Detroit: Descent into despair

Welcome to the Descent of Detroit

Detroit was once an industrial empire. Empires crumble, and Detroit was no exception. With the
crime rate rising and the factories leaving, so too have the people and money. The city is broke,
beaten, battered and torn. The few remaining mortals worry they will outlive the city they once
loved.

The high crime rates have spurred another world, though. Hidden from the eyes of the layman,
vampires rule the streets. From the drug trade to the dance scene, nothing happens that isn’t under
the scrutiny of the White and Red Court. ATM the White and Red Courts would rather feed than
fight. As the population dwindles, it’s only a matter of time before a war breaks out.

Part 1

I started my Dresden Files game yesterday. I didn't grasp the advice I was given, that the city
creation would take a whole session. But it did. After everything from Vegas to Providencetown was
thrown out as an idea, we finally settled on San Fransisco. But off-handedly I mentioned that I had
wanted to put Detroit on the list. And everyone agreed that Detroit would be better. And we did a
number on the city. I've played in World of Darkness games that feel less grim then this city. Now,
none of us know really anything about the city, so we made heavy use of Wikipedia and Google. And
we just made stuff up. We made a lot of stuff up. I even used a special method.

Me: We need a face for this location

Players: *discussion, discussion, semi-plausible joke*
Me: What was that last part? We'll use that.

A good three or four NPCs and locations are what they are because someone had a really good idea
that they didn't decide to present seriously. So, without further ado, the City Themes and Threats of
Grim Detroit! (preliminary, since I haven't added all the faces yet)

Waiting to Die
Detroit is dying by degrees. Businesses are going under, housing is fall apart and the government is
slowly imploding.

Faces: Lord Moneo Skavis

Detroit is a city of despair and death. What better place for the White Court Skavis clan to call their
home? Moneo not only rules the city through his government puppets, but was instrumental in
breaking the city in the first place. The Skavis worked the city into the ground themselves, to turn it
into a perfect feeding ground. Moneo is a subtle touch, preferring to use a hands-off method of
governance now that the city is a mess and simply wait out his opponents. Soft-spoken and calm, no
mortal would ever suspect him of spreading such unimaginable misery. Which is how he likes it.

The Streets are Washed with Blood

Violence is the word of the day in Detroit. Murder is around every corner, death waits in its ever-
varied forms and unless you are willing to put someone in the ground they'll do it to you first. This is
a city threat. The city just isn't safe.

Faces: Doctor Robert Bodens

Doctor Bodens seems like the mild-mannered Vice-Chairman of the Board of Wayne State University
(any Wayne State alums, the university is totally awesome in our Detroit) Bodens is actually an ex-
Army Ranger and the leader of the local Venatori Umbrorum chapter, who use the university as a
base and recruiting grounds. Bodens also leads the Patronus Vicus, the monster-hunting squad. They
go out many nights and spill blood of whatever horrors get in their way and so far haven't been
tracked. But the body count just keeps rising...

We Taint What We Touch and Black Hole City

A terrifying combination aspect, especially compared with the two that have already been listed,
Detroit isn't just a dying, violent place. It is corruptive, dragging even the best and brightest down to
its level. And once you are there, it is very, very hard to leave. Something about the place just sucks
you in and transforms you...

Face: Atticus Cohen, Warlock M.D.

Cohen runs the St. Ambrose Mercy Hospital. He is also a cultist and worshiper of an as-yet-unkown
entity of great horror and power. He and some of his staff have not only transformed part of the
lower level of the hospital into a shrine, but they've started doing...something to the terminal
patients. The people recover, sure, but at what cost...
http://fta.darcness.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Downtown Areas

 Grand Circus Park: Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Grand
Circus Park, bisected by Woodward Avenue. Noted buildings encircling the park include the
David Broderick Tower and David Whitney Building on the south, the Kales Building, and the
First Methodist Church on the north. Comerica Park and the Detroit Opera House on the
East. 25 W. Elizabeth was a boundary increase added in 2000.

