UPTOWN GOTHAM
THE ORCHARD HOTEL was built by R.H Orchard in 1893. Almost every year since, the Orchard family - one of Gotham's oldest and wealthiest - has used it to host the Annual Gotham City Masquerade. We, of course, offer further funding for these events, which lands us the coveted role of host, even if some are too ignorant to know it. Many think these balls and events are fantastic opportunities to pour money "back into Gotham" and perfect the upkeep of their lauded reputations, and while such is certainly the outcome for most, the city's idling elite are often observed while they mingle.THREAT: NONE ∙∙∙∙∙ SURVEILLANCE: HIGH
Having moved from their ground-floor apartment in Old Gotham, Downtown, shortly before the flooding and soon after an explosion ripped through their home, the growing Fleck/Wayne family has found a place for themselves in Sheldon Park. The house, which was previously a duplex before Phoenix had her way with it, is now a three-story Victorian-type townhouse. A rarity in Gotham, it boasts a small strip of front yard penned in by a brick wall, and a large back space. Technically it's a seven-bed, three-and-a-half bath, but the top floor has been renovated to cater to all the family's needs: Arthur has a music studio, Nix has a streaming studio, and their children have a large playroom with their own games system.The family also has a large menagerie of animals. From a working wolf-dog, to a house-trained pig, a number of cats, and an entire wall dedicated to terrariums housing a variety of amphibians and reptiles.While the duplex's original plans are available online, it is highly unlikely that the home's interior looks anything like it once did. Nix is known for her perchance for renovation and DIY, and it's expected that, along with the restructure of the entire top floor, she has given the whole building a completely new and unique look.THREAT: LOW ∙∙∙∙∙ SURVEILLANCE: HIGH
GOTHAM GENERAL METROPOLITAN HOSPITAL has undergone many renovations since its original construction in 1929 and is still considered antiquated. Triage leaves much to be desired. Funding has been reallocated to the board at Arkham State Hospital. The staff is known to treat Joker in the morgue.A nefarious bout of illegal drug distribution occurs at the south loading dock.THREAT: LOW ∙∙∙∙∙ SURVEILLANCE: MODERATE
GOTHAM CEMETERY was established in 1632. The Victorian-style cemetery was built on a low, but very prominent hill in Otisburg. Its famous wrought-iron gates were erected in 1838. Not every body has a marker. The cemetery is predominantly Christian, but a Jewish section in the northeast quarter was established in 1832.Its main entrance is approached by a bridge over a burn. The Bridge of Sighs was commissioned by Solomon Wayne and completed in 1836. Three modern memorials lie between the gates and the bridge: a memorial to still-born children; a memorial to veterans, and a memorial to Gotham's founding families.The cemetery is laid out as an informal park, lacking formal grid layouts. This layout is further enhanced by the complex topography. The cemetery's paths meander uphill towards the summit, where many of the larger monuments stand, are clustered. Numerous sculptures, tombs, and monuments of past members can be found here.Constructed to literally be a city of the dead, Gotham Cemetery does not care much for the living.THREAT: LOW ∙∙∙∙∙ SURVEILLANCE: LOW
AMUSEMENT MILE the waterfront amusement park built during Gotham's industrial boom at the turn of the 19th century. Its conception was due to a great war between Court members: the Solomon brothers and Carlo Geraldi. Their contest was to develop the "greatest" amusement park and turn a major profit from Gotham's laborers.The Solomon Brothers opened a string of nickelodeons and film houses in 1910. Geraldi answered by opening Amusement Mile along the northeast shore. Within weeks, numerous attractions were added and many of the movie houses stand today, though they predominantly feature adult films. Their friendly competition drew more competitors than anticipated.By the mid-1950's, Gotham boasted no less than three zoo's, five amusement parks, and countless museums, reptile farms, and film houses. This renaissance ended once the factories closed. Those who no longer had disposable incomes deserted Amusement Mile, which opened the boardwalk for harder forms of business. Freak shows shuttered down and puppet theaters went dark.Court affiliate known as The Broker purchased Amusement Mile and allocates White Elephant real estate for cash and check only. He has also revived many of the rides and attractions so as to deter suspicion.It is garish, ugly, and derelicts use it for a toilet. Rides are dilapidated to a lethal degree. Notable locations and businesses include Ha Ha's Talent Agency (Arthur Wayne's former employer run by Hoyt Vaughn), Oswald Cobblepot's cargo-cruise hybrid liner Final Offer that boasts a casino, a fighting pit, and sales floors for weapons and ammunition, GCPD's new headquarters, the W. White building, the Old Gotham freeway, Krank co. Toys Warehouse, Leslie Thompkins Medical Clinic, The Sea Pier, Gotham Casino, Gotham City Olympus Nightclub, Gotham City Radio headquarters. More to be added.THREAT: MODERATE ∙∙∙∙∙ SURVEILLANCE: HIGH
GOTHAM CITY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL was fully funded by the Thomas Wayne Foundation in 1983. Former Court member Thomas Wayne insisted that the bulk of his self-named charity’s proceeds be donated to the construction of this hospital instead of the Arkham State Hospital substance rehabilitation ward, which would have dripped back into the parliament. This was an act of defiance that would be the first of many following the birth of his eldest son Arthur.Notable patients include Evelyn Rose Wayne, Arthur and Phoenix Wayne’s adopted daughter. She receives immunoglobulin transfusions biweekly for primary immunodeficiency disease and is also a neurology for excess white matter due to prolonged methamphetamine exposure as an infant. Both parents or one at a time may or may not be present, though Evelyn’s treatments are covered under their private insurance policy.THREAT: LOW ∙∙∙∙∙ SURVEILLANCE: LOW
