic Valley, situated on the edge of the Miskatonic River. At the heart of the city lays Old Arkham where the local historical society has made it mandatory to maintain the integrity of the old feel. Here no new buildings are constructed but rather old buildings, aged and dark windowed gothic Victorian houses are retrofit with new appliances and modern wiring. The tall buildings and narrow cobblestone streets give this area a somewhat claustrophobic feel, tightening its grip on visitors. The rest of Arkham is relatively modernized with Miskatonic University as the jewel in the aged college town. Reopened after years stuck in bankruptcy the University represents the primary economic focus of the town in its twilight years. Old families and old money still run deep however and many secret societies are rumored to linger in this snoozing community.
Dunwich: Much as it was nearly 100 years ago, so it still is, Dunwich is a miserable little berg stuck in the middle of deep crags and squalid marshland. Seemingly stuck out of time the small town offers nothing to the average passerby and is generally avoided by the public given it’s seedy exterior and unwelcoming atmosphere. Potatoes and livestock are the general trade of the small town and it is rumored that many back water cults call Dunwich home as it is steeped in legend. With a residency of only about 200 people, people who should not be in Dunwich are treated with a degree of hostility by the locals feeding such legends. Rumors of incest, bestiality and cannibalism are well circulated by the youth of Lovecraft county and the butt of many local jokes.
Famous Facilities and Locations:
The Miskatonic River: The mouth of the scenic Mistakonic River is actually several inlets both north of Kingsport and south of Innsmouth. These small inlets meet up about a mile inland where they form the Miskatonic River proper which runs along the southern border of Lovecraft County, banking northward about half way through Massachusetts heading into Vermont where the high lands and mountain ranges feed into the river producing it’s extremely cold water. There are many legends about the river, started by the local natives before Puritan Settlers built along it’s edge. The cold, dark waters of the Miskatonic are surprisingly strong, occasionally pulling local residents into depths with several fatal drowning occurring each year. Like the nearby Lake Champlain, the Miskatonic River and its outlets are all rumored to be home to a deep dwelling sea creature or creatures known as the Fishmen of Innsmouth where they were refuted to be first seen.
Miskatonic University: The fabled Miskatonic University is as legendary in the occult community today as it was one hundred years ago when a series of unfortunate events within the school began ugly rumors of satanic ritual sacrifices and other unclean practices. Since its founding the school was considered a forefront university in the fields of medical research and exploration though it’s glory days faded from memory in the 1970ies until it was considered obsolete and passed into obscurity. In 2004 the school officially filed from Bankruptcy when the School Board was no longer able to continue paying the staff and upkeep fees. For two years the school lingered in financial limbo, renting off rare texts and storage space to make ends meet before the school was official purchased by the board of a rival Institute in the area that had, itself, fallen on hard times and needed to move facilities. Pushing itself as a Medical Institution primarily the school still keeps its trademark classes into culture, philosophy, theology and mental studies.
The Miskatonic Valley: West of Arkham lies the Miskatonic Valley, an untamed region where in the Miskatonic River forges through. Marked by deep water springs, thick foliage and festering swamps the Miskatonic Valley has little to offer the average person in the way of entertainment. The soil has proven to acidic to farm, the watery bogs stink with the sweet stink of squalor and the threes loom overhead, ancient and foreboding. Here the wildlife still rules with herds of deer and the occasional moose marked as a common sight. However much a hunters paradise this may be there are many dark rumors of wildmen and dangerous animals in these lands. Men claim that strange lights appear over head or of strange voices traveling low to the ground. More often than not strange rotting carcasses of wild dogs are found on the forest edges where some claim the dead keep watch. Whatever happens in Miskatonic Valley remains a mystery to the common man.