 Campus Martius: Located downtown, the area surrounding Campus Martius Park is a
historic district and central gathering place which contains parks, Woodward Fountain, the
Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and a large traffic circle surrounded by
commercial and residential high-rises including 1001 Woodward Avenue. Since the traffic
circle's restoration and expansion, it has emerged as a central gathering spot downtown
with a mainstage. Free performances are held here, as are most downtown festivals or
street fairs.

 Greektown Greektown is a primarily commercial district that encompasses a small area on

the east edge of downtown. It includes St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, Second Baptist
Church, the Greektown Casino Hotel, and the Atheneum Suite Hotel. The district contains
numerous restaurants and Greek-themed shops.

 Financial District: This is the historic financial district of Detroit, which dates to the 1850s
and contains prominent skyscrapers. Ornate skyscrapers in Detroit (including the Guardian
Building, the Penobscot Building, and One Woodward Avenue), reflect two waves of large-
scale redevelopment: the first in 1900–1930 and the second in the 1950s and early 1960s.

 Int'l Riverfront: The Detroit International Riverfront is a tourist attraction and landmark of
Detroit, Michigan extending from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east,
 for a total of 5½ miles. The International Riverfront encompasses a cruise ship passenger
terminal and dock, a marina, a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail shops, skyscrapers, and
high rise residential areas along with Cobo Convention/Exhibition Center and Joe Louis
Arena. Key public spaces in the International Riverfront, such as the RiverWalk, Dequindre
Cut Greenway and Trail, William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor, and a cruise ship
passenger terminal and dock at Hart Plaza complement the architecture of the area.

Southwest and West Side

 North Corktown: North Corktown, also known as Briggs, came into existence after the
construction of I-75. Before this period Briggs was part of the Corktown neighborhood. It is
one of those crumbling areas that might best be described as Urban Prairie, and the west
side of the neighborhood is almost completely barren. North Corktown is home to one of
Detroit's oldest pubs, Nancy Whiskey.

 Corktown: Corktown is the oldest surviving neighborhood in Detroit, dating to the 1850s.
The name comes from the Irish immigrants who settled there; they were predominantly
from County Cork. The neighborhood is primarily residential, but the district does include
some commercial buildings, mostly along Michigan Avenue.

 Woodbridge: The Woodbridge neighborhood was originally developed between 1870 and
1920 with residences built in Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, and 'cottage'
style architecture. The original commercial districts in the neighborhood were located along
Grand River, Trumbull, Twelfth and Fourteenth. The boundaries of the District were
increased twice: first on 1997-12-01, and 2008-03-20; these are distinguished in the
boundary listings with "also" descriptions. Woodbridge is one of Detroit's rapidly developing
(and slightly more prosperous) neighborhoods as nearby Wayne State University continues
to grow.

 Mexicantown: With a 6.9 percent population rise to 96,000 from 1990 to 2000, the city's
revitalized Mexicantown has improved the local economy. About half the residents are
Hispanic, 25% are African American, 20% are non-Hispanic white and 5% are Arab American,
according to the Southwest Detroit Business Association. Despite its name, the
neighborhood's Hispanic community is not exclusively Mexican, and has a significant number
of Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics as well. Though over half of the Hispanics in the area
are of Mexican origin. It is known for Mexican cuisine at restaurants such as Mexican Village,
Evie's Tamales, El Zocalo and Xochimilco. Restaurants, bakeries, and shops are located on
Vernor Highway. Mexicantown has had a thriving economy in the 2000s (decade), as
evidenced by new housing and increased business openings. Clark Park, named for John
Pearson Clark who donated much of the land to the city, borders the neighborhood. Ste.
Anne de Detroit Catholic Church is north of the Ambassador Bridge. The parts of
Mexicantown nearest the freeway and closer in to the city remain populated, but areas
farther out were lost to Measure 2.
East Side

