GOTHAM The City of Yesteryear |
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City |
TimelineGotham City's roots date back to the Miagani tribesman who abandoned the land millennia ago. It's claimed that the first Caucasian settlers arrived only to be slain by supernatural occurrences sometime around the 1600s. Following this the land was sold to Dutch Settlers somewhere between 1609 and the early 1620s by opportunistic Algonquin tribesmen who believed the land to be cursed. By the 1650's the Gotham Colony was established and growing steadily within time it began to attract wealthy landowners and mansion after mansion began dotting the countryside. Through here until the 1780s Gotham flourished despite occult boogeyman stories, serial killers and bizarre murders . 1785 Gotham is razed to the ground by fires like so many other towns of the time. Gotham is rebuilt better than before and becomes a major point of interest for European traders the Gotham River itself playing a major role in the lives of interior settlers during the Pre-Civil War Americas. Charles Arwen Wayne during this span of time begins buying up swampland for pennies establishing the beginning of the Wayne family legacy. This is a prosperous point for Gotham despite an uprising of cultists called the Hellerites who wished to use the old cursed bones and blood of the land for their Dark Arts. A minor mishap in the span of Gotham stories. The 1800s and designs of Judge Solomon Wayne and the Architect Cyrus Pinkney will determine the visual taste of Gotham for centuries to come, in Judge Wayne's mind he wished to create a fortress in which evil would remain outside of, instead he feels he locked it in. This begins the Gotham-esque style architecture of demonic looming Gargoyles, heavy industrial buildings that look like archaic keeps and towering skyscrapers that lord over the world below. The Poet Lincoln Killavey describes Gotham at this point in time, "As if the city itself were an engine itself whose hot breath rained soot and despair upon its immigrant workers.” In the 1900s street gangs took over the Gotham turning the city in to a warzone colored in ethnicity, this caused many of Gotham's 'upper crust' to flee the city for new horizons. So begins the twentieth century and the new era of Gotham City America's own equivalent of Transylvania. A land in which Mickey Mouse refuses to live. Turbulent times fall upon the city of Gotham, criminals ruled the streets, mobs and gang violence crippled the police force, corrupt politicians sat behind the podium and gavel and respected millionaire Thomas Wayne and his wife were murdered in cold blood the same time Mayor Aubrey James is stabbed to death. The cities decline continued in an expected fashion until an urban legend appeared in the form of a Bat. Gothams own masked vigilante. Over the next couple years Gothamites began to notice a change, the police force began to clean up, crime lowered, even business picked up. At first the corrupt and entrenched men and women tried to stop this change, to hold the reigns driving Gotham City in to a hell ride of self-damnation, they first tried to paint the 'Batman' up as a villain, a monster and many bought this, this slowed around the time Captain James Gordon became Commissioner James Gordon. The GCPD was gutted, cleaned out and the GCPD went from being nothing but thuggish leg breakers to actual real police officers who did their jobs and cared about their citizens. The years to follow has displayed a new hope filled surge in obvious counter to the 'curse' of Gotham and it's criminal underworld, in the form of the Bat-Family and other costumed heroes many of them managing a shaky alliance with the GCPD. At the war-front as their unspoken leader is the Dark Knight, Gotham's very own Caped Crusader, Batman. Gothamites began to take pride in their new champion despite the colorful array of enemies that began to show themselves at an alarming pace from the maniacal Joker to the frightful Scarecrow. This became the primary selling point on those adverse to the vigilante presence within their city comparing their numbers to the now swelling psychotic killer camp. Then, tragedy strikes, an earthquake hits on the Richter scale of 7.6. A catastrophe that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and counted more injuries beyond that. This spurred yet another rebuild phase for Gotham, one that is currently underway during this restructuring and calamity the Batman's popularity plummets, the old guard of Gotham and the corrupt begin to place blame upon the silent protector and his comrades, Nightwing, Batgirl, James Gordon himself, Robin and their allies. The reform not only initiates upon its city but also its political structure, James Gordon begins to fight an uphill battle against a new string of mayors, corrupt politicians and officials. The streets once again become a gladiatorial arena for the endless wake of