| From: | William Monroe Ashe <wma6617@*******.tamu.edu> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | A Shadowtourists Guide To New Orleans. try #2 |
| Date: | Thu, 2 May 1996 21:53:36 -0500 (CDT) |
Pine for unix is too smart for its own good
Bill
A Shadowtourists Guide To New Orleans.
>>>>>>> Ok. chummers here's the scoop. I pilfered this off a
Mafia system last week so I know its current. They generated
this for some Don who was going to visit N.O. I thought that
since people who do our kind of biz travel more now this might
come in handy. It's short and to the point. As far as I can
tell it looks pretty much right on. But, what do I know? I'm just
a decker.
FlyGirl 3/30/2057
13:47/03<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
New Orleans:
This datafile is to inform you of some of the major points
of interest concerning your upcoming visit to New Orleans.
1) Historical Overview
New Orleans was one of the earlier cities built in the U.S.
It had a prominent role in both the U.S. revolutionary war, and
the first U.S. civil war. "The Big Easy" was and is a major
transshipment point for good of ALL kinds. The awakening brought
surprisingly few changes to "Nawlins". New Orleans has survived
wars, hurricanes, and the awakening. It will continue to be a
major hub of our activities in the CAS
2) Racial Makeup
a) According to the last census N.O. has approximately the
following distributions
Human = 58%
Ork = 22%
Troll = 19%
Dwarf = 2%
Elf = Less than 1% (reasons follow)
b) Reasons for racial distribution:
i) Night of Rage;
On that night the mobs of norms that were hunting down
metahumans were unable to penetrate the "French Quarter" (for
magical reasons that I will elucidate later). When news of this
went out over the trids many metahumans sought shelter from the
mob inside the quarter. In the years following; metahumans from
all over the deep south moved to New Orleans because it was
considered to be one of the most tolerant cities in the CAS.
ii) Expulsion of Norms from Tir na nO'g;
Back when the norms were fleeing the newly created Tir,
those without money just went to England. The people with money
came to America The section of the city known as the Irish
Channel was once again receiving thousands of Irish immigrants.
But, now these Irish had money. The Irish channel is now one of
the wealthiest section, second only to the "Garden District".
But one of the things these Irish brought with them was an almost
pathological hatred of "The Fair Folk". Thus these two racial
groups are dramatically underrepresented. Note; orks and trolls,
whom the Irish believe to be "trod upon" by the "Fair Folk" are
welcome.
3) Financial
New Orleans is still one of the largest ocean ports that the
CAS has. Without question it is second in wealth only to
Atlanta.
>>>>>>>>>> What? you're out of your pasta eating mind. DFW
is
much better off than the city in the swamp
Cowboy Jim 3/30/2057 13:50.03<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
4) Organized Crime
Our control of intrastate shipping in Louisiana. is secure.
We must share the pie in N.O. itself with the Yakuza, and two
different Chinese Tongs. The Yakuza and the Black Tiger Tong
have been locked in a vicious turf war over intracity trucking
for the last two weeks. You will find a hardcopy proposal of our
plans in that regard waiting for you when you arrive.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Well Flygirl, where is
it?
Tonythetiger 03/30/2057
13:54.45<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sorry; that goes by real
live courier. They
don't trust the matrix for that kind of info . If you want it.
Go and get it.
Fg <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
5) Sprawl Data
None:
New Orleans is very limited in the amount of useful land it
has available for construction. Simply building the causeways
into the city through the swamps, and lakes was an engineering
feat not easily rivaled. As a consequence the actual boundaries
of the city remain as they looked in the last part of the
twentieth century. The city is very densely packed though.
Another consequence is the N.O. retains much of its old
architecture and "charm" in the old parts of town
6) Law Enforcement
Law enforcement is provided by Lone Star. It is their
standard contract except in one regard. They will only go into
the French Quarter if requested by the magical establishment.
The French Quarter is ruled solely and completely by the Voodoo
King (or Queen).
7) Voodoo
i) Organization and Politics
The proper name is Houngan. There are several excellent
texts describing their beliefs and society, a bibliography is
included. By mutual agreement they have taken total control of
the French Quarter. They use their powerful ritual sorcery
skills to keep the French Quarter "Special" (more follows).
Currently there is both a voodoo king and queen. We do not know
the real name or SIN of the V.K.. The V.Q. is called "Marie
Laveau". This is not her real name. This name comes from a
historical figure. The original Marie Laveau was an African
descent slave. According to the Houngan she used her magic to
control the city and elevate herself to a position of authority
well above any African descent person of that time. The more
mundane texts say that she used a vast network of spies and
assassins to rule the city.
Currently the V.K. and V.Q. are on good terms. The V.K. is
in nominal control over the French Quarter. Open warfare between
the followers of the V.K. and V.Q is discouraged by their
religion. When they have conflicts. They are usually resolved
through magical means. They are a proud pair. They expect to be
treated like kings and queens. n the whole, we have found that
they are a reasonable group to work with. The Yakuza and Tongs
do not consider their friendship to be an asset.