 Poletown East: Poletown East borders the Market and Hamtramck, and is the northernmost
area of the East Side. Polish immigrants gave the neighborhood its name, when they arrived
en masse to take advantage of manufacturing jobs in the early days of the automotive
industry. In the early 80s, there was a local controversy over a situation similar to Measure
2: Detroit Mayor Coleman Young and General Motors used eminent domain to 'take over'
the north side of Poletown, for the construction of the GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly
facility. A large portion of the historically working-class neighborhood was demolished, and
4200 residents forcibly relocated. Some of these residents later attempted to sue, but the
Michigan Supreme Court ruled in favor of GM and the cities of Detroit and Hamtramck,
stating that economic development was a valid rationale for eminent domain. The remaining
portion of Poletown East, like many of Detroit's residential neighborhoods, still suffers from
an overabundance of decayed homes and empty lots.

 Lower East Side: The old East Side neighborhoods still within Detroit city limits are mostly
here: Elmwood, Lafayette Park and the Eastern Market. The Eastern Market is the largest
historic public market district in the United States, and has recently experienced a modest
revival; the surrounding areas remain less prosperous.

 Upper East Side: East Side Detroit is one of the hardest hit districts of the city. Much of it is a
ghost town and crime and gang violence has skyrocketed, even in those areas that remain
inside the city limits. Unlike the Lower East Side, beyond Poletown this area has no
communities, no neighborhoods to speak of--only street after street of working-class homes,
many built in the early twentieth century and in need of drastic repairs. Even in the few
commercial areas, "Closed" and "Going out of Business" signs appear with depressing
frequency. Graffiti is rampant here, and goes hand in hand with gang activity. The further
east one travels, the more run-down the neighborhood and streets become. There is no
clear border marking the new Detroit city limit, no sign; only gradual decay. At night, the lack
of streetlights might be a good indicator of whether one is in Detroit, or in the no-man's land
that stretches between the new boundary line and the Grosse Pointes.

 Disincorporated East Side: Large portions of the East Side were abandoned as part of
Measure 2. Beyond the Detroit city limits, these former neighborhoods of the East Side have
become a cross between urban wasteland and DMZ. Some of this is "urban prairie," and
many buildings are occupied by squatters, gangs and criminal enterprises of one sort or
another. Many former industrial buildings have been boarded off, or their entries and first-
floor windows filled in with concrete; the latter is the only successful strategy for keeping
out squatters. Gasoline-drum fires are a common sight here in winter, and the streets are
often patrolled by roving groups of would-be criminals.

 Jefferson Corridor: West Jefferson Avenue runs parallel to downtown along the
International Riverfront which contains the Renaissance Center, Cobo Center, a cruise ship
terminal and dock, residential high rises, and a promenade of parks and marinas extending
to Belle Isle. The towering Riverfront Condominiums are among the high-rise residential
areas along the riverfront. The University of Detroit Mercy College of Law is across from the
Renaissance Center along Jefferson Avenue. The People Mover serves the Renaissance
Center and the Cobo Center along the riverfront. When one travels far enough east on
Jefferson Avenue, one arrives at neighborhoods abandoned in compliance with Measure 2.
Jefferson Avenue itself, however, is relatively well maintained and it's the primary
commuting route for wealthy individuals coming from the Grosse Pointes to the east.
Midtown and Uptown

 Lower Midtown: Brush Park is the 22 block area bounded by Mack on the north, Woodward
on the west, Beaubien on the east, and the Fisher Freeway on the south. This neighborhood
is within the larger area known as Midtown and was known for the High Victorian style
residences constructed for Detroit's wealthiest citizens, although many of the once-grand
houses have been demolished in recent years. Opposite is Cass Park. This historic district
surrounds Cass Park itself, and contains over 20 buildings including apartments, a hotel, the
Detroit Masonic Temple, the S. S. Kresge World Headquarters, and Cass Technical High
School. For much of the twentieth century, Cass Park has been a hotbed of drug activity.
Much of Lower Midtown is in decay.

