Local History

Local History

This information is a duplication of the data stored in the +fh database. By and large, it is accessible to anyone who does Web searches or goes to the local library. (For more detailed information about specific questions, make a research request with +request and roll Intelligence+Academics.Research to it. If you have access to libraries with more extensive resources, note that in your job.)

Please bear in mind that this is PUBLIC information. Especially regarding NPCs and events, what is written here is not the full story. They do not, alas, post everything they do on Facebook.

General

These entries regard general topics or categories outside of the subcategories below.

Geography

The geography of the area is relatively simple, and very predictably full of rocks, trees and more rocks stacked on other rocks. Vermont is good at stacking rocks. It has a lot of practice.

Tucked away from the Green Mountains as they are, for our purposes, assume Mount Salvation (East and West peaks) and Mount Mischance are both monadnocks -- mountains separated from a range, thrusting up all on their lonesome. As mountains, neither quite passes that magical 4000 feet, but they are tall enough, and situated well enough, to provide a number of interesting crevasses in the granite, as well as mineral deposits and the spring which becomes the River Tam.

Bracketing a high valley (Tamarack Falls), the mountains break away into a sheer tumble of cliffside boulders, the granite of their bones slowing the river's efforts to cut deeper down into the rock on its way south. The river eventually plunges off to form the falls from which the small town takes its name, waters feeding Lake Brunsett below. The lake itself is ten miles long and just past three at its widest point, containing many small islands and following the lay of the land to form secluded coves amidst the forest surrounding its shores.

The River Tam provides the lake's primary outlet, too, water flowing south-southeast through the heart of the flatland city (Fort Brunsett) on its way toward joining rivers far in the distance. It is a useful shipping lane, though not a broad one, and sees regular traffic into and out of the city.

East and west of the Tamarack Falls/Fort Brunsett area, the land alternates between broad grassy hillsides and forests, remaining excellent hunting land and sparsely populated save for the areas directly along I-89 on its way west-northwest.

Native Americans

Unusual for such a fertile and lovely valley, there was no permanent native presence in the area when the white/European settlers came north in search of land and trade. This would be because the natives were smart cookies. Sure, there were places where the spirits were close to earth, but... Children going off into the Long Shadows of the Hedge, meeting queer strangers who knew too much... not good. The spirits of the land know better, too, and refer to the area as The Lost Valley (the irony unintended, but keenly felt by those who know how truly Lost a soul can be!). Stories about the Valley have spread, quietly, to any tribesmen near enough for them to be relevant. Local libraries contain enough history for persistent searchers to locate this information fairly easily.

The natives, largely Abenaki, have lived in the land now called Vermont for 10,000 years (true fact!), but their aversion to the River Tam's valley has not ebbed with time, and their population remains minimal at best. Those few who do choose to live in the valley are, by family standards, bloody lunatics and foolhardy risk-takers, however responsible or stable they might otherwise be.

If you intend to play an Abenaki, staff has taken no liberties with their culture aside from the above insertion of our fictional geography and nWoD themes into their midst.

Religion

According to 2014's Gallup poll, Vermont is the least religious state in the country, with under a quarter of the population identifying itself as "very religious" people. The largest religious affiliation is the Roman Catholic church. As a consequence, while there may be small gathering places for other religions, staff has not built them; the Church of St. Benedict Joseph Labre (a.k.a. The North Cathedral) in Fort Brunsett and the old town church up in Tamarack Falls are the only staff-built structures.

On the bright side, this means that you're not likely to have crosses burnt onto your lawn for being different! Take it as read that, by and large, where anybody believes anything, the NPCs are probably at least telling themselves that they're Catholic, whether or not they actually practice the religion.

The Eye

What non-psychic mortals might have heard:

...

What local Changelings might have heard:

The psychics here have a group of their own, their own Freehold of sorts.

What non-local Changelings might have heard:

...

What non-local Psychics might have heard:

The Eye is the name of a psychic group somewhere <this direction>.

What local Psychics know, once they are initiated:

The Eye is an organisation devoted to keeping track of, and training, anyone in the local area who displays hints of psychic talent. Founded back in the early 1900s, it does what it can to support the community while furthering its own goal: knowledge.

Above all things, the group collects the visions and experiences of its members, with over a hundred years' worth of recordings, written, tape and digital, in its secret repository.

Families

These entries relate to the seven Families.

Fort Brunsett

These entries relate to the city of Fort Brunsett and its surroundings.

Chicken Hill

The smallest and most southerly of the Four Hills from which the district takes its name, Chicken Hill has seen its share of drama, but it limps on and, albeit with decrepit dignity, still manages to boast its fair share of historic properties. The name originated from a rock formation toward the top of the hill, according to local folklore, though modern viewers question the sobriety of the settler who thought a lump of granite looked anything like a hen on eggs.