The Merrymen Stables: Set on the western edge of the Miskatonic Valley the Merrymen Stables were established by Joseph Merrymen in 1892 in order to raise thoroughbred Black Forest cold bloods, powerful draft horses that could be used year round in the cold temperatures of New England. The stables were active for 30 years before Henry Merrymen, the son of Joseph, murdered his family and set loose the horses. Papers at the time labeled Henry Merrymen a deeply disturbed, mentally unstable man and dubed the murders the Merryman Massacre. Following his trial, where he claims to have been the victim of mind control, he was hanged and the estate was turned over to the state where it lingers to this day. The stables have long since become run down and out of date however the State uses the area as a rehabilitation program for troubled youths. There they learn how to work together and with animals, raising and taking care of the Black Forest cold bloods, occasionally showing them. Still, many people claim they take actions which are not their own or have little memory of what they do. Most attribute these stories as merely a ghost story played up by the Stables grizzly history.
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| Hell's Bells |
Frank Newman
12:27am, April 08, 2010
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[Delete] | Hell's Bells is a music store located in scenic Innsmouth. While it retains it's rustic and touristy outside, I.E. the building itself, the shop inside is quite different from most of the tourist trap town. Hell's Bells is a two story building, which happens to have a very spacious basement. The first floor is composed of a front room housing the cash register and checkout stand, rows on rows of Cds, Cassettes, Lps and music gear. The room immediately after the main one is an instrument area, with everything from mandolins to bass guitars. While the selection is high quality, the quantity is quite small, the room after that is the "arcade" Area, housing ten different arcade machines that can be used at the patron's leisure, each one only taking 25 cents per play. The decoration in the shop is a mixture between punk and metal, with all sorts of framed band posters and memoriabelia. The Bathroom is located off the instrument display area, and the office is next to the arcade area. CCTV cameras are located in the shop pointing at the register, main room, instrument room, arcade and office. The top floor of this building houses the owner, Frank Newman's, home.
Hell's Bells occassionally uses it's basement as an impromptu music venue for local bands from the Lovecraft County area every other saturday. Emphasizing metal and punk primarily but occassionally offering concerts of other genres.
Hell's bells is already on the bad boy list of buisnesses in Innsmouth because it caters to modern tastes and isn't meant for the tourist trade, but if the town council ever found out about it's other purpose, they'd close it down immediately.
Every Friday Night at 2 A.M. the shop's basement becomes an underground Fight Club, allowing members to beat each other bareknuckle boxing for fun and entertainment. Admittance is based on references from current members and approval of the club's organizer, Frank. Any male from the age of 18 and up is eligable to join the club, but frank prefers those that are known to keep their mouths shut and are residents in the Lovecraft County area.
The Store is an unofficial punk hangout and Frank allows teens and younger kids the ability to peruse his goods and play the arcade games, deciding that loitering is a bullshit reason to kick someone out of his shop and saying that its not all about making money. An eccentric and outspoken member of the Innsmouth Community, he's loved by the younger, more abnormal citizens and despized by the older, more conservative citizens. |
| Bookworm's Shop |
Slayn Crowley
12:44am, April 10, 2010
[Edit]
[Delete] | A shop that deals in both new and used books; for a trivial processing fee, they will also make special orders for customers (Typically $5 + S&H + price of book). They also sell some book related paraphernalia; book marks, covers, etc.
The exterior of the shop is nondescript, the only thing drawing attention to it being a sign in the front window. It says "Bookworms" in large letters. Underneath this is a picture of a worm with an obviously human-esque face and glasses, who is reading a book. It is quaint, and somewhat cute. Directly below the picture, it reads, in slightly smaller print "New and Used Books".
The interior manages to neither be cramped nor too open. The shelves are lined with books, and at any given time, their's probably a hundred or so of them out on the shelves. Everything is neatly categorized and ordered. From the front desk, one can easily see the rest of the store.
The shop is usually tended to, during the day, by an older man, Richard Crowley. He is polite, well spoken, and has a slight limp. Physically speaking, he is startlingly average, with hair that is just starting to gray.
Later in the evening the shop is run by Richard's son, Slayn.