7) Tourist Points of Interest
a) The cemeteries;
Since most of N.O. is actually BELOW sea level nothing can
be buried. As a consequence the people have created marvelous
above ground cemeteries. Day tours exist for the more famous
ones. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ENTER ANY CEMETERY AT NIGHT.
b) French Quarter
i) Introduction
The French Quarter is one of the oldest parts of the city.
It retains much of pre awakening architecture. Some buildings go
back to the eighteenth century. Many bars, and exquisite
restaurants are in this part of town. As I have noted before the
Houngan control this part of the city. They have declared it to
be a firearm free zone. They use very powerful ritual sorcery to
maintain it.
ii) Borders
The French Quarter is bounded by Canal St. on the west,
Esplanade on the east, the Mississippi river on the south , and
Rampart St. on the North. The actual border is painted on the
street in bright yellow paint.
iii) Firearms
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES BRING ANY AMMUNITION ACROSS THE
BORDER. A large Houngan sorcerer cadre maintain a constant spell
over the entire area. Any ammunition that is brought across the
border WILL SPONTANEOUSLY DETONATE. We maintain a group of
highly skilled martial artists for forays into the quarter.
>>>>>>>>> That's the Truth I ga-ron-tee. I was chased by a
really nasty out of town street sam once. Dumb as a stump, but
armed to the teeth. Anyway I tricked him into crossing the
border and BOOM!!! They needed to vacuum him up.
Jimmy the Shiv 03/30/2057 14:00.01
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
iv) Gun Checks
We, the Yakuza, and the Houngan leadership maintain various
facilities on the borders of the Quarter. Anyone may safely
store their firearms there for a reasonable fee with no questions
asked. It is not uncommon to see a Mafia Bodyguard, a Lone Star
Detective, and a Yakuza Legbreaker talking "shop" at one of these
establishments. No one but an idiot would break the Gun Check
truce. Outside of the shop is another matter. We make a small
profit on the shops we control. We value the truce more than any
temporary gain we could achieve by breaking it. Besides you
can't bring guns into the quarter anyway.
v) Cyberware
a) The problem
The ritual magics employed have an unexpected effect
(I presume) on cyberware. Anyone with cyberware will feel a
horrible burning sensation as long as they are in the Quarter.
Note; this effect appears to be proportional to the amount of
cyberware. Someone with just a chipjack will only have a mild
headache. A rigger or heavily chromed sammy could be almost
incapacitated.
b) The Solution
The Houngan have constructed special medallions that can be
purchased that will counteract MOST of the side effects.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Getting really drunk helps
too
Gator Boy 03/30/2057 14:00.45
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
vi) The Dancers
Please note that I am not a magician. My knowledge of
things magical is quite limited. What I will say is correct as
far as it goes. The Houngan are very secretive about their
rituals. We value our relationship with them so we do not pry.
Inside the Quarter the ritual magics that maintain the
firearm ban are "grounded" to the streets by six or seven groups
of dancers. I believe the correct term is "Serviteurs". These
groups vary in size from five to twenty and are always present in
the Quarter. The actual dancers come and go as needed. The
dancers usually wear ritual clothing and dance without musical
accompianment. They have quickly become part of the ambiance of
the Quarter. Many tourists join in with the dancers as part of
their Quarter experience. I have never done it.
It seems very unlikely that a visit to the Quarter can be
accomplished without running into a group of dancers. I will
describe briefly the procedure when this happens. The dancers
expect to be tipped. Usually a young child or elderly person
accompanies the dancers. The accompanieur will either ask for a
donation, or for you to join in the dance for a while. We
recommend that you pay. The accompanieur will take all but the
more exotic currencies.
Stiffing the accompanieur is STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.
>>>>>>>>>> Yeah don't do it chummers. I stiffed them once.
I
woke up two days later running naked through the Garden District
yelling "Where's the Donkey? Where's the Donkey?"
Anonymous 0/00/00 00:00.00<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>> I remember that. It was all over the news
trids.
That was pretty funny.
Gator Boy 03/30/ 13:59.00 <<<<<<<<<<<<
vii) Restaurants and Bars
The Quarter has one of the highest density of first class
bars and five star restaurants anywhere on the planet. I could
upload almost a gigapulse of information just on that. I will
mention only several.
Eating:
* The Court of Two Sisters:
Established in the eighteen hundreds this is fine dining at
its best. Formal Dress Required
* Tujaques (sp?)
Equally as good, Suit and Tie req'd
* Gallatois
My personal favorite
Drinking:
* Pat O'Briens (spelling is correct):
A requirement for the first time visitor
* O' Flaherty's
An excellent old fashioned Irish style pub. Elves and
Dwarves are VERY UNWELCOME here.
* Mammy's
This bar is relatively new. It replaced "The Hog's Breath
Saloon" which burned down. It is only forty years old. This is
where the locals come. This is where the V.K. holds "court".
They also have an excellent gumbo.
c) Irish Channel
As was mentioned previously this is mostly upscale living.
Private security is also present.
d) Garden District
@#*!!
>>>>>>>> TRANSFER INTERRUPTED
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>> Ouch! I hate dump shock. Well that's all I could get
chummers hope it helps
Fg <<<<<<<<<<<<
