Administrative journal for Bete Noire (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
betenoire_admin) wrote2009-10-06 09:50 pm
betenoire_admin) wrote2009-10-06 09:50 pm
Setting
(1) The City.
(2) The Cast.
(3) Locations.
Plot Summary (Nov. 2009 - Jul. 2010)
The City.
Bete Noire. The City of Sin. Biblically, it's called Enoch, built by Cain to honor his son. Today, it's one of the three great cities of power -- the City of Death, the City of Light, and the City of Sin.
Bete Noire both exists and does not exist, in any world. You can reach it by any road, by any path, but if it doesn't wish you to find it, you never will. Legend has it that the state of the world itself begins in Bete Noire, and that events in that dark city shape the future outside it.
Some seek this city their entire lives, hoping to find a way to influence the world around them. Some stumble upon it by accident, guided by little beyond the darkness in their own soul. You see, Bete Noire likes fresh victims. It makes a craft of taking the tainted and untainted souls and carefully tarnishing each and every one. Heroes -- heroes, the city likes especially. Some suspect that Bete Noire appreciates the challenge that a hero presents.
The city itself is a collection of dirty, degraded slums. Buildings are filthy, badly-painted; there's trash in the streets, whores on every corner. Drugs are more common than food, and violence more common than either. The city borders a bay, with water murky and polluted, yachts for the rich anchored at the docks. In the opposite direction of the bay, a road into a forest.
The city isn't without its scars. Stretching from the forest to near the center of the city is what the inhabitants call the Jungle, a network of wrecked buildings and shantytowns, centered on an apparently bottomless chasm. The Jungle comprises about fifteen percent of the total area of Bete Noire.
New arrivals wandering the streets get lost all too quickly as the city draws them in. Cellphones stop working -- forget about GPS, and even compasses seem confused about which way is really north. And be careful, because a lost newcomer in Bete Noire is easy prey for any mugger, murderer or beast that wanders the streets.
Anyone in the city can try to leave. But before they get too far, the world simply shifts, and they find themselves right back where they began.
As soon as you arrive, you feel the taint of the city on you. The best resist it, as long as they can, but everyone has a darker side to their nature, and the pull is undeniable. The longer you're in Bete Noire, the more you'll need to satisfy that pull. The more you'll be drawn towards your own desires.
>> View of the city, from the North.
The Cast.
The Magistrate. [![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
magistrated]. The Magistrate of Bete Noire is a woman named Margaret David. She replaces the old Magistrate, who died at the end of Plot Arc 1. She's a housewife and mother of three from Greeley, Colorado, and mostly an unknown factor, so far.
Dolf. [i_am_a_dolf]. The owner/bartender of Furors, and a stern, kind old German man. He identifies himself as a former painter who has 'dabbled in politics'.
Eve. [magistrated]. A beautiful, elegant, extremely powerful black woman, and the owner of the finest and cleanest brothels in the city, Eve is older than she looks, very experienced, and understands Bete Noire intimately.
Noah. [magistrated]. You know, Noah. Of the Ark. Only, it's several thousand years later, and he has become one twisted bastard, and the ruler of the City of Death, Yellow Springs. Noah is dead, yes, but that doesn't mean he's gone forever.
Chloe. [magistrated]. Mysterious. Is she a spy or isn't she? How does she know so much about the Cities of Power? Why does she crop up at such oddly convenient times? And who is she *really* working for?
God. [magistrated]. Takes the appearance of a young girl, bright and innocent. Claims to be the Creator of the entire universe. And she says that things will be getting bad, very soon.
Victoria. [victoria_hotel]. Owner of the Victoria Hotel, and very protective of her investments.
Wondering how to interact with an NPC? The moderator's rules are here.
Locations.
The Magistrate's Tower. At the center of the city is a tower, easily twice as high as any of the other buildings in the city. This is where the Magistrate lives. Everyone knows her face, everyone knows her title -- she's the ruler of this city. Her word is law, as it has been forever. And she cannot be harmed. Not as long as this city wants to protect her.
The Church. Near the Magistrate's tower used to be a cathedral. A catastrophic explosion left it nothing but rubble; soon, even that rubble was cleared away. Now it's a construction site, in the process of being rebuilt, grander and greater than it ever was.
The Graveyard. Just what it sounds like -- a huge, wandering graveyard, with everything from flat stones worn smooth with the passage of the years to huge, elaborate, brand-new crypts. In one specific crypt, the largest of them all, you can find the drug dealer of Bete Noire: Asia Minor. Whatever drug, whatever kind, he'll find it. For a price.
Furor's Bar. There's one bar in Bete Noire that remains free of violence or faction. Neutral ground, as it were. This bar is Furor's.