Their is currently a sale going on, lasting until April 30th. Buy one, get 50% off the second book. |
| Mortar and Pestle New Age Healing |
Peony Barlow
10:03am, May 23, 2010
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[Delete] | Settled on the outskirts of Innsmouth, the Mortar and Pestle is a shop for all your new age apothecary and lifestyle needs. From healing crystals to special herbs, from handwoven clothing to new age and international music, from hand-crafted jewelry to carefully painted and sculpted pottery, there is surely something to find for those who wish to live just a little bit greener.
The shop itself is a small, converted two-story house, painted a light blue with white lining. Vines have been allowed to creep up the sides of the building and along its awning, with a classic woodburned sign bearing the shop name hanging over the door for all to see. A display window has the name of the shop painted, along with various designs that are cleaned off and redone every few weeks. Inside is a cozy, perhaps just a touch cramped, store filled with wooden furnishings, shelves packed with whole earth goods, racks of clothes, stacks of CDs and books, and more. There's also a "Do Not Enter"-barricaded stairwell that leads to the second floor, where the owner, Peony Barlow, makes her home.
Peony herself has an airy, aloof quality about her much of the time. Growing up a flower child, she still holds on to her roots. Friendly to all who enter, she is more than willing to help you find everything you need.
All profits go directly back into the store and her own livelihood within its confines. She frequently has sales on various goods, and is more than willing to work with other like-minded individuals to sell their wares, from clothes to organic vegetation. |
| Lovecraft Underground |
Set Chibale
7:05am, May 30, 2010
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[Delete] | Located on the outskirts of Arkham, in the old and slightly run-down warehouse district is nestled a renovated two story warehouse called simply "Lovecraft Underground". LU is a bar/nightclub that is different from all the other bars one typically finds. Instead of the latest pop and hip hop songs, the music one hears inside is instead a mix of industrial hard rock remixes and a touch of goa/psy trance.
The bottom floor is sectioned off in a way that once you enter the establishment, you are in a large bar, with tables and chairs situated around the room for patrons to relax and take a break from the dancing while enjoying their drink. The way the club is designed, sitting at the table allows you listen to the music but not be deafened by it so you can carry out a conversation. As you move farther to the rear of the building, you walk along a hallway that doglegs and opens up onto one of the largest dance floors found in the town. With bench seating all around and elevated portions at the back with more tables and chairs. In a little booth sectioned in the wall between the dance floor and the hallway is the DJ booth. The decor throughout these two rooms pays homage to the many legends surrounding Lovecraft County.
On the second floor if one is interested in a somewhat more cozy atmosphere and to just relax after a long hard day at the rat races, there is instead a hookah bar where can just sit and chill. This room is cushioned and padded so the only thing you hear from the lower level is a low drone and the occasional bass thump. The music that plays in the room is more subdued than the beat driven dance music and there is a jukebox set up for if one wishes to listen to something in particular. There is a locked down along the back wall where Set makes his residence.
Overall, Lovecraft Underground is a "goth club" and as such it is very likely to see the patrons dressed up in their vampirey best. Also common, is any number or variety of various costumes. LU is accepting of almost any style of dress an individual will choose to wear, so long as it is somewhat decent. Due to word of mouth it has become fairly popular and is known to bring in groups from as far as Boston and NYC. |
| Bianca's Pub |
Bianca Harsgrove
1:39am, June 15, 2010
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[Delete] | Found in Arkham, not too far from the Miskatonic University’s grounds sits a slightly large building with two very similar buildings hugging it on either side. The only thing that sets this building aside from its neighbors is a wooden sign with the words, “Bianca’s Pub” that hangs proudly above the door of the old fashioned looking building. The outside mirrored the inside in looks. When you first enter from the front it is just your regular old pub, though slightly modernized. It has an L-shaped bar with all different kinds of liquor behind it… anything you could ever want. There are cushioned bar stools lining the bar and a few high tables with their own stools around the bar.
