Dead Mall

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Welcome to the Dead Mall!

Once upon a time, Prospect Plaza was a bright shining gem of the Harbor district. Those days are long gone, along with first one anchor store, then another, then all the inner stores one by one until, with the arrival of newer, bigger, classier malls out in the suburbs, the Plaza was officially abandoned.

For years it languished, falling further into disrepair behind the forbidding fencing and 'no trespassing' signs. But waste not, want not, and Bone Gnawers don't tend to want to waste. Prospect's contingent of the tribe has taken it over, working their own form of renovation on the place.

If you're a 'Gnawer or their kin, c'mon by! If you're a friend, ask to drop in. If you're anyone else... beware of dog.DMrats.png

    Directory

  • AcaciaSanrio
  • IrsaLL Bean
  • BootsHot Topic
  • RamonaBarnes & Noble
  • VacantEB Games
  • VacantMen's Warehouse
  • VacantRegis Salon
  • VacantFashion Bug
  • VacantCamelot Music
  • VacantSpencers
  • VacantZany Brainy

Main Areas

 

Outside

DMfront.jpgThe parking lot around the Dead Mall is cracked and weedy, where it exists at all, and is surrounded by a high chain link fence reinforced by a layer of salvaged corrugated steel sheets. A patch of solar panels has been set up in a clear area with lots of sun, thick braids of wires running to batteries stored in the Mall. Another large space no longer has any asphalt at all and instead grows a large amount of crops. Somewhat neatly arranged piles of materials and supplies take up a corner of the lot, with salvaged lumber, stone and metal for use.

The loading dock area is used frequently for bringing home the bacon, as it were. Near one of the more main entrances is a lounge area with tarps for shade stretched between poles, mismatched lawn furnishing and grill, and of course the pool, made from a cargo container lined in plastic.


Arcane 3: What this means is the Mall and its grounds are prone to slipping the minds of people near it. Their conscious minds dismiss the place as irrelevant, even people attempting to find the place just pass right by it because it's not worth their notice so it cant be what they're looking for. It's not invisible, just... forgettable. Visitors to the Mall will need a guide the first few times, until they've gone the route enough for their minds to decide the place is actually memorable. For the sake of RP these guides can have been NPCs heading back here from the Caern or from a local Gaian hangout.


Greg and Knight: Homid and Lupus Kinfolk, they help keep an eye on the parking lot, and have a radio to contact others if they see something hinky.Clairie.png Greg is a scruffy adult with perpetual 5 o'clock shadow, and Knight is in his double digits, scrappy but solid looking.

Clairie: A weird little trash gaffling that lives outside in a dumpster which has been painted bright pink and stenciled with glittery designs. The bin is filled with rubbish from a local toy store, including dolls, sparkly play sets, and accessories. A small sign on the dumpster reads: 'toys only, please'. Kids often play in and around Clairie's dumpster and use her toys, but she doesn't mind in the slightest! She may be separated from them in the umbra, but the aura of joy and childish imagination makes her happy and playful, so she encourages the behavior by providing an exceptionally fun atmosphere in her little corner of the parking lot.

Commons

DMtrees.jpgThe entrances all lead in to a central atrium bustling with community life and sound. Planter boxes grow thick with herbs and vegetables, and trees have long since burst of their old mall planters to grow tall and draw water from the flooded basement. Large skylights bathe atrium and halls in natural light, and highlight a huge sewn banner hanging overhead. Unmoving escalators provide access to the second floor.

Shops have been repurposed into homes and community mainstays, from Gnawer COA.jpgtrading to medical needs. There is bird song during the day mingled with the bustle of dozens of kinfolk residents, and the quiet rustle of rodents at night. Small dishes of food, water, and bird seed strategically placed all over the mall for spirit and physical critters alike.


Art: The Mall has been beautifully defaced all over inside. Murals cover walls and boards over missing shop windows, metal sculpture depicts crows in a spooky tree, and of course sculptures, and paintings of rats abound. Where art and beauty can be added to the dreary world of the Bone Gnawers, it has. And where it hasn't, they're just spots awaiting a creative person. Hope and inspiration radiate from every corner of the mall's open areas.

Cleansing: When you walk through the front door, there is an automatic cleansing that happens. This item emulates the spirit charm: Cleanse the Blight. (WW3801 - Werewolf The Apocalypse (Revised Edition) pg.#238)

Rage: Located in the Food Court is a collection of 8 glass plates depicting the different phases of the moon hanging from the trees around the koi pond. These plates infuse the entire mall (nothing outside the mall, though) with a heavy vibe of tranquility. Rage diffs for the mall's interior are 9, please RP accordingly!

