From nv91-asa@nada.kth.se Tue Jan 13 04:05:09 1996 Status: RO X-Status: Received: from mail6.netcom.com (root@mail6.netcom.com [192.100.81.142]) by mail.nada.kth.se (8.6.10/8.6.10) with ESMTP id EAA19536 for ; Sat, 13 Jan 1996 04:05:07 +0100 Received: by mail6.netcom.com (8.6.12/Netcom) id NAA10772; Thu, 11 Jan 1996 13:08:03 -0800 Received: from atc.boeing.com by mail6 (8.6.12/Netcom) id NAA10662; Thu, 11 Jan 1996 13:07:41 -0800 Received: by atc.boeing.com (5.65/splinter.boeing.com) id AA04800; Thu, 11 Jan 1996 13:11:46 -0800 Received: from runt.ca.boeing.com by splinter.boeing.com with ESMTP (1.37.109.16/16.2) id AA057724527; Thu, 11 Jan 1996 13:08:47 -0800 Received: by runt.ca.boeing.com (940816.SGI.8.6.9/931108.SGI.ANONFTP) id NAA01220; Thu, 11 Jan 1996 13:04:27 -0800 From: "Corwyn J. Alambar" Message-Id: <9601111304.ZM1218@runt.ca.boeing.com> Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1996 13:04:23 -0800 X-Mailer: Z-Mail (3.2.0 26oct94 MediaMail) To: mage-l@oracle.wizards.com, vampire-l@oracle.wizards.com Subject: The Digital Raven - More in Northern California by Night Cc: gm-l@netcom.com, wod-l@netcom.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: owner-wod-l@netcom.com Precedence: list Reply-To: wod-l@netcom.com Author's note: Possibly the most interesting thing I've written up so far, the Digital Raven is designed to keep any power level character guessing. I hope to not wallow in stereotypes in this one, since it adds a major spark to the Bay Area, and gives a way to tie all the various societies together. This is the most likely piece of the Northern California by Night to fall flat on its face, so please give me hints, ideas, etc. Thanks. The Digital Raven A Gathering Spot in Northern California by Night by Corey Alambar In a city known for its raucous behavior and outrageous parties, there is one place that stands out amongst the rest. An exclusive gathering spot for the elite of the elite, the center of activity for those "in the know". The Digital Raven, a series of four nightclubs, is just such a place. Description The Digital Raven is actually a series of four clubs in the Bay Area, one in San Francisco, one in Berkeley, one in Saratoga, to the southwest of San Jose, and one in Santa Cruz. Each of the four clubs is very different by structure than the others, though they all share a few things in common. They all have a large bar and dance floor area, plus a stage that serves as a second dance floor or as a platform for the live performers that sometimes come through and play gigs at the Raven. There is a small restaurant-ette area, with tables for sitting, eating snacks and chatting away from the dance floor, and they all have Cafe-net terminals, with full connections to the Internet. Berkeley The original 'Raven was opened in Berkeley, and it still holds much of its old character. Once a shipping warehouse, it now has between two and four levels of dance floors, with lights set up and the acoustics surprisingly clear, almost perfect despite the cavernous building. Iron staircases wind from level to level, and often streamers or colored lights hang from the railings of the upper levels, which are offset from the lower ones by several feet, giving an irregular, almost fractured feel to the floorspace. Lighting is, as in almost all cluibs of this nature, dim, with occasional flashes from strobes and blinking colored lights. San Francisco The 'Raven San Francisco was the second to open, and is considered to have the most "class" of all the clubs that share the Digital Raven name. Built from a converted plantation house that survived The Quake, the floors have been reinforced, in some cases knocked out, and the party goes three floors up and two floors down. The central hallway/foyer has been converted into a room with a very gothic-cathedral feel, with leering gargoyles and fountains trickling along the walls. The dark mood remains throughout the whole place, with most of the woodwork and panelling done in a marbled black paint scheme. Santa Cruz The third 'Raven to open, this one is most like a 1960's revival center. Silk and nylon fabric of many colors is draped from point to point, the lighting is subdued, but more active, and the air hangs heavy with incense. Along the entrance are several posters of the heroes of the Psychedelic movement, from 1960 to the present. The psychedelic, swirling colors are often overlayed with flourescent, fractal or linear patterns, giving the entire club an effect much like one would expect a cyberpunk universe to look under LSD. Despite its hippie looks, however, the music and the clientelle are still often young sophisticates, members of the emerging "jet set" of the post Baby Boom generation. Saratoga Built in an odd location, the Saratoga 'Raven is also the only one for which a specific building was constructed. Concrete and neon, the exterior looks like a casino built from a military bunker, and surrounded by well-lit gardens with tables scattered about for conversation outside. Inside, the character takes a harsher turn, with theconcrete marked up as though burned, the concrete walls lookin as though they were blasted with mortars. And overlayed over the neon striping and the concrete rubble effect is lush, thick greenery, with vines growing up the walls, and small trees growing outof the center of the dance floors. Hailed by some architectural reviews as "the ultimate shrine to the decay and destruction of modern civilization," the Saratoga 'Raven leaves an impression on all those