 New Center: New Center is a prominent commercial and residential historic district located
uptown in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to Midtown, one mile north of the Cultural Center,
and approximately three miles north of Downtown. The area is centered just west of the
intersection of Woodward Avenue and Grand Boulevard, and is approximately bounded by
the Virginia Park Historic District on the north, the Ford Freeway on the south, John R. Street
on the east and the Lodge Freeway on the west

 Upper Midtown: The Midtown area is a general mixed-use community area of

neighborhoods containing successive waves of development that have transformed the area
multiple times since it was first platted. The neighborhoods are dominated by the
thoroughfare of Woodward Avenue, which runs north and south through the heart of
Midtown. The north part of Midtown west of Woodward Avenue is dominated by Wayne
State University, whose campus subsumes nearly the entire northwest portion of Midtown
north of Warren Avenue and West of Woodward. The Art Center is centered on the Cultural
Center Historic District: the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the
Horace H. Rackham Education Memorial Building. The district contains several cultural
attractions. The Detroit Medical Center was organized in 1985 as a union among several
hospitals: Harper University Hospital, Grace Hospital, Hutzel Women's Hospital, and
Children's Hospital of Michigan. With the addition of other hospitals, such as Detroit
Receiving Hospital, the campus of the DMC and its adjacent partner institutions (the
Karmanos Cancer Institute and the John D. Dingell Veteran's Administration Hospital Center)
now takes up most of the area between Mack Avenue on the south, Warren Avenue on the
north, John R. on the west, and Beaubien on the east.

North

 Palmer Park and the University District: The land encompassing Palmer Park and its historic
districts was once the estate of Thomas Palmer, a wealthy Detroit resident and U.S. Senator.
The neighborhood was platted in the mid-1910s. It contains many large homes and
mansions constructed primarily between 1917 and 1929 and is known for its elm-lined
streets, large brick homes, and widely varying architecture. The Palmer Park Apartment
Building Historic District, on the other hand, is a small area of beautiful apartment buildings
constructed in the 1920s and 1930s; at one time this area was Detroit's primary LGBTQ
community hotspot, but an increase in crime encouraged a migration (by those who could
afford to migrate) to outer suburb cities like Ferndale and Royal Oak. The better-known
subdivisions within Palmer Park, other than the two historic districts, are Grixdale Farms,
Palmer Woods and Sherwood Forest. The University District west of Palmer Park is named
for the University of Detroit-Mercy; there are wealthy homeowners here, but also a wide
assortment of businesses and apartment buildings for the university community.
Detroit By Night

http://wiki.stryck.com/EyesThatBurn/DetroitByNight

Theme

Individual sessions of Eyes That Burn may have a unique focus, but the three themes of ruin,
resonance and transcendence are explored in our stories again and again.

Modern Detroit has become synominous with decline. In an extremely gothic parallel, it was the first
American city of over one million people to fall back below a million. Once the heart of American
technology and middle class working culture during the industrial revolution, today the
unemployment and murder rates are among the highest in the country. In a town where dozens of
sprawling automotive factories once produced nearly two-thirds of the world’s vehicles, two
thousand buildings a year are destroyed through arson or demolition. The glory of the past, the
hardship of the present and the bleakness of the future weigh heavily on the minds of every
Detroiter. Vampires are not the only ones who siphon the life force of the inhabitants. The city is
much like a vampire itself.

If humanity is a sea, then immortal monsters are very heavy stones. The waves you create with your
every action, every decision, your very presence, will ripple out through the years and through
society. Mortals can say “Well, I’m only human, nobody’s perfect.” Not so with you. Say the wrong
word at the wrong kindred gathering, or injure the wrong mortal at the wrong time, and the
ramifications of your mistake may haunt you, literally, forever. There are elders who pay every night
for the errors they committed in their first undead years. But conversely, a truly good deed or the
founding of something honorable or beneficial may outlast even it’s immortal creator…assuming
that kindred’s enemies never learn about it, of course.