Power: Electricity is mainly produced by solar panels, individual rooms have sorcerer created power strips that just produce electricity through magic. There's an emergency generator for when all else fails.

Food Court

DMfood.jpgA large and airy space at the heart of the mall, centered around a small indoor lake created by a section of floor that's collapsed into the flooded basement below. Koi and turtles happily splash and bask among the water plants and moss-covered cement rocks. Decorative trees with glass moon phases dangling from their branches wrap their roots around the wet rubble lining the lake's edge. Dappled sunlight and moonlight streams through the broken skylights high above. Hammocks and small seating spaces have been set up aroundDMturtle.jpg the lake perimeter. The gentle sounds of water and birdsong lend a tranquil aspect to the place.

The small restaurants set into the walls are being used for communal kitchens and storage pantries. One of these, a sunlit Chik-fil-A, has been floored with straw and houses a number of live chickens for fresh eggs. Beware: the infamous Murder Hen haunts this area, bad-tempered and forever bushwhacking Kinfolk and Garou alike to steal their meals.


Random Food: Since this isn't a functioning mall stocked by corporations, the food at the various restaurants tends to be pretty random. This place might have spaghetti and lasagna one day but fish the next. That one might be stir fry and egg-rolls, and next it's nothing but breakfast all day. On the bright side, at least your palate never gets bored! There's always a lot of fresh fruit and veg from the Mall's gardens, and some regular trade for meat and cheese from Gnawer family farms. Lotta stuff "falls off of trucks" and lands in the Mall too.


Murder Hen: While she can be found anywhere in the Mall, the Food Court is the most likely place to run across her.DMchicken.jpg Because food. She was one of the chickens that live in the Chik-fil-A, but she escaped years ago, driven mad by Garou Rage! Well not mad, maybe, but certainly feral and very definitely brave. She hides like a ninja where you least expect, her presence known only by the Jaws themesong-like muttering of the feisty fowl. She will take your food by force if she must. AND YOUR SOUL! This extremely obstinate chicken has Willpower 5 and doesn't care about your Rage.

Movie Theatre

MallBar1.jpgAt the end of a hallway is the blinking lights of a theater marquee reading THERAPY in big block letters. However, your therapist here is a bartender named Xander and your medication is booze. The lobby walls are scrawled all over with the alchemical formulas of various alcohols, and the ceiling webbed with pipes and glass bulbs marked with strange symbols and pumping odd fluids. The concession stand has been turned into a bar backed by taps and bottles, things bought or home brewed.MallBar2.jpg

A still in the back room made by sorceror kinfolk of the tribe can turn damned near anything into high quality moonshine, and the pipes alter the moonshine's composition to create a variety of flavors. The artistry of the bartenders create drinks that truely are magical, though the home brewed beer is just plain old good beer. Snacks and smokes can be found in the ticket booth, you can find just about anything in there. There is a shrine to Gaia made of fresh fruits in an alcove. They're used by the bar tenders but also make a handy way to honor the goddess, for we drink to her health!


Physical Therapy: One theater room has had its ruined seats removed and replaced with makeshift gym equipment. No one here can afford legitimate workout machines like one might find in a proper gym, but stones, chains, strong eye hooks and physics really get the job done! There's some sparring circles set up, some patched up heavy bags and the like.

The Beat Retreat: The other theater room has been turned into a makeshift night club. As far as dance clubs go, this is really low rent, but it ain't bad. Black painted walls that someone went to town on with neon paint balls, some black lights and a jury rigged together sound system and DJ booth does make a good place to get your groove on, but ain't no light up dance floor or fancy lasers or anything. The thin movie screen "stage" has the best set up that zero money can provide for Galliards to serenade their adoring fans.


Xander: Stuff about that guy

Bad Before Ruin: Stuff about that guy

Rite-Aid Reflecting Pool

A storefront behind a triangular lounge area that's been flooded to create a shallow reflecting pool. The edges are ringed with candle lamp jars and small potted herbs. A large coastal oak grows at the southern edge, spreading its broad canopy of shade. Birds nest in the tree and rats burrow among the roots, taking their fill of offerings from small dishes placed in the area.