who visit it. History The 'Raven Berkeley started back in 1963, by a small group of dropouts from the University of California at Berkeley, who wanted a place to chat, and have fun, while not having to deal with the less intellectual crowd. All the wiring in the original building was home-made, and the sound system constructed from salvaged parts. But from the opening night party, the 'Raven was a smashing success. For the next few years, the 'Raven became a gathering spot for the budding computer generation, a combination chat lounge and dance club, always catering to the cutting edge. It was this that first brought the Technocracy, the Virtual Adepts, and the Sons of Ether to this place. Soon, it became acknowledged as a place to do business in private, without the nosy eyes of superiors watching over you. Secrets were bought and sold, information traded hands like a dollar bill, and the area acquired a mystique of its own. In 1968, the controlling interest in the 'Raven bought a nearly condemned mansion in San Francisco, and set about converting it to another club. Sensing the growing ennui of the new clientelle, the 'Raven San Fran was built with the dark, somber mood in mind, years before the Goth movement began. This atmosphere, plus the large number of people, quickly began to draw the attention of the Kindred of the area, and prompted McLaren to name it an Elysium, lest the Masquerade shatter under the feeding frenzy that might ensue. Soon thereafter, in 1971, the 'Raven opened a new club in the small college town of Santa Cruz. Long a favorite of surfers, it had also become a home to the counterculture of the 1960s that never "grew up", and became the perfect place to rebuild an image of the Raven like it was at the beginning, back in Berkeley. It was a smashing success from the very beginning, and the supernatural clientelle coming in from the north quickly drew the attention of the Chantry of the Gold Coast. In 1974, something happened that would change the way people viewed the 'Raven altogether, particularly the supernatural community. A group of three Brujah, high on cocaine from the blood of a biker they had just consumed, stormed into the 'Raven in Berkeley, and began to assault to customers. In the ten seconds they were active, they killed five people, and then fled out into the night. The police threatened to close down the Raven, and only through some quick manipulation were the powers behind the Raven able to keep it open. In the week that followed the attack, however, the brujah that were involved were each found, individually staked to some place that faced across the Bay, where they were forced to watch the daylight sweep by, until, as the sun began to set, they were finally struck by its rays and burst into a flaming, writhing agony. No one took responsibility for their capture and punishment, though the atmosphere at the 'Raven was much more subdued for about a year. In that time, two more vampires were found in similar situations, one in San Francisco, the other in Santa Cruz. A few recognized them as troublemakers who had been hastling patrons at the 'Raven, and soon it had become a dangerous place for Kindred to be. This all stopped however, after a mysterious letter was sent to the leaders of the Scarlet Mansion, the Chantry of the Gold Coast, McLaren, Torrero, and de la Vega, expressing deep regret over the necessity of the actions taken against the former patrons of the 'Raven. It went on to assure them that their presence was always welcome, provided that no one jeopardized the Raven or its clientelle again. There has been much speculation about this letter, and who wrote it, but it had an instantly calming effect on the denizens of the area, who began frequenting the club in greater and greater numbers. 1982 was the year that the 'Raven exploded into popularity. Pop culture was finally catching up to its ever-trendy and futuristic look and feel, and now it was the place to go for anyone who was anyone. The dance floors were always packed, and lines often wound their way out the door and down the street several blocks. During this time, a massive remodelling project took place, giving the three 'Ravens the look they have today. Grand reopening night was one of the busiest nights in the history of the Raven, with over 50,000 people cycling through the three clubs, some from as far away as London, Paris, Tokyo, and Sydney. 1987 was to be another very important year in the history of the Raven, when the 'Raven Saratoga was opened. Their biggest, most spectactular project yet, it was anticipated for the 9 months of construction, and tickets for the opening night celebration sold out within fifteen minutes of going on sale. Recently, there have been rumors that the operators of the Raven are looking at property in Palo Alto/Menlo Park (near Stanford), Fremont (northeast of San Jose), and San Rafael (north of San Francisco) as new sites for the fifth 'Raven, though there has been no comment either way from the operators of the chain. The Operators No one knows who actually runs the 'Raven, which is still listed as privately held by a small company, Digital Raven Productions. It lists Johnathan Fisk as the president, though no one can locate the elusive Mr. Fisk anywhere but in the records of the Raven itself. There aren't even any pictures of him on file, though he has been subpoena'd three times since the clubs opened. The rumors as to the nature of Mr. Fisk and the people behind Digital Raven Productions are wild, and