super villains, crime lords, lunatics and deviants. Gotham finds itself in another decline and many blame the Dark Knight, chiefly new mayor Hamilton Hill who stages an entire campaign that is anti-Vigilante. Outside aid is requested due to civil unrest within the GCPD, Commissioner Gordon is forced to retire to resolve the conflict. Ellen Yindel takes over as Police Commissioner for Gotham and immediately issues arrest warrants for Batman and his 'family'. This does not win her popularity amongst Gordon's cleaned up GCPD. 2012 the Special Response Division is given sanction in Gotham on the heels of Gordon's departure from the GCPD. Many of the corrupt law enforcement personnel he had gotten rid of take up work for the SRD, quickly filling its ranks. Within a year of Gordon's retirement the Batman vanishes. A new war begins in Gotham, a war waged by the SRD under direction of their newly appointed Operations Manager the world renowned criminal psychologist Hugo Strange. This war not only targets the super villains but also the vigilantes. The GCPD under lose control struggles to keep the law against a new militant force driven by the old guard and Hugo Strange and his shadow benefactors. Gotham is once again in turmoil, almost a military state of depression at this point. Many find hope in this; many others fear it's the beginning of yet another end. 2014- CURRENT Atmosphere"Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November." Only with back alleys. Alleys crawling with criminals, lunatics, scum, rapists, dirt bags and the lowest most awful people you can dream up. Gotham is the Chicago of the East Coast it just has that added spice of a supernatural undertone. Despite being one of America's largest cities and hosting penthouses, manors, estates and suites of some of the wealthiest people on the planet it's also a cesspool of corruption, villainy, strife, urban decay and of course lunacy. Oddly enough much of this is Gotham's appeal to the rest of the world; it's almost like going to the circus that you only hear about in town from a friend. It's got its own unique attractions like the architecture and its rich, dark, yet empowering history. Gotham is a city that has been brought low and faced disaster time and time again only to carry on like an undying American revenant. Its diversity once thrown in to the grinder becomes just one mix of scum, there is all walks of life within Gotham both low and high. Gothamites are a proud, strong people who at least once in their life time face down death eye to eye. Where a New Yorker's still worry about mutants and political upheaval, those of Gotham worry about invading armies of aliens or giant monsters, citizens of Gotham worry about being wiped out by natural disaster, frigid wind-chill that sweeps through the city every winter the locals call 'the Razor', organized crime and some of the most psychotic killers on the face of the planet. The rich and poor of Gotham are a tested people who even at the darkest times know when to look for hope. Right now Gotham is a turbulent back and forth sway of emotions, stances and beliefs, Gotham citizens and politicians alike sway from one end of the ring to the other in a battle over right and wrong, vigilantes or not, SRD is good or evil. With every right to do so. The SRD has been implemented as a peacekeeping force to step up and deal with these criminals yet, horror stories persist and only grow. Many who have lived in Gotham long enough are only reminded of the days before Jim Gordon, back when GCPD was as corrupt as every day crooks. A thing they'd gotten comfortable with not being a thing anymore. Unfortunately the SRD has a lot more political clout and street power to flex than anyone is willing to admit. There is a new oppressive weight inside the ever present fog over Gotham. Vigilantes are hunted just as quickly as criminals and super villains. The GCPD is more likely to look away than the SRD who actively hunt them down, even after Commissioner Yindel's orders of lethal force if necessary. Many civilians also hold this same stance, there are hundreds to thousands within the city who have been directly rescued or saved by the heroes of Gotham and remember that to this day. Those who don't have bought in to the propaganda and the smear. As stated, it is turbulent and dangerous times for citizen and champion alike. No doubt tragedy will strike again and the city will fall upon the reliance of it's champions heroism.
Geography
Notable Residents__NPCs__ Not your job Doth Thy Heart Weep Birdwatching Batman Dinner and Fireworks Translating Kendrin Travelling Kendrin The Losing Party A Fox in the Nest Goons and Green Fingers Up Close And Personal With Zee While I Pondered Ollie walks in on a robbery and an interview breaks out Checking The Ley Of The Land The Witches Garden Once Upon A Midnight Dreary Crash Sports and Blues An Ideal Date War on Terrorism in Gotham Of Ninjas and Foxes |