Rite-Aid itself has been partitioned into shrines to honor Urban Gaian spirits: Rat's shrine is the largest one here. The large front windows have dozens of ritual plants on display, ready to be harvested at a moment's notice. Summoning and ritual areas marked with glyphs and decorated with murals, artwork, candles and greenery take up most of the majority of the floor space.

The pharmacy itself has been turned into storage for ritual components of all kinds. Need a thing? Ask Gregory Half-Foot, your handy-dandy, super-helpful Metis Theurge on duty for assistance! He's the nicest guy around.


Gregory Half-Foot: Adren Bone Gnawer Metis Theurge, ostensibly the master of the Rite Aid. Though he has a hobbling gate and is a little stooped in posture, this Metis is as friendly as can be and lives to help others achieve their mystical goals. He tends the shrines in the Rite Aid, keeps the supplies stocked and organized, and ensures ritual circles and areas are kept clean and consecrated.

Shrines: Rat's got the biggest and best, but there's a LOT of other shrines here dedicated to spirits of Rat's brood, urban totems aligned with Rat's ways and cause, and even totems for local Gnawer packs. Do you have a pack or personal Totem? You can RP a shrine for it here, pay homage and know it will be respected and well kept.

Magic: Bone Gnawers are welcome to perform their rites, summonings and mystical craftings here if they don't have their own safe space for Theurge or Sorcerous works. Safety first, cast responsibly!

Upstairs

Stalled out escalators all over the Mall provide access to the residential floor, shops on this level are personal homes belonging to Gnawers both kin and kind. The walkways might be littered with kid toys or host quiet benches, you never know what'll be in any given hallway-neighborhood. All over are planters growing herbs and vegetables, little food and water dishes set out of the way for rats and birds, be they spiritual or physical.

A store towards the Mall's center has been turned into a large bath house, not every store-home has its own private plumbing after all. There are periodic maintenance closets with living necessities available to residents; cleaning supplies or spare toiletries. There's some access to climbable tree branches up here. Late at night the walkways are lit with candles in jars rather than electricity to keep the residents comfortable.


Homes: If you're a Bone Gnawer, Garou or Kinfolk, then you're allowed to have a home here at the Mall. See that directory right there? That's who lives where. Pick an unused store, put in a +buildreq (+help +buildreq) and get yourself a nice place to stay!

Hygiene: An entire store has been converted into a bath house for those that have not solved their hygienic needs problems on their own. Soaps and assorted alchemical bath products are always in stock, but you have to bring your own towel. Hopefully you're not too shy, there's only so much privacy. The lighting is kept a little bit low to help with a quiet and relaxing atmosphere.

Culture

The Dead Mall: The Mall was a forgotten, unwanted, over looked place. Something with potential, history and memories that was cast aside and shunned as dangerous, a thing to be feared and shied away from. There's a reason why the Mall is so special to the Bone Gnawers of Prospect, it's a thing like many of them, a voiceless cast away left to rot unwanted and unloved by the society around it. When the Gnawers took this place from the Wyrm and claimed it as their own, they filled it with families, laughter, hope. That's what it is today, a joyful community that prospers while it can. Each and every Gnawer, kin or kind, helps tend to this haven, whether they're repairing it, guarding it, embellishing or expanding upon it for the tribe as a whole. Teams take turns with the many gardens that sustain the population, ferry supplies back and forth to Hillfolk farms, scrappers and scavengers work for the Mall, for the people, and because of this, there is always something. Supplies for building might be scavenged but the stocks are flush. Food might be random, but it's always available. There is medicine for the sick, beds for the weary, and companionship for the lonely. You are never alone or in need at the Dead Mall.

The Local Sept: The Bone Gnawers of Prospect have a great relationship with the Sept of the Enduring Spirit as a whole. Sept members from other tribes helped with the establishment of this colony, providing food and supplies when there were none and helping the dream to come alive until it could sustain itself. It wasn't always so nice, but it would take an old timer to recall the days of animosity and woe. Now, though, there is none of that. The Sept accepts us, and so we accept the Sept, we mingle as brothers and sisters, share and share alike the duties and adventures. There is no debt due, no chiminage unmet, these relations are natural and organic. Hell, the caern Warder himself is a Bone Gnawer, Iron Flail, Elder Bone Gnawer Ahroun.

The Rabble: Whatever their reasons might be, there are always Gnawers that aren't interested in Septs, Nation politics, or anything else, preferring to keep to themselves and their own little stomping grounds. They aren't Ronin, they haven't cast EVERYthing aside. Even if they don't care for the majority of Garou bullshit, they're still family. They'll show up to a Tribal Moot, they'll help one of their own out, maybe they cant be counted on for the community work, but they handle the Wyrm as best they can and we make sure they're taken care of as best we can.