The Police Station. Newly built, the police station is probably one of the lest degraded buildings in Bete Noire. It's a very modern facility, designed for convenience and purpose. It is open twenty-four hours a day, and the police force, though small and seeking new members (IC Application here), is firm in pursuit of its goal.
The Courthouse. There is no justice in Bete Noire beyond that provided by the Magistrate; nonetheless, there is a courthouse, in its overly elaborate, gaudy glory. Show trials, for the audience rather than for the accused, are the usual here, but since the formation of the police force, some justice has actually started to process.
The Victoria Hotel. Newcomers to the city, if they're very fortunate, may find themselves at the Hotel, until they can find new accommodations. The Hotel looks like it used to be a beautiful place; now, the fading paint, the chipping marble, the dirty floors make it look more gaudy than elegant. The rooms are free, for the first few nights, but the owner of the Hotel takes her debts very seriously. She can find you a job. Just be careful that you read the fine print.
The Movie Theater. Owned and operated by Oliver Wood (wood4_quidditch), the theater is a run-down dive that mostly shows old flickers and silent pictures.
The Library. Tucked away in the corner of a dingy building, the library is too small, crammed with shelves and moldering books. It's technically possible to find any title here, but don't expect any regularity with selection, organization, or topic.
The Newspaper Office. Working with a printing press that probably belongs more in the 19th century than the 21st, the newspaper office claims a run-down brick building near the center of town. The clanking of the press is audible, no matter where in the building you are, and the whole place smells vaguely of cigarette smoke, whether someone's smoking or not. The newspaper itself is underfunded, undersubscribed, and often has to resort to corruption just to stay afloat.
Meat & Buns. A fantastic exemplar of the trashier side of Bete Noire, this is a combined fast food joint and strip club, for cheap needs of every kind.
Safe Haven. Currently run by Nicholas Rush,waxwingedflight, Safe Haven is an apparently innocuous warehouse, reinforced on the inside, currently home base to some very interesting projects.
The Clinic. Run by Black Jack,dark_surgeonx, a miracle-working surgeon, the clinic claims to be the last hope for those suffering the strangest and rarest of medical problems. For a very steep price, of course.
Sanctuary. Run by Adam Monroe,myheathenways, the club boasts a bar, a restaurant, an underground fighting ring, and, upstairs, certain private rooms, available for renting.
Ba'alzebub's. Run by Ba'al,omonomgoauld, Ba'alzebub's is a premium sex toy shop, with everything from formal wear to dungeon equipment to the basics. And the owner/proprietor is always glad to give new customers a few ... tips.
(2) The Cast.
(3) Locations.
Plot Summary (Nov. 2009 - Jul. 2010)
The City.
Bete Noire. The City of Sin. Biblically, it's called Enoch, built by Cain to honor his son. Today, it's one of the three great cities of power -- the City of Death, the City of Light, and the City of Sin.
Bete Noire both exists and does not exist, in any world. You can reach it by any road, by any path, but if it doesn't wish you to find it, you never will. Legend has it that the state of the world itself begins in Bete Noire, and that events in that dark city shape the future outside it.
Some seek this city their entire lives, hoping to find a way to influence the world around them. Some stumble upon it by accident, guided by little beyond the darkness in their own soul. You see, Bete Noire likes fresh victims. It makes a craft of taking the tainted and untainted souls and carefully tarnishing each and every one. Heroes -- heroes, the city likes especially. Some suspect that Bete Noire appreciates the challenge that a hero presents.
The city itself is a collection of dirty, degraded slums. Buildings are filthy, badly-painted; there's trash in the streets, whores on every corner. Drugs are more common than food, and violence more common than either. The city borders a bay, with water murky and polluted, yachts for the rich anchored at the docks. In the opposite direction of the bay, a road into a forest.
The city isn't without its scars. Stretching from the forest to near the center of the city is what the inhabitants call the Jungle, a network of wrecked buildings and shantytowns, centered on an apparently bottomless chasm. The Jungle comprises about fifteen percent of the total area of Bete Noire.
New arrivals wandering the streets get lost all too quickly as the city draws them in. Cellphones stop working -- forget about GPS, and even compasses seem confused about which way is really north. And be careful, because a lost newcomer in Bete Noire is easy prey for any mugger, murderer or beast that wanders the streets.
Anyone in the city can try to leave. But before they get too far, the world simply shifts, and they find themselves right back where they began.
As soon as you arrive, you feel the taint of the city on you. The best resist it, as long as they can, but everyone has a darker side to their nature, and the pull is undeniable. The longer you're in Bete Noire, the more you'll need to satisfy that pull. The more you'll be drawn towards your own desires.
>> View of the city, from the North.
The Cast.