With the world so dark, and existence itself often seems an exercise in futility, why should anyone
even try to accomplish anything? Why on earth do some kindred not only choose to make Detroit
their home, but even get a grim pleasure out of it? And I’m not just talking about the masochists or
the connoisseurs of suffering, although Detroit is home to some of each. Because life, and hence
unlife is so often miserable, depressing, dreadful or dangerous, every triumph or accomplishment is
that much more poignant. Nothing important ever comes cheaply or easily here, and a reward is
even harder to keep. Perhaps that is why some kindred feel more “alive” here than anywhere else.

Mood

The smog-stained, crumbling expanse of the city is a hazardous place. In some neighborhoods, most
of the streetlights are broken, either by bullets or by the perpetual infrastructure budget cutbacks
and city employees who don’t venture onto some streets any more than they have to. At night, the
ever-present sounds of sirens, booming rap music, and even gun shots permeate the streets. Gangs
claim apartment blocks, nightlife venues, or even streets as their turf, and execute anyone even
looking like a rival gang member who trespasses. Taxi companies refuse to enter many
neighborhoods after dark. Every door and window is kept locked, even those above the second floor,
even if they are already protected by bars and security systems. People just disappear all the time.
Violent crimes and vandalism are so common they sometimes don’t even make the news. You would
think that the vampires would be relatively safe…from the robbers, the rapists and the murderers, at
least. But Detroit is on the edge of Sabbat territory. Packs of fearless cainites enter the city to hunt
down any lone kindred they find. Elders and powerful ancillae pay lip service to the Traditions, but
they often find some indirect way to attack their rivals. With all the arsons that occur in Detroit each
year, no one would think it particularly strange that your haven burst into flames just before sunrise.

Speaking of those burned-out shells of buildings, you see them everywhere. Boarded-up factories,
abandoned houses, and lots full of junked cars can be found in every direction. There are streets
lined with empty skyscrapers in Detroit. Where once the rumble of commerce and the hustle and
bustle of a thriving workforce were heard, now there is only the cold drone of the wind through the
graffiti-marked, dilapidated walls. These seemingly endless, dusty, empty places may be some of the
loneliest in the world.

Addicts sit in alleyways just far enough from the entrances of nightclubs to avoid the wrath of the
bouncers. Alcoholic parents doze in front of the TV while their undernourished children cry in their
filthy bedrooms, and their older siblings smoke cigarettes in the parking lot with their friends
watching a police car drive past without interest. Teenagers look forward to going to prison one day.
Generations grow up expecting to live on welfare checks, and believe that the world owes them a
living. The idea of sending their kids to college, or buying a new car is unthinkable. Never mind that
their grandparents owned their own house at age 25, and retired at age 50. Those days are long
gone, and best forgotten. Despair is the prevailing attitude for many lives.
I'll throw out that I'm in the area and can answer any questions you might have on particular venues,
events, and whatnot. The thing to know about Detroit is that the city differs immensely from its
suburbs, and the divide is every bit as stark as Chicago (the Loop compared to Cicero and Bronzeville
for example). Detroit has grand mansions in the Grosse Pointes, an enclave where the likes of the
Ford, Chrysler, and other major families still have sprawling properties behind gated walls and rolling
lawns that look like they belong somewhere on the Riviera. Then a mile or so down, there's appalling
poverty where art deco buildings are falling apart, and the once grand shops that catered to the elite
are replaced by pawn places, tiny beauty parlours, and fly by night electronics stores if they are
occupied at all. The suburbs immediately adjacent to Detroit contain some of the richest names in
the Midwest US, if not in the country -- Oakland County in particular is damn wealthy. There are
opulent malls, sprawling houses, fancy restaurants galore. Even Detroit itself has two very split
personalities; you can go through the Midtown art district, with its fabulous collection of
independent stores and glorious art galleries, or the Renaissance Center, a 70s skyscraper of a
bewildering design, and it's like any other American city. Then drive out a bit, and you'll run into
ruinpr0n rather lovingly scattered over the media. Another factor that might play well to your
campaign is the intense 'artist/artisan' community. Russell Street Bazaar, the various former
automotive and manufacturing plants being turned into vast workspaces for people who are building
everything from sculptures to foundries are possibly of interest for a vampire. If nothing else, it's a
great way for a Toreador anarch to express themselves. I still _really_ don't like that Detroit has
gone over to the Anarchs. It doesn't make sense for the seething discontent in the city, but that's for
another post. PM me for any details, and if you want me to run out and get my camera for particular
spots, or direct you to some local favourites that many of the travel sites don't cover, let me know.
Also: City Club - if it hasn't been said already, this is pretty much a sleazy, dark-wave club/bar. The
thing with Detroit is its split personality. There are hidden gems from speakeasies to buried theatres
that only locals know about. Don't forget the *enormous* salt mines under the city. Essentially
Detroit sits atop super deep mines that have their own train that was assembled down there, and
the locomotive can never come back up because of its size. Throw some BSDs down there and watch
the magic. Or maybe that's where the Sabbat has retreated to.
Black Court Vampires
My impression is that the Black Court have the potential to explode in population very rapidly, but
have avoided doing so out of paranoia: a newbie BC vampire proves someone made it, and a new
population explosion in an area would attract Warden attention like nothing else. If the old canny
predators who make up the Court want to avoid White Council attention, that's one of the big things
to avoid.