Among its most well-known properties, the Rose Court Tenement house remains a shabby-genteel housing area for those not quite wealthy, but not quite poor.

Church of St. Benedict

Colloquially known as 'The North Cathedral', the Church of St. Benedict Joseph Labre is, in all but that teensy smidge of maybe possibly slightly important papal decree, a cathedral. Which is to say, the building was certainly designed as such, and far more grandly than the small city deserves, but Burlington is the bishop's seat. Not Fort Brunsett.

In terms of architecture, the jewel box of a building has been crafted of native granite at the peak of Lewis Hill, located in the high-end Four Hills district. Small for its kind, it was nonetheless built to last, and it was the last thing the North family built, thanks to mistaken faith in their own (lack of) influence over the Roman Catholic selection of the see. Penniless, they left the city in disgrace shortly thereafter.

Ironically dedicated to the saint of homelessness, the church survives on the donations of its wealthier parishioners and the interest it earns in hefty bank accounts, fighting chronic battles with the local Historical Committee over such modernizations as ramps for the handicapped and, horror of horrors, whether or not they can coopt some of their grounds to add to their too-small parking area.

Fort Brunsett Hill

The tallest of the hills within the Historical District, it unsurprisingly supports the stony bulk of Fort Brunsett itself. Neither high enough to truly give a good vantage nor large enough to truly allow for much in the way of interior space within the fort, it wasn't the best choice. Really wasn't. Local historians often tout other hills in the area as better sites, citing old records of past debates on that very subject.

Located on the east bank of the River Tam, the top third of the hill is bare grass and stone, maintained as the Fort's historic precinct, but below it, the occasional home or tourist friendly business has sprung up. Expensive home, mind you. This is not a cheap district, and has strict standards about maintaining historical forms, paints and structures.

Four Hills District

Named after the four hills upon which its residents reside, the area combines age with wealth, class and cachet, its homes typically less modern and less adventurous than those to be found in Tambridge.

As the city grew, the land on the Four Hills began to get more valuable, in part thanks to the presence of the Garreau family. Or, more to the point, their money, since they were quite wealthy, quite educated, and therefore quite fashionable as company. The fortunes of some families have gently declined since the city's heyday, but it is still a six-figure neighbourhood.

Aside from its wealthy occupants, the district is famous for the presence of the "North Cathedral" (technically the Church of St. Benedict) and all city legends associated therewith.

Geographically, it is close to the southwestern edge of the city, forests abutting its borders. Its western border touches on Hart Pond, and the Singers' Circle community offers its entertainment options to the north, while northeastern Patterson and Riverside vie for its eastern border. Southeastern Twixt divides the wealthy from the poor in the Industrial District on the Tam's west bank.

Frog Haven Pond

One of two ponds in the Fort Brunsett area, Frog Haven Pond was named after the prevalence of leopard frogs in its vicinity, many a child startled by the wet splop of a slimy little body on its banks. The frogs themselves, being frogs, are none too bright, and provide endless opportunities for "hunters" to catch their wily prey.

Located near the Nelson development on the city's far eastern flank, the mile-long pond is a popular one for families and recreational boaters, providing ample room for rowing, kayaking and, in the winter months, ice skating contests.

Hart Pond

One of two ponds in the Fort Brunsett area, Hart Pond is by far the quieter of the two. Just barely within the western outskirts of the city, only nominally a part of it, those who live there enjoy the city-goer's version of wilderness, where the worst animal problems are the herds of deer eating the vegetables more often than not. The occasional bear has been known to visit, and glimpses of wolves have at times been seen deeper in the forest, but the rangers keep the area safe.

Named after the deer which drink at it, the buildings here tend to be more rustic, wood, relatively small, but comfortable.

Hawkeye Hill

The highest hill in the Sweetwater Hilltops district, Hawkeye is largely wild, with only the occasional cabin or homestead tucked onto its slopes. Its major claim to fame IS its height, and the relative scarcity of dense trees at its peak. Its name is derived from the fact that those with the keenest eyes can see, miles to the east, the smoke rising from the next town over in the winter time.

Hill List

Fort Brunsett is, more or less, a city with a dearth of flat land to expand on. Its hills are many, some fairly tall, but none tall enough to truly cause difficulties beyond the occasional lapse in parking brakes. The area nearest the river, once used for farming and smaller markets, is the modern day downtown largely because it is the flattest land in Fort Brunsett.

