Usher
Usher isn’t the first borough formed in Olympia, but it was certainly the one that made it clear that humanity likes to bind itself together by aesthetic and like ideas. Built around the remnant stories of gothic authors like Poe and Stoker and the gothic aesthetic, Usher is decidedly funerary in its appearance. While there are apartments like most of Olympia, the area tends toward Victorian style brownstones and stand-alone “painted lady” houses shared by multiple households. Other houses are privately owned but maintain the same aesthetic. Streets here are narrow and filled with grand oaks, properly cultivated with enough Spanish moss that even the outdoors maintains the gothic, mysterious looking aesthetic.
Usher is primarily residential but does feature funeral homes, memorial parks, and shops that trend toward the odd, esoteric, and outright strange. Little occult shops pepper the area offering herbal remedies and items used in esoteric magic. This is also a primary area for occult libraries and thus research libraries for the horrors, a store of information second only to Apollo on those matters.
This area was founded by several members of the Emory, already attempting to research the occult and the Horrors. Their names are lost to time but the main occult library is named for them - Emory Hall.
Magical Culture
Magic users from here favor highly stylized rituals. The use of blood, ash, and bone are popular but not to everyone’s taste. Goth does not always mean horrific.Demographics
Mixed
Defences
None of note, though Emory Hall is well-protected by Oracles.
Industry & Trade
Occult research, magical items, arcane items and secrets
Infrastructure
Given the sheer amount of research done into the Horrors, Usher is a well-funded area full of middle and upper class citizenry. This suits their aesthetic well as they lean toward opulence, ancient Victorian grandeur, or simply slightly over the top attire and housing. Usher features the largest occult library in the city - Emory Hall - and its citizens are often sought after for information on the Horrors.
Guilds and Factions
The Cruxshadows
An academic group dedicated to researching as many of the horrors legends and magical related artifacts as possible. The Cruxshadows are a shadowy (it’s in the name) secretive group that almost single handedly mans Emory Hall. While their end goal is to contain and defend against the horrors, it would be remiss to say that they do so only out of altruism. Dealing with the Cruxshadows has a cost, always. The Black Cat Society
A purely social group of goth-admiring artisans. Members of the Black Cat Society fall into several art forms from music to painting to literature. Their salons are renowned throughout the city - though they tend toward the goth aesthetic and the darkly romantic. Check the invitation for the level of potential hedonism - you could end up visiting a buttoned up Victorian-esque gathering or a Lord Byron-inspired masquerade.
An academic group dedicated to researching as many of the horrors legends and magical related artifacts as possible. The Cruxshadows are a shadowy (it’s in the name) secretive group that almost single handedly mans Emory Hall. While their end goal is to contain and defend against the horrors, it would be remiss to say that they do so only out of altruism. Dealing with the Cruxshadows has a cost, always. The Black Cat Society
A purely social group of goth-admiring artisans. Members of the Black Cat Society fall into several art forms from music to painting to literature. Their salons are renowned throughout the city - though they tend toward the goth aesthetic and the darkly romantic. Check the invitation for the level of potential hedonism - you could end up visiting a buttoned up Victorian-esque gathering or a Lord Byron-inspired masquerade.
History
While the original founding of Usher was decidedly less goth - the neighborhood began as a haven of like minded occult researchers - it did not take long for it to attract those fascinated by shadows, mystery, or simply in love with the aesthetic from recovered historical documents. Usher has been a mainstay neighborhood since the founding of the city.
Points of interest
Emory Hall
A large occult library in the center of Usher. Emory Hall exudes Dark Academia aesthetic and is well stocked with occult and historical texts on the horrors and other magics.
Teatro Gris
Teatro Gris - or Gray’s as it’s more commonly known - is one of the main gathering points for Usher social and art salons. The building features a dining hall, dance hall, gallery space, and several parlors for conversation.
Sabrina’s Esoterica
One of the smaller but more respected occult shops in the neighborhood. Sabrina’s is known for a fine selection of general magical items, tools, and ingredients as well as a more elite stock and trade in occult artifacts.
A large occult library in the center of Usher. Emory Hall exudes Dark Academia aesthetic and is well stocked with occult and historical texts on the horrors and other magics.
Teatro Gris - or Gray’s as it’s more commonly known - is one of the main gathering points for Usher social and art salons. The building features a dining hall, dance hall, gallery space, and several parlors for conversation.
One of the smaller but more respected occult shops in the neighborhood. Sabrina’s is known for a fine selection of general magical items, tools, and ingredients as well as a more elite stock and trade in occult artifacts.
Architecture
Usher looks…well… gothic. Whether it’s stone facades and gargoyles or grand victorian ladies dolled up in black, much of this areas aesthetic would make Wednesday Addams swoon in morbid glee.
Population
Medium
Inhabitant Demonym
Ravens, Zombies (derogatory)
Location under
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