Out of Character (OOC):
Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen
Venue: Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition
Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler
Assistant Storytellers: Hannah Nyland & Alex Van Belkum
Los Angeles:
The Lay of the Land (Part 4)
Old LA & Diversity Districts
"Some say this is the promised land, that if you can somehow get here then everything will work out just fine. I'm here to tell you that's bullshit; you're as Damned here as you are anywhere else. But hey, it was a nice dream." - Jocelyn Marsh, Prince of Los Angeles
Adapted from source material from the fan-made Los Angeles: City of the Damned and the video game - Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines.
Los Angeles City Building Posts:
Old Los
Angeles
City:
Pasadena
 |
| Pasadena |
Site: LA
State and County Arboretum
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 127 acres, is an arboretum, botanical garden, and historical site nestled into hills near the San Gabriel Mountains, at 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia.
 |
| Queen Anne House at the Arboretum |
Located east of Pasadena in Lancea et Sanctum territory,
this park includes some 130 acres of botanical life arranged by continent. It
reference library, and a bird sanctuary. The park is not open to the public
after dark, so when the sun sets the vampires have free reign here. In general
the park is considered a place for meditation, contemplation, and quiet
reflection but in the more remote areas a few Sanctified maintain extensive
mandragora gardens. These mandrakes are specially cultivated to provide
lachrimalis for the Lance’s sacred ceremonies.
Hidden at the heart of the garden is a powerful Primal Hallow (5 dot),
but its safety at night make it a troublesome site to hold.
Site:
Devil’s Gate Reservoir
 |
| The Devil's Gate beneath the Devil's Gate Dam |
The Devil’s Gate Reservoir, adjacent
to Oak Grove Park Road on the Pasadena-La Canada Flintridge city boundaries,
was the site of several mysterious disappearances, the most distressing of
which was the disappearance of four children in the 1950s. On August 5, 1956,
Donald Lee Baker, age 13, of Azusa, and Brenda Howell, age 11, of Fort Bragg,
disappeared while riding bicycles near the reservoir. An extensive, months-long
search which even involved sending divers in the reservoir failed to turn up
anything except their bicycles and Brenda’s jacket. On March 23, 1957, Tommy
Bowman, age 8, disappeared only a few yards from his family while hiking the
trail above the reservoir. A thorough week-long search by 400 police and
volunteers failed to turn up any clues. Three years later, Bruce Kremen, age 6,
disappeared just yards from a YMCA camp in the area. Another massive search
party failed to uncover any clues to his disappearance.
Most simply blame human predators for these tragedies,
and leave the matter at that, though some crackpots at the time made various
bizarre claims about “skin-changers” and “witches.” But after over forty years,
little interest remains. Some of the informed community believe Lupines were
responsible (they would likely blame each other had the attacks not occurred during
the day). At least one group of mages has explored the site, but their findings
were inconclusive, although surviving fragments of their notes suggest that
powerful spirits might have been bound into the Earth here. If so that does
suggest the involvement of werewolves, though powerful blood sorcerers or
mortal witches could have easily been responsible instead.
 |
| San Gabriel mountains |
City: San
Gabriel
San Gabriel is named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded by Junípero Serra. The city grew outward from the mission and in 1852 became the original township of Los Angeles County. The city's motto is "A city with a Mission" and it is often called the "Birthplace" of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. At the 2010 census, the population was 39,718.
Site: Mission
de San Gabriel
The first true white settlement in the region was the San
Gabriel mission founded by Pedro Cambon and Angel Somera in 1771. Although
nothing spectacular by any standards, the seed had been planted and from it
wicked fruit would grow. At first, the mission was little more than a trading
post for Spanish colonists, soldiers, and merchants moving further north or
returning to more settled lands in Mexico. By 1777 the mission had grown into a
small town (El Pueblo) to meet these needs and, reputedly, the first Indians
were baptized here at this time. But religious duties and intentions were soon
enough to be swept aside by practical necessity and the human tendency to
indulge in vice. Evidence also suggests that a massacre was perpetrated against
the locals at this time, although the archaeologists who uncovered the mass
graves have not been able to determine who was responsible. European artifacts
were found on site, however.
 |
| The mission |
San Gabriel is not just the oldest European settlement in
Los Angeles, it is also the city’s first accorded neutral territory – according
to the Lancea et Sanctum, at least. Declared neutral ground for all
supernatural beings, and a holy site, in the late 18th century, San Gabriel has
long been central to the Lancea et Sanctum. The Sanctified themselves consider
it a testament to the hard work, faith, and sacrifice of their forebears who
established the vampire covenant in Alta California. The mission is also
believed to have been the first haven of Sanctified vampires settling in the
area, though no records of any type have ever been produced to support these
claims. But belief is a powerful thing and the Mission de San Gabriel is
considered so important the site actually has its own Bishop. Beyond any historical
significance, the mission is undeniably an important ritual site for the Lance.