Hills by District:
Delwood	Little Maple, Stockford
Four Hills	Chicken, Dayton, Lewis, Pine
Historical	Blue, Connolly, Fort Brunsett, Key, Nag
Nelson	Greenbeck, Slink
Snake Creek	Flat Top, High
Sweetwater	Hawkeye, Juneberry

Key Hill

The smallest of the hills within the Historical District, smaller even than Nag, Key Hill is a carbuncle on the side of Fort Brunsett's eastern slope. It has no claims to fame. It does, however, have a small local legend relating to the loss of a certain very important key.

Back in the 1880s, as the lumber heyday was beginning to wane, an elderly gentleman by the name of Harris Dortmann kept a mistress in a small house on the hill. Mr. Dortmann was, at the time, a very wealthy banker, with very expensive tastes, which may explain why he was able to hold the interest of a 30-something widow. He would have kept that interest, too, if he had followed through on his promises to pay her. One evening, or so the story goes, the man came to his mistress at night and availed himself of her company. Said mistress, out of patience and not a fool, drugged him, stole his keys and snuck into the bank, punctiliously pilfering precisely what she had been owed, writing out a withdrawal slip and tucking it into Dortmann's desk drawer. His keys? Those, she kept.

Lewis Hill

Northmost of the Four Hills from which the district takes its name, Lewis Hill is rather unremarkable in and of itself, and might well have been turned into a quarry for its granite roots if not for its proximity to wealthier portions of the burgeoning new city of Fort Brunsett. It is the second smallest of the four hills, only Chicken Hill below it.

In the end, the hill is known less for itself and more for the humourous history surrounding its crowning jewel: The Church of St. Benedict Joseph Labre, colloquially known as 'The North Cathedral'.

Little Maple Hill

Located toward the northwestern outskirts of the city, just northeast of Stockford Hill, the Little Maple Hill is nothing like as famous as its Tamarack Falls cousin. More often than not, its name is completely irrelevant, thanks to the fact that developer Devin Delwood chose its picturesque slopes for his family-friendly housing lots. When someone mentions living in Delwood, this is more than likely where they mean.

The name originated from the stands of maples which used to cover its peak, and while most of its original forest has long since been razed to clear land for homes, a few groves of old-growth sugar maples do remain.

Nag Hill

A rather squat and unprepossessing hill within the Historical District, Nag Hill's primary claim to fame is the sheer mass of jokes which have been made about the fact that City Hall was built on it. A number of other municipal buildings also call this hill their home.

The hill was, in fact, named in the late 1800s for a famous local racehorse facetiously named 'Nag' by his owner.

North Cathedral

In the early 1800s, the North family came into money. Proponents of the Roman Catholic faith and determined to show the 'old money' that they could leave their mark on history just as well, thank you, they determined to persuade the church to settle the new bishop in young Fort Brunsett, rather than Burlington -- and failed. Resoundingly, in fact, but in the process of the years' long selection, the 'North Cathedral' was complete.

'Church' may be the correct term in strict doctrine, but in terms of architecture, the jewel box of a building is an exquisitely wrought cathedral. Small for its kind, constructed of native stone and built to last, the building is set high on Lewis Hill to catch and hold the light at all times of day, the addition of stained glass windows later in its history a donation from some far, far luckier patron.

In the end, not only was the Norths' piety unrewarded, but they also spent very nearly every penny they owned to get the building done in time. In despair, rather than its original, far grander title, the North patriarch declared the building dedicated to St. Benedict, the patron saint of homelessness, before leaving the city in disgrace.

Olde Market

Originally one of the main commercial sectors of the new city, the Marketplace, now the Olde Market, is a collection of businesses tucked around small central plazas on the west side of the Tam, and remains a popular place for small boutiques and restaurants to this day. Unlike the Riverside Markets, which trend toward ethnic and exotic, the stores in the Olde Market are the thrift shops, the carpenters, the antiques, the cute little cafes and gift shops tourists find so charming.

While there is occasionally housing here, it is almost uniformly found above a shopfront.

Geographically, the area is located near the north-northwestern edge of the city, with Tambridge to its north-northeast, Delwood to its northwest, Singers' Circle to the west and Patterson to the south. The lights and noise of the Entertainment District are amply visible across the river.

Patterson District

A long stretch of land located on the west bank, the Patterson District is just far enough away from the river for its waters to be heard, not seen. A practical place, family friendly and down to earth, the neighbourhoods here are firmly middle-class, with houses and yards and pets mingling with flung toys across sidestreets in an urban idyll. Until police sirens scream their way out from the station, anyway. The local Police and Fire stations are located here, as well as the Patterson Middle School.

Geographically, the district is south of affluent Tambridge and abuts against the Delwood developments on its northwestern border. West touches on the Singers' Circle, while south-southeast is all Riverside. One of the city's three bridges is named after this district.