To the back of the bar there is a door that leads back into a small restaurant. While you can get served things such as pizza, hot wings and fries at the bar, sometimes a meal if the staff is feeling generous, typically you come around meal times to get a full meal in the small restaurant that is lined with about a dozen four-person booths and has three or four tables sitting in the middle. There is a staircase at the back of the restaurant that leads down to where the restrooms are and the most modernized item in the entire bar was a juke-box inspired music machine that has everything from the Beatles, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols to modern music such as Lady Gaga, Michael Buble and L.M.F.A.O. You name it the machine could look it up and play it. Generally, however, the music coming from the machine is of the owner’s choice…typically on slow nights when there aren’t very crowded. That means it’s playing some good ‘ol punk music. |
| Body Image |
Persephone Jones
3:47am, June 15, 2010
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[Delete] | Body Image is Arkham's local Tattoo Parlor, maybe not the only one! The parlor has been opened for only a few months now having been bought a month or so before it opened up. The building fits in amongst the surrounding buildings very well. It's very old style, the only thing not too fitting is the neon lights in the front windows that advertise tattoos and piercings. These being something that obviously pisses off the historical society! The front also has security grates that come down and lock when the store is closed.
On the inside it would look like any other tattoo parlor. A sitting space off to the side for people to wait for their friends or loved ones who are being worked on, or to view stock designs. There is a small wall/counter between this and where the tattoo artists actually do their work. There's a cash register on the the counter somewhere in the middle and a chair behind it. There's also visible marks from where someone seems to always rest their feet on the counter. The place in it's entirety is very clean and sterile, only holding the best selection of colors and the like.
Above the shop is an apartment where the store's owner, Persephone, lives. |
| The S'mocha latte. |
Eddie Chambers
3:52am, June 15, 2010
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[Delete] | He'd open the green wood and glass door for her and let her into the coffee shop. There would be several comfy chairs around coffee tables and a couple of booths with large round tables, one of which seemed to have a group of students deep in a DnD game. Books would line the walls in floor to ceiling shelves, all labeled with a small sticker of the shop and some with bookmarks in them from different people reading at different times. The lighting would be low but bright enough that people could see (several lamps also dot the floor) and there would be speakers playing some form of music. |
| Coin du Ciel |
Pippin
11:40pm, June 17, 2010
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[Delete] | Located in Arkham and sandwiched between two shops significantly larger than itself, Coin du Ciel is a local chocolaterie and home to a variety of exotic, sinfully delicious treats created by its eccentric, teenaged owner, Jane Willow.
It is a very small shop with impressive window displays filled with beautiful chocolate statues and figurines guarding the front. The walls are bright turquoise and adorned with elegant, handmade patterns in copper paint. A large glass counter displaying most of the sweets runs along the east wall, which is created from tiny wooden drawers that store ingredients. A rolling ladder, similar to that found in a library, is propped against it. The counter also acts as a bar, as Jane keeps a number of barstools behind for anyone who wishes to stay.
Upon the center of the north wall is a colorfully beaded doorway where one can see the spiral staircase that leads to the small apartment Jane resides in. Should one turn right, they will be lead to the kitchen where all the magic happens. Lining the west wall are polished, oak bookcases filled with books of various size, color, and subject. Beside them, just behind one of the window displays, is a small table and two chairs for those who want to stay and read. Though they can be temporarily loaned out to regular customers at anytime, Jane is fiercely protective of them, and will grill those hoping to borrow one with questions.
Additional; there is a Help Wanted sign in the window.
Edited 7:47pm, June 18, 2010 by Pippin, author. |
| The Hot Oven |
Baby
4:13am, June 26, 2010
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[Delete] | The Hot Oven is a dessert shop located on the corner of River and Garrison in Arkham, Massachusetts, facing the Miskatonic River. It is owned BUT not operated by Chase West, who established the business in 2009. West only established the business because of a former girlfriend who left. He was left with the business when she decided to go because it's all in his name. He can never be found in the shop on a daily basis. He only stops by once a week to take care of schedules and payroll and that would be the best time for someone to come in looking to get hired.
