Omenwich Square

Omenwich Square, a portal to the old world amidst the ever changing landscape of New York City. It's brown stone buildings, romantic architecture and faux gas light lamp posts and wall fixtures generate the ambiance of old England, luring one deeper into it's trappings. As one ventures deeper into the narrow alleyways the soon learn that adventure does not stop on the street. Along the cobblestone corridors are nestled many small and quaint shops just waiting to be explored and at the center of it all lies Trinity Market, the heart of Omenwich Square.

By day Omenwich is an extravagant detour for the wayward spirit. It's rustic, Old-World atmosphere is a welcome change for those wishing to escape the rat-race, if even for a few minutes. All of the shops maintain a character that compliments the theme of the Square so that visitors truly feel they've taken a respite into myth without ever leaving the city.

By night, Omenwich takes on an ambiance more associated with dark macabre of old London's Piccadilly Square during the time when Jack the Ripper stalked the foggy, shadowed streets. Visitors and patrons alike will delight in the mood generated by the legendary structures, but all will agree that something truly sinister seems to lurk within the obscure corridors. The aura of magic is strong and veil between worlds is thin within the Square, thus inviting to the likes of Fae and other entities.

In order to protect it's patrons and keepers, Omenwich Square's alleys are secured with wrought iron gates designed to prevent wandering zombies from entering. Many of the gates are also permanently locked at nightfall and keys are only possessed by business owners and the security guards which patrol the square.




 * This environment like any other within the setting of 2013 is open to all. In the case of the Oak & Henge Tavern we can imagine that Plymouth Weir is not going to interact with every patron that enters and so one should not shy away from using the back-drop for fear of not including him in your thread. All sub-characters within the Square may be utilized to enrich your stories. Please, feel free to create others during the travels of your character. If you have an idea for an NPC shop you would like discuss, please contact either Fiona or Plymouth to discuss the details. Otherwise, you are more than welcome to follow your imagination.


 * The beauty of this setting is that it encompasses an entire city block. Your story may start with exploring Rare Relics, then your characters may decide to browse the selection at Dark Horse Crossroads, ending their experience with a stout drink at the Oak & Henge or a coffee at Macabre Cafe.

Establishments
A few npc shops have been established in Omenwich Square for realism. Naturally there are more, which can be created in-story as required. Once, written, they will be included here and set until someone expresses an interest in portraying either the owner or an employee of that business. All NPC businesses may be taken over by a character at any time, and should it happen due to other commitments that store become inactive, it will simply revert back to NPC status.


 * If you wish to open a new business in Omenwich Square, please PM either Fiona Danu or Plymouth Weir with:

The desired location A write up A list of any sub-characters (employees/managers) Any pictures to represent your business
 * The name of your business


 * Please, keep in mind that all businesses should fit in with the theme of Omenwich Square, as written above.

Rare Relics
Owner/Operator: Fiona Danue

Employees: Sienna Gallo

The Oak & Henge Tavern
Owner/Operators: Angus Leary and Plymouth Weir

Dark Horse Crossroads Book Store
Owner/Operator: Erich Lawrence Park

An old fashioned book store -- a small labyrinthine archive featuring current to the rarest of tomes.

Macabre Café
Owner/Operator: Chase Vines This garish café has been designed to emulate the dark and macabre of Edgar Allen Poe. Dark and sinister Victorian architecture and decor draws one into the world of H.P. Lovecraft's, "Dunwich Horror", and large posters of classic works of terror adorn the walls.

Black Rose Decor
Owner/Operator: Tess Mayfair

This interior design shop has decorated most of the shops of Omenwich Square. They specialize in old English, Gothic and Victorian design.



Ballantine Place
Supervisor/Maintenance: Walter Kripp

A beautiful four story gothic apartment block located at 1522 Amsterdam Avenue containing fifty suites. It is one of, if not the oldest apartments in the area. It is known for it's sky lit court yard, labyrinth of wrought iron stairwells and old style elevators.

Trinity Market
A year before the SHIFT, the Holy Trinity Catholic Church closed it's doors; it was a shock to the community. The popular place of worship was shut down in a matter of weeks. The reason provided by the Bishop was that a rare form of black mold, one only irradiated by the destruction of the building had sadly been discovered throughout the structure. Oddly, though, not one parishioner had ever suffered any symptoms associated with the dangerous spores and the church refused any further investigation into the matter.

An investigation revealed a few strange stories of events that would have been unaccepted in a pre-shift world. Objects moving by themselves, eerie voices, and people being scratched by some unseen entity. It would seem as if the church was haunted. These allegations were of course denied by the church, but after the 'Shift', the priest began to talk, as it became obvious that whatever 'evil' had invaded the church was related to this significant event that changed everything over night. He admitted that there was a presence in the church, but further investigations revealed nothing. It would seem that whatever had existed there prior to the Shift left after the event. Even to this date, the church still remains closed to public.

After the 'Shift' the businesses of Omenwich Square appealed to the church and acquired the park behind it, a beautiful sanctuary at the heart of the square. They called it Trinity Market, and quickly people flocked to it to set up their wares and stations. The bazaar seemed to appear over night, the transformation happening as quickly as the Shift itself and people, or more appropriately Faerie, descended upon the magical market.

The market is bordered by dark stone walls laden with creeping vines that turn to bright red and flaming orange in the Autumn. Black wrought iron gates lazily guard three grand archways that offer entrance into the enclosed area of cobblestone paths that spiral round landscaped islands of foliage. At the center is a small gothic fountain featuring a bronze statue of the Arch Angel Michael, but it is believed by some that it is indeed that of Lucifer before his fall.

For most of the year, the market lies empty and is used mainly as a park, it is only on specific days, that curiously coincide with certain ancient Sabbaths, that open markets are held. On those days, marketeers, performers, seers, magicians and seekers gather over night and will vanish just as quick when the days allotted to the market are done. During this time, one may acquire many rare magical items that are otherwise unavailable throughout the year. But, a word of caution to the wise that the procurement of such artifacts may come with a hefty price.

The ground of Trinity Market is consecrated, lessening the power of, or even forbidding those dark arcane arts that could do harm, but it also lies upon an older and deeper magic.



Omenwich Sewers and Catacombs
For reasons that would be unknown to any city planners, the sewer system beneath Omenwich Square is reminiscent of the old underground canal system of London. Beneath the allies and narrow roads of Omenwich, lies a labyrinth of ancient catacombs, so old in fact that they seem to pre-date New York itself. This leads a few to believe that the sewer system may in fact originate from some other location, though precisely where has not yet been discovered. It is known, however, that occasionally dark passages appear where there were none before, and those that travel down them may become lost, never to be seen again.



''Please be aware that nothing of Omenwich existed pre-shift, other than the Holy Trinity Church and the area as it existed prior to the change. As per the imposed rules of the site, magic DID NOT exist prior to the shift, a rule discounting all the strange and unexplained occurrences that happen in the world day to day (kind of puts a damper on some good back stories) Omenwich, is however, a product of the Faerie realm and those Godly worlds that have ever existed along side our previously mundane world in which magic and mysticism had been stifled for thousands of years.''