MIDTOWN GOTHAM
Relocated from the rubble in downtown, the new and improved Iceberg Lounge is currently under construction on the northeast coast of the middle island. An angular and monstrous structure currently stands, adorned with shards of cold blue glass; an iceberg breaks through a historic mansion facing the water's edge. The lounge will boast two grand entrances and seems to be steering away from its former reputation as a grotty, body-filled pit in a dock warehouse. Money is being spent here and it doubtless that Cobblepot and any future business partners will spare no expense going forward. It looks to be a monolith on Gotham's coastline.Given Cobblepot's... reluctant ties to our court through his mother, Constance, it's likely that many future events of ours will be hosted here. Keep a keen eye on what is to come.THREAT: LOW ∙∙∙∙∙SURVEILLANCE: LOW
WAYNE TOWER was designed by former Court members Cyrus Pinkney and Solomon Wayne in 1888. Former Court member Alan Wayne was the lead architect in its construction. The art-deco headquarters of Wayne Investments and the home of Thomas, Martha, and Bruce Wayne is the tallest building in Gotham and upholds the city’s traditional Gothic architecture.Twelve gargoyles watch each vein into the city. The five lowermost guardians surveil the three bridges and two tunnels. Seven guardians protect the subway lines. Its observation deck, below the Wayne family penthouse, is open to the public with laminated float glass. The thirteenth guardian was built by Henry Wayne in 1933 to watch those arriving by air.His treason against the Court stoked Alan Wayne’s fear of the number thirteen. The same great mind that designed owls to perch among the moldings of each Wayne-constructed building succumbed to a fear so primal he also became the first architect not to include a thirteenth floor in buildings. By doing so, he provided nests for the Court. Enough space is left between the twelfth and fourteenth floors for the parliament to gather. Hidden elevators lead the way.Upon being sentenced to death, Alan Wayne was dragged to the sewers, stabbed fifty times as per the tradition, and so decomposed he could only be identified by his teeth.In 1997, former Court member Thomas Wayne donated Wayne Manor to the Department of Health and converted it to a since-abandoned orphanage following its razing at the hands of Edward Nashton. The family occupied the penthouse with butler Alfred Pennyworth and maid Dorothy “Dory” Bulac-Eriksen. In 2022, the penthouse suffered moderate damage due to a parcel bomb sent by Edward Nashton.Bruce Wayne resided in the penthouse until the Court liquidated his shares in Wayne Investments and ousted him from the premises. Court member Arthur Wayne has been allotted unimpeded access to the penthouse and has been granted clearance to partake in high-level business decisions at his discretion.Wayne Tower remains both a nest and the headquarters for Wayne Investments. The Whisper Gang is also being stationed at the subway line running beneath the tower, to be controlled by Arthur Wayne.THREAT: MODERATE ∙∙∙∙∙SURVEILLANCE: HIGH
OUR LADY OF KAZAN is part of the Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. It was constructed in 1951 when services were conducted in an old storefront at 338 Broadway. It wasn’t until 1970 that the parish was able to purchase St. John’s and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, which would then become Gotham’s only Russian Orthodox parish.The Very Reverend Archpriest Vladimir Shishkov and Our Lady’s parishioners converted the interior into a Russian Orthodox church with icons and icon screen. The church was consecrated on the feast day of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan on November 4th that very same year.Gotham’s only Russian Orthodox parish continues to this day. It is one of the oldest churches in the city. Construction of the Episcopal church once attended by the Wayne family began in 1867.Maintenance of the building and church requires the efforts of the entire parish. In the last few years, much has been accomplished on the restoration of the iconostasis, altar icons, and the building’s heating system. Panya Flerko (anglicized as Penelope “Penny” Fleck) was a parishioner from her arrival in Gotham in 1971 to her death in 2019. Her son, Court member Arthur Wayne, is still a parishioner to this day and can frequently be found using the choir room’s piano.Services are conducted exclusively in Slavonic. Members of the Vory v Zakone brotherhood are all parishioners of this church including Court agent Luka Volk and each member of The Whisper Gang. Arthur Wayne retains strong ties to the brotherhood through this parish. More information can be found here.THREAT: LOW ∙∙∙∙∙SURVEILLANCE: LOW
GOTHAM SQUARE is at the heart of our decaying city. It is the commercial epicentre, yet has been ransacked by adult theatres and seedy hotels. This living time capsule has hardly been renovated since the 1980's. Phone booths, meters, graffiti, and facades are untouched. Since the flood, this sector has become infested with the homeless and displaced from the Downtown island.Many local monuments are here at the centre of Gotham. Places like Gotham Square Gardens, as we recently learned, are prime targets for organized criminal activities. If we aren't careful, we could very well lose important landmarks as they sink into the underbelly of Gotham.THREAT: MODERATE ∙∙∙∙∙SURVEILLANCE: MODERATE
THE UNION STATION was completed in 1902 and swiftly became the hub of the Gotham Central Intramural Railway, more recently known