Upon approaching the Hot Oven, which is a river-front business, you'll see a regular cafe entrance. There are maybe two or three tables in the front of the shop. However, there is a path off to the right of the store that leads around to the back where there is a large terrace that overlooks the river. The terrace seats about 40 or more people having at least 10 tables. Off to the far left, the opposite of where you enter the terrace is an outdoor bar with four stools in front. The bar doesn't serve alcohol, rather it sells refreshing fruit, smoothies and old fashioned Italian ices! Next to the bar there is an entrance to the Hot Oven, however this is an employee’s only entrance because it leads directly into the back room of the shop. The garbage dumpster is located to the far left, sitting between the Hot Oven and its neighboring business.
The atmosphere of the Hot Oven and the terrace outside is charming and welcoming, even though the outdoor terrace does not share the vibrant colors that decorate the inside of the shop, it still is run by the same chipper and friendly employees that man the indoor counter of the shop. When you first enter the Hot Oven from its only customer entrance at the front, you will automatically see a small stand up chalk-board sign that lists that day's specials in colorful chalk! When your eyes travel further into the shop, you'll see a few booths lined against the walls with comfortable pastel color cushions, aside from these there are a few tables off in the empty space between the door and the counter. The counter itself has a bar-like feel, with stools lining it on the customer side. These are in place so people can watch things that aren't already made be made before their eyes. Things made in view of the customers usually include original ice cream concoctions and some original pastry concoctions as well.
Aside from this there is also a milkshake machine behind the counter, accompanied by a smoothie machine and various coffee making machines and makers. Also, in the view of customers, display cases with all kinds of different treats and a separate display area where you can see the different choices of ice cream flavors. When you look upward, above the machines and counter, there is a sign that is also written in erasable media. Though it isn't chalk, it seems more like iridescent neon color ink, kind of like a dry erase board only neon and black not the regular white and plain color. The items on this menu change often but not on a daily basis like the chalk board by the door seeing as a ladder is needed to do so!
Off to the left of the counter is a hallway, the first two doors are public bathroom and the other two are locked because one holds cleaning supplies and the other leads to the backroom and employee break room. The back room and break room are also accessible from behind the counter through a door less entry way. There is an employee bathroom in the break room and further supplies and ovens in the back room where the employees are allowed to create treats of their own desire. Off of the break room is also a small office that is set aside for the shop's owner, Chase Westt, though you can only find him in there on Thursdays and not for the full day.
The display cases surrounding the main counter in the Hot Oven house everything from cookies shaped like anything you can think of to intricately decorated cupcakes. Among the shapes you can find the cookies in are suns, butterflies, lions, fish, horses and gingerbread people. The cupcakes have all different kind of frosting, some towering high and some low with things drawn on them. Aside from there, there are also cakes of normal sizes and smaller sizes of any flavor though chocolate and white chocolate are more common. There are also different kinds of custard, tarts, and danish. They also carry chocolate mousse and cheesecake.
Aside from the cakes, cookies and other treats they have on display, they also make specialty cakes and ice cream cakes. They even make birthday and wedding cakes if requested! Aside from treats, they also sell other things like breakfast burritos, bagels and breakfast sandwiches in the morning. In the afternoon, they sell salads and sandwiches as well as soup for lunch. They also sell many different types and flavors of coffee. For example, Frappuccino, cappuccino, espresso, and macchiato and lattes!
Hot Oven is open from six in the morning until ten at night Monday through Saturday and six in the morning until five in the evening on Sundays. These hours of operation are subject to change during special occasions and holidays. The terrace in back of the shop is open from four pm until closing from Monday through Saturday and on Sundays is open for the entirety of business hours. It is closed during the winter, opening around Memorial Day and closing at the end of September. On Thursdays, Hot Oven hosts an open mic night, where guests from all over step up to the mic and sing songs, recite poetry, and even paint, expressing their creativity through music and art, and sharing it with all of those that come and join us! Sometimes open mic night extends hours until midnight, depending on the amount of people that show up to participate. The first Friday of every month, Hot Oven hosts a 'dance on the square,' inviting residents of Arkham and surrounding towns to come out, dance in the street to live music, and enjoy delicious sweets and other various goodies, while mingling with friends and neighbors!
Edited 12:56am, June 28, 2010 by Baby, author. |
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