Now, with the war? With Council resources stretched?

I'm thinking they're recruiting, they're just (EDIT) NOT going nuts about it. Probably the old guard
saw that whole "Red Court stronghold destroyed from orbit" thing and are still being cagey.

What strikes me as seed for a plotline in city generation would be "The Black Court are growing their
numbers... ...an an entirely different supernatural nasty is trying to keep them down."

It's not a comfortable enemy-of-my-enemy situation, but it's one faction looking at a situation and
saying "our dominance isn't being challenged yet but seriously have you looked at those things they
breed like bacteria and hit disproportionately hard - send in the exterminators."

People, of course, are caught in the crossfire...

A:Who would be a good faction to act as a red herring for them? If I'm starting with a sneaky
Renfield going around, stirring up trouble and trying to get the various factions to look at his left
hand while his right unlocks the door to the city, who could compare? A death cult/Necromancers?
The Winter Court?

Q:Would a Renfield - a mindless weapon created by the Black Court - try to draw attention to the
Black Court?
I'm thinking a Necromancer might be a better fit: someone trying to distract people from one load of
animate corpses by pointing them at another?

First, I won't try to short-circuit City Creation by trojan horse the Enemy. Because if you did to me as
a player, then I would question why we had City Creation in the first place. Which is a shame,
because I know many Dresden Fans that love that part of the game. Being able to have input to the
kind of campaign they will be in, knowing certain things upfront in the game.

I would reconsider using a Necromancer, because while the Wardens would likely overlook some
Black Court depravities they won't with a human breaking the 5th Law. After all, the Black Court did
sign the Accords and have some legal standing with their villainy in regards to the White Council.
Sure if a Warden or say a Knight of the Cross comes across a BLampire, they will stake them if odds
are good but neither in any way are like the Watcher organization in Buffy.

Renfield -While you could use the trope of a "Mad Man" to explain whatever evil away, I might use
such a npc as a source for the PCs. A minor character that becomes helpful to the group (with White
or Red Court info), then slowly introduce the BLampire and turn the Renfield into the fall-guy or gal.
Just a quick net search will find you alot of Faerie in Legend that drink blood, so any would be great
red herring for a BLampire trying to conceal their crimes. Heck, you could even have the Renfield be
the owner of a factory, where they use a hydraulic press to mangle the victims before dumping them
and letting the group assume they have either ogres about, or maybe a troll or giant.

Ghouls would also work as the red-herring to a major BLampire outbreak, since the ghouls are being
paid to clean-up after the feeding. But the trouble there is, while Ghouls are low cost monsters, they
are pretty tough in numbers due to their special abilities in a fight. A Dresden GM needs to be extra
careful with using ghouls as well as BLampires.
 White Court Vampires

House Skavis
Hispanic
Gangs

White Council

Red Court Vampires

Warden

Werewolf Packs Ghoul Family

Russian
Mob Black Court Vampires