The Magistrate. [
magistrated]. The Magistrate of Bete Noire is a woman named Margaret David. She replaces the old Magistrate, who died at the end of Plot Arc 1. She's a housewife and mother of three from Greeley, Colorado, and mostly an unknown factor, so far. Dolf. [
i_am_a_dolf]. The owner/bartender of Furors, and a stern, kind old German man. He identifies himself as a former painter who has 'dabbled in politics'.Eve. [
magistrated]. A beautiful, elegant, extremely powerful black woman, and the owner of the finest and cleanest brothels in the city, Eve is older than she looks, very experienced, and understands Bete Noire intimately. Noah. [
magistrated]. You know, Noah. Of the Ark. Only, it's several thousand years later, and he has become one twisted bastard, and the ruler of the City of Death, Yellow Springs. Noah is dead, yes, but that doesn't mean he's gone forever. Chloe. [
magistrated]. Mysterious. Is she a spy or isn't she? How does she know so much about the Cities of Power? Why does she crop up at such oddly convenient times? And who is she *really* working for? God. [
magistrated]. Takes the appearance of a young girl, bright and innocent. Claims to be the Creator of the entire universe. And she says that things will be getting bad, very soon. Victoria. [
victoria_hotel]. Owner of the Victoria Hotel, and very protective of her investments. Wondering how to interact with an NPC? The moderator's rules are here.
Locations.
The Magistrate's Tower. At the center of the city is a tower, easily twice as high as any of the other buildings in the city. This is where the Magistrate lives. Everyone knows her face, everyone knows her title -- she's the ruler of this city. Her word is law, as it has been forever. And she cannot be harmed. Not as long as this city wants to protect her.
The Church. Near the Magistrate's tower used to be a cathedral. A catastrophic explosion left it nothing but rubble; soon, even that rubble was cleared away. Now it's a construction site, in the process of being rebuilt, grander and greater than it ever was.
The Graveyard. Just what it sounds like -- a huge, wandering graveyard, with everything from flat stones worn smooth with the passage of the years to huge, elaborate, brand-new crypts. In one specific crypt, the largest of them all, you can find the drug dealer of Bete Noire: Asia Minor. Whatever drug, whatever kind, he'll find it. For a price.
Furor's Bar. There's one bar in Bete Noire that remains free of violence or faction. Neutral ground, as it were. This bar is Furor's.
The Police Station. Newly built, the police station is probably one of the lest degraded buildings in Bete Noire. It's a very modern facility, designed for convenience and purpose. It is open twenty-four hours a day, and the police force, though small and seeking new members (IC Application here), is firm in pursuit of its goal.
The Courthouse. There is no justice in Bete Noire beyond that provided by the Magistrate; nonetheless, there is a courthouse, in its overly elaborate, gaudy glory. Show trials, for the audience rather than for the accused, are the usual here, but since the formation of the police force, some justice has actually started to process.
The Victoria Hotel. Newcomers to the city, if they're very fortunate, may find themselves at the Hotel, until they can find new accommodations. The Hotel looks like it used to be a beautiful place; now, the fading paint, the chipping marble, the dirty floors make it look more gaudy than elegant. The rooms are free, for the first few nights, but the owner of the Hotel takes her debts very seriously. She can find you a job. Just be careful that you read the fine print.
The Movie Theater. Owned and operated by Oliver Wood (
wood4_quidditch), the theater is a run-down dive that mostly shows old flickers and silent pictures. The Library. Tucked away in the corner of a dingy building, the library is too small, crammed with shelves and moldering books. It's technically possible to find any title here, but don't expect any regularity with selection, organization, or topic.
The Newspaper Office. Working with a printing press that probably belongs more in the 19th century than the 21st, the newspaper office claims a run-down brick building near the center of town. The clanking of the press is audible, no matter where in the building you are, and the whole place smells vaguely of cigarette smoke, whether someone's smoking or not. The newspaper itself is underfunded, undersubscribed, and often has to resort to corruption just to stay afloat.
Meat & Buns. A fantastic exemplar of the trashier side of Bete Noire, this is a combined fast food joint and strip club, for cheap needs of every kind.
Safe Haven. Currently run by Nicholas Rush,
waxwingedflight, Safe Haven is an apparently innocuous warehouse, reinforced on the inside, currently home base to some very interesting projects. The Clinic. Run by Black Jack,
dark_surgeonx, a miracle-working surgeon, the clinic claims to be the last hope for those suffering the strangest and rarest of medical problems. For a very steep price, of course.Sanctuary. Run by Adam Monroe,
myheathenways, the club boasts a bar, a restaurant, an underground fighting ring, and, upstairs, certain private rooms, available for renting.Ba'alzebub's. Run by Ba'al,
omonomgoauld, Ba'alzebub's is a premium sex toy shop, with everything from formal wear to dungeon equipment to the basics. And the owner/proprietor is always glad to give new customers a few ... tips.