Numerous sacred rites and holy ceremonies have been
conducted here. And to this night, in the secret subterranean chambers
constructed when the mission was moved to its current location, sacred rites
are still conducted on high holy days.
Deep in the catacombs it is said that elder vampire saints sleep and
gateways to the Underworld await.
Site: 4
Clover Lanes
An old bowling alley that serves as a watering hole and meeting place for independent demons. L.A.’s true sport isn’t
football or baseball but bowling. There are much higher-class bowling lanes
than the 4 Clover, but few with as much nostalgic flavor. It is a relic from
the 1950s, not a recreation. It was once angelic Infrastructure in the ‘50s but
sat abandoned through the ‘70s and 80s. Demons claimed it in the ‘90s before
the city could tear it down. It still slowly leaks Aether, so there is always
the danger of angels coming back to reclaim it, but that risk attracts the
particular kind of demonic clientele who hang out here, looking for a righteous
fight.
As Los Angeles as grown, populations of ethnic groups and
minorities gravitated to the same neighborhoods. Over time this created suburbs around a
particular culture. It is also a place
where supernatural communities hold small blocks of power and collide. It is a place for Apostates, Nameless,
Unaligned vampires that intermingle.
Each district has its own regent or baron, a top dog.
City:
Chinatown
Chinatown is a neighborhood in Downtown LA that became a commercial center for Chinese and other Asian businesses in Central Los Angeles in 1938. The area includes restaurants, shops and art galleries but also has a residential neighborhood with a low-income, aging population of about 10,000 residents.The original Chinatown developed in the late 19th century, but it was demolished to make room for Union Station, the city's major ground-transportation center. A separate commercial center, known as "New Chinatown," opened for business in 1938. There are two schools and a branch library in Chinatown, as well as a city park, a state park and a medical center and hospital. Many motion pictures have been filmed in the area.While there are plenty unbound and unaligned vampires in Los Angeles proper, they do not really control any territory in the city center, with one major exception: Chinatown (and several other surrounding ethnic districts, though they are all lumped together in the same title). From the court’s perspective, the foreign Kindred who inhabit this domain are considered unbound. The Lord of Chinatown and his servants would consider themselves anything but, having their own organization and their own “court”; however, they are willing to accept the title. For now.
Most of the unbound in Chinatown belong to an organization known as the Red Lanterns, under the auspices of Zhuo Huifeng, a Chinese vampire of Nosferatu blood who established himself nearly a century ago. He successfully built his own pocket empire by drawing upon the ranks of a few other foreign vampires. Eventually this group grew beyond Chinatown, but his title as Lord of Chinatown remains. Most suspect that the Red Lanterns are some faction in China, but no one really knows for sure. However, Zhuo’s grip is not absolute within his domain. Regional lines fracture it as well and some vampires, particularly those of Japanese or Korean descent, are particularly incensed to be under his rule. Not so much that they would dare eschew his protection, though. Well, not yet, anyway.Without a doubt, the Red Lanterns are the most mysterious faction that operates within Los Angeles, partly because it is connected to no major covenant and partly because the leaders of this faction are old and powerful Asian vampires whose true aspirations and goals remain unknown. Historians have pointed out that the term “Red Lantern” refers to the more mystical branch of the Chinese Boxer Movement responsible for the infamous Boxer Rebellion at the turn of the last century. Reputedly these priestesses, the Red Lanterns (who dressed all in red down to their foot bindings) worked the magics that the Boxers believed could make them invincible. Most dismiss such tales (as such “magic” was certainly unable to save the Boxers), but enough stories of strange events and powers surround the uprising to make some wonder if creatures other than mortals were involved.
There is, of course, no actual evidence tying this
historical organization to the vampires who operate the Red Lanterns in L.A.,
but the timing is just too coincidental to be a coincidence. Based out of
Chinatown and Little Tokyo, the Red Lanterns answer to a powerful Nosferatu
known as Zhuo Huifeng. The Lord of Chinatown is thought to have ties to the
local Tongs and Yakuza, and perhaps even more homegrown crime organizations. It
is known that he was heavily involved in the smuggling of opium and Chinese
laborers in the 1900s. A business that, perhaps, he never left. Beyond this,
little is known of the man and his goals. For now his organization stays within
its boundaries, protecting its own and keeping the covenants at bay. But it is
widely thought that a vast web of spies and informants has been woven
throughout Los Angeles for purposes unknown.
Lesser Chinatown
Hotspots
- Fu Syndicate
- Glaze – nightclub owned by Tong
- Golden Ocean Fish Market
- Golden Temple – religious site
- Kamikazi Zen – meditation/spa
- Lotus Blossom
- The Ramen Shop
- The Red Dragon – high-end restaurant
- The White Cloud – occult trinkets/gift shop
- Tseng’s Herbal Remedies
- Zhao’s Imports - warehouse
Little Tokyo, also known as Little Tokyo Historic District, is an ethnically Japanese American district in downtown LA and the heart of the largest Japanese-American population in North America.It is one of only three official Japantowns in the United States, all in California (the other two are in San Francisco and San Jose). Founded around the beginning of the 20th century, the area, sometimes called Lil' Tokyo, J-Town, is the cultural center for Japanese Americans in Southern California. It was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1995.