seem fanciful to all but the most openminded. Everything from an Umbrood to an Antediluvian to an Oracle of (fill in the sphere) to an Avatar of Gaia Herself have been attributed to creating and running the Raven, though no one has ever been able to prove or disprove any of these theories. (Author's note: There are so many different possibilities for the leadership of the Raven that I will not list them here. In fact, in each manifestation of the 'Raven (i.e. each different Chronicle that uses it), the leader(s) may very well be different entirely. What follows is the answer for my Chronicle, though this can (and should) be very different for other Chronicles) The Raven, in fact, is something that can only exist in the Bay Area, because it is something fundamental to the region that has caused a place like this to exist. As a closely knit microcosm, the collective "spirit" of the region has been able to acquire a rudimentary kind of sentience, a kind of living community mind/being with a main goal of preserving itself. Acting through a thrall (an Oracle of Mind who was studying this structure), this collective has been attempting to strengthen itself by bringing together the most creative (i.e. strongest) members of itself into a network which it can then manipulate subtlely. Though it is formed from (mostly) human minds, this "being" is totally alien in thinking to anything else in the Gaian Tellurian, and is first and foremost concerned with its own survival. It knows of the being that sleeps beneath/within the Maze of Dreams, Andromalech, and works against its agents, though it is a war that takes place beneath the movements of the supernaturals of the region, manipulating supernatural culture as supernaturals manipulate mortal culture. The Clientelle Most all of the clientelle at a given night will be merely mortal, though most of them can be considered on the cutting edge of something, be it a science, society, drug manufacturing, or philosophy. The odd melange of ideas here, mixed with an atmosphere that is often more narcotic than the average joint of marijuana, causes often intense bursts of creativity in some groups of patrons, who will take their brilliant insights home and attempt to categorize them and explain them to their friends and colleagues. THe supernatural element, however, is stronge here than anywhere else. At least one Wraith has been known to frequent the club, looking just like another dancer, though he never seems to leave. Magi, Garou, and Kindred meet here to discuss politics, alliances, business, and threats, and several planning sessions take place in the smoky booths near the bar. The unspoken rule of the Raven is that there is a Masquerade of incredible proportions taking place here, though you may freely discuss anything with anyone. It is the doing, not the saying, that is the crime here, and none wish to chance the consequences. The most severe crime that takes place on any given night is burglary, normally in the form of pickpocketing, which is not very frowned upon by the management. Pickpockets who are too successful, however, often find themselves caught by the bouncers, and expelled from the club rather forcefully, often landing on the offending hand and breaking it. There is the occasional tougher crime, however, ranging from assault to rape to the very incidental murder, though often these crimes are solved before the police even arrive, and oddly they never seem to reach the paper. Supernaturals, unless told explicitly, will not necessarilly know of the Raven as a gathering spot for all the different sides. They may think it is simply a cool club, or they may think of it as an occasional meeting point for their clan, pack, or cabal. But they will know, subconsciously, from the moment they enter, that this place is not to be violated. Chronicle Ideas The Raven is a logical starting point for any mixed group or crossover game, as it is a safe place to discuss business with the most unlikely of associates. The diverse atmosphere makes it very good for gathering information, meeting contacts, etc. However, it is not a totally safe place. The grounds outside are often haunted by the more nefarious types, and there have been several murders and assaults between the doors of the Raven and nearby homes and parking lots. Merely wanting to meet a contact here is no guarantee that that contact will be alive when the characters arrive, though clues will be abundant if looked for in the right places. The pan-Elysium of the Raven also makes it a good place to confront foes that are more powerful than the characters are, or a safe place for villains to taunt characters. No character would dare break the sanctity of the Raven, no matter how much they may wish revenge (willpower check, diff 9, 3+ successes is a good guideline). Or, alternatively, siniter things have been happening to the characters or their associates in the Raven. Maybe the characters notice something odd going on, and they begin to trace it back to the Raven. Or maybe they just develop an insatiable curiosity about Digital Raven Productions and Mr. Fisk. As they try to track down more information, they will find that there are several powerful interests (including the Four Princes) that wish the Raven to remain secure, and a mystery. +++++ Okay, this is probably the most challenging piece I've done for the N CA by night series. Tell me what you think, please, and make any suggestions that come to mind. -Corey (nettiger@netcom.com, cja8174@runt.ca.boeing.com)