The City: Not every Gnawer lives at the Mall, and that's okay. The city's big, and the homeless or struggling cant always just zip back and forth across town to do what they do to survive. Whether they're spread out on the streets, holed up in squats across town, living rough in a van somewhere or going hillbilly in the woods, the Prospect Bone Gnawers do what they can to make sure the entire tribe is as supported as it can possibly be. If we know where our people are, we make sure they've got food, blankets, medical care, transportation, shelter, or even someone to just be near by while they get some safe sleep. Our lives are hard, even with the colony thriving it always seems like our folk will struggle, but we do what we can for everyone that we can.

The Cubs: Gnawer kids tend to stay with their parents until their first change, sheltered if at all possible here at the Mall where their Rage can be managed and the Veil maintained. Metis kids do stay separate from kin kids, poor little guys got big claws and teeth after all and it's not their fault homids are so squishy. Found and adopted cubs are treated the same way, melded into the community until their first change if possible. After their first change, they alternate between training at the Mall and the caern. Gnawer kids need a proper city-Garou education and cant live in the woods all the time, but they also need a proper Garou education so they cant live in the Mall all the time. Gnawer nannies and cub minders work closely with the Den Father so that everyone's got tabs on everyone else's progress and lessons.

The Ratkin: The Bone Gnawers of Prospect have no formal treaties or alliance with the Ratkin of Prospect. We respect Rat's crazed children, some of us may befriend one for a time or work with one on some endeavor that satisfies a common goal, but be ever wary of the chaos and paranoia of the Rat God's warriors. They have great reason to loathe the Garou and many still view wolf shifters as enemies to be killed on sight. While they may not view Bone Gnawers as enemies right away, they will never love us as cousins.

Other Non-Residential Stores

The Roof: The roof of the Dead Mall is set up like a parkour course. There is a canopy that covers all but the very far right edge of the mall and that area is nothing but garden. Beneath the canopy, however, there are several walls, both high and low, some stepping stones, a little tunnel, some dodging panels, a fifteen foot high rope that leads to the balancing bridge and off into the apex ladder, then circles back around. Also, if you think you're REALLY good, you can jump over to the next building and continue your rooftop sprint.

There is a small garden on the far right hand side that's growing season-appropriate crops.

For those less athletically-inclined, there is a little sitting area with a few chairs and a BBQ grill.

Everything up here has been made or repurposed. None of this is new, but it's plenty sturdy - mostly.


Some stores inside have been turned into community needfuls, staffed by knowledgeable kinfolk and typically open at all hours, given the weird schedules people in the Nation might have.

Clinic: Run by: <NPC> One store has a sign marking it as a clinic and is stocked with various medications and medical supplies. Its back room has been neatly furnished as a makeshift exam room. There is a supply of medical books and a seating area in the main room has games and old magazines to browse.

Trade: Run by: <NPC> Need a new fuel canister for your camp stove? Have to replace that ratty blanket? Have need of a particular tool for a project you're working on? This store has been outfitted with a wide variety of useful things scavenged from all over, shelves stocked with all manner of usefulness. Cash or trade, repair work on incoming items is always appreciated.

School and Library: Run by: <NPC> A large department store at the end of a wide hall has been given over to shelves upon shelves of scavenged books, all neatly organized into genres and alphabetized by author. A large section has a collection of desks, chairs, even a few beanbags and small boards to use as writing surfaces, as well as a couple old blackboards secured to the walls with bits of scrap. Classes for kids and teens are taught here using copies of home schooling packets. Unlike human schools, this doesn't cost anything and there's no risk of a kid breaking the veil.

Clothes: Run by: <NPC> Sears has put its old mannequins, racks, tables and cubbies to use again, this time holding a wide variety of second hand clothes. Pants, dresses, skirts, teeshirts, even some light sweaters, they're organized by size and intended gender. Boots, shoes, sandals and other footwear can be found as well as accessories of all kinds. Most things are used, patched but clean, though new items can be found around as well. Cash or trade, seamstress work on incoming items is always appreciated.

Trash and Scrap: Run by: <NPC> There's space outside in the parking lot where all the salvaged building supplies are kept nice and neat. Waste not, want not, even the scrap of the scrap can be put to use some how. Salvaged lumber, metal, stone, bricks, even straightened nails, screws, wires and more can be found there.

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