Pine Hill

Tallest and most spacious of the Four Hills from which the district takes its name, Pine Hill was named after the prevalence of pines on its forested slopes, though the east side is largely devoted to expensive homes and a Vermonter's idea of luxury housing. It is a quiet place...when the Garreaus are not tinkering.

Inveterate scientists, teachers, doctors and more, the Garreau family claimed by and large the entire western side of the hill, straight on down into the rolling wilderness against its flank, and the wealthy lot continues to hold to that ancestral claim to this very day. Much to the city's amusement, the eccentric family's perpetually unsuccessful 'Moontide' vineyard is located just outside the family lands.

Singers' Circle

Originally part of the old Marketplace, the Singers' Circle gained its name from a notorious troupe of students determined to become master bards. Drunken masters, mind. Performances were staged in open plazas, repeatedly, and over time, more groups arrived, professionals, to settle in and around the plazas and the gently winding streets with their theatres and their performance halls. Very much an entertainment district of its own, it caters less to the blacklight and neon latex crowd and more to the old-fashioned stage makeup and Renaissance faire gangs, with businesses and New Age shops to match.

Housing is prevalent here, with shabby but clean apartments suffering genteel neglect. Pray your walls are thick enough to block out the musical ambitions of your neighbours.

Geographically, it is located well away from the west bank of the River Tam, with Delwood to the north, the Olde Market to the east, Four Hills to the south and Hart Pond on its wooded western border. The Patterson District is east-southeast, but there are no direct roads to reach it.

Stockford Hill

Located toward the northwestern outskirts of the city, Stockford Hill was named after a Joseph Stockford largely because no one could think of any other 'honour' to bestow upon him for the .. ah, monumental bravery of hiding in the lavatory of the then-growing city's bank while bandits stole citizens blind. As the only survivor, he did contribute to the bandits' capture, but only thanks to his keen eye for well-cobbled shoes. The bandit leader wore a particularly handsome pair, quite memorable, though lamentably too large.

These days, the broad and gently sloping hill provides access to the I-89 on-ramp and is home to the city's largest mall.

Sweetwater Hilltops

Named after the many hidden springs and freshwater creeks in the area, the district has a very low human population. With many caves and small animals, otters, mink, it is largely popular for its day-hiking trails, places to hide and have exciting childhood adventures. While it is a world of its own, it is still technically claimed by Fort Brunsett, as to date no one there cares enough to separate.

Geographically, the district is located on the northeasternmost border of the city, its western border including the east half of Lake Brunsett. The Entertainment district touches on its southwestern edges only very briefly, most of its south and southeastern border aligned with Robin Hill.

Tambridge

Named after the bridge over the Tam first built so people could spread over to the other side along the lake, the district's natural grace has long attracted human occupation. The original settlers were business owners, but over time, thanks to the historic importance and the simple beauty of the land, they gradually grew more expensive as the market shifted south and practicality was trumped by fashion.

These days, a Tambridge address conveys a certain cachet, the inestimable allure of deep pockets and class.

Geographically, the district is located on the northmost border of the city, nominally including all cabins and properties in the west half of the lake. Bordered on the east by Sweetwater Hilltops, and on the west by the Delwood Development, its southern edge is shared by the Olde Market on the west bank and the Entertainment District on the east.

Tamarack Falls

These entries relate to the town of Tamarack Falls and its surroundings.

Wildwitch

Stories about the Wild Witch of the East (bank) are common, but inconclusive. A woman existed, and her cottage exists to this day, cared for by the town as a historical site, but the exact dates of her birth and death elude researchers. Not even Enid Schmidt could learn THAT one.

What IS known is that the Wildwitch lived on the eastern bank of the River Tam, up beyond what would some day be the Mischance Mine, with no apparent fear of being stolen in the night. Rumors paint lurid tales of curses and magical exploits sure to catch the imagination of fiery youngsters, and local parents use her spirit as a bogey(wo)man with their children. Be good, Tommy, or the Wildwitch will jinx your shoelaces and make you trip in front of Jenny-Lou at recess.

Changeling

These entries relate to the Changeling community.

NPCs

These entries relate to NPCs.

Mayor Jack

The Mayor of Tamarack Falls is a popular man, and it's not hard to see why. Even a rudimentary Web search or library-delving in the newspaper files will turn up example after example of self-sacrifice and protective authority toward his community. Not all of his decisions have been popular, but the town of Tamarack Falls trusts him enough to vote for him anyway.

Note: if you grew up in Tamarack Falls, you may know, too, that he is widely known within the town as a primary point of contact for the "faeries" of the area. He can see them, and people trust him to work out deals.