Site: Museum
of Contemporary Art
 |
| Museum front |
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is a contemporary art museum with three locations in greater LA. The main branch is located on Grand Avenue, near Walt Disney Concert Hall. MOCA's original space, initially intended as a "temporary" exhibit space while the main facility was built, is now known as the Geffen Contemporary, in the Little Tokyo district. The Pacific Design Center facility is in West Hollywood.The museum's exhibits consist primarily of American and European contemporary art created after 1940. Since the museum's inception, MOCA's programming has been defined by its multi-disciplinary approach to contemporary art.
Considerably newer than the Museum of Art and never
particularly popular among the vampires of old, the Museum of Contemporary Art
has become something of a symbol for the Carthian Movement. Housing modern art
from the 1940s to the present, the museum offers paintings, sculptures,
environmental pieces, and mixed media as well as performing, interactive, and
multimedia arts. In fact, the building itself, designed by Arata Isozaki, is
something of a piece of modern art itself.
There is a powerful Hallow located somewhere on the premise (5 dot).
City: Skid
Row
Skid Row is an area of Downtown LA and As of the 2000 census, the population of the district was 17,740. Skid Row was defined in a decision in Jones v. City of Los Angeles as the area east of Main Street, south of Third Street, west of Alameda Street, and north of Seventh Street. Skid Row contains one of the largest stable populations (between 3,000 and 6,000) of homeless people in the United States.
Site: The Belasco
Theater
 |
| Theater interior |
337 South Main Street is now a part of skid row, the site
was once the most famous theater in Los Angeles: the Belasco. It declined
through the 1960s when it became a stripper theater. About 1965, some reported
seeing a red-haired young woman clad in a white negligee who wandered the back
stage of the theater.
Site: The
Bradbury Building
Constructed in 1893 by Louis Bradbury, the office
building that bears his name is something of a relic in Los Angeles. With its
wrought-iron railings and cage elevators it serves as a common gathering site
for period films and special events, and a place for the nostalgic to lament
the passing of years. As it did during
the Earthquake, It serves as a common gathering place for mage factions to meet
in peace. It also contains a Stygian
Hallow on its roof (5 dots).
Discreet Distance, LLC (D.D.)
 |
| The Bradbury Building |
D.D. is a demon-run private eye firm that caters to entertainment companies and other large, entrenched businesses. That however, is only its public front. Its real goal is identifying Infrastructure and selling that information to demons in a position to do something about it, such as sabotage or infiltration. With offices in the famous Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles (most well-known for its appearance in Blade Runner), D.D. hires freelance demons to run down leads and spend tedious hours spying on targets.
Most of its detectives are humans who believe they are being hired to spy on Hollywood stars or to collect blackmail on executives. And they are. Their demon bosses — mostly Inquisitors — then sift through their findings and flag whatever catches their eye, whatever stinks of the God-Machine. Most of D.D.’s work is dull and never leads anywhere, like most detective work. Still, its demon owners feel it is necessary. So many false leads and dead-ends, and yet, sometimes, pay dirt: secret Infrastructure, and even a revealed linchpin now and then.
Surviving as long as it has by keeping a “discreet distance” from its own demon detectives, should an angel or other agent of the Machine catch one of their freelancers, they are difficult to tie back to the agency. Still, it has happened. The former offices were destroyed when an angel, pretending to be a freelance demon, traced back his employers. The firm changed its name (to its present D.D. configuration), moved to the Bradbury Building, and started over.
Site: Los
Angeles Central Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) serves the residents of the City of Los Angeles. With more than six million volumes, it serves the largest population of any publicly funded library system in the US. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the mayor of Los Angeles in staggered terms in accordance with the city charter.
 |
| Front entrance |
Although it has declined in recent years due to budget
cuts, the Central Library is still an important intellectual center in L.A. and
an extraordinary research center for both supernatural beings and mortals alike.
In 1986 the building was damaged by fire during an incursion by Belial’s Brood
(cultists according to any non-vampire sources), but it has since been
restored. It has been burned before, suggesting that fire seems to gravitate to
the building.
Rumors among the vampire community suggest that an
vampire elder of unusual power lairs within the library’s basement, but these
stories remain unconfirmed. There are
two Hallows here, positioned directly over each other. One is inside the pyramid shaped roof on top
of the library (5 dots) and the other is a slumber hallow somewhere in the many
sub-basements beneath the library. Before
the collapse of the LA concilium it either housed a Libertine Lore House or a
Mysterium Athenaum hidden somewhere inside it, waiting to be re-discovered. The last rumor that propagates about the
library is that it has access or is a central hub for the Undercity.
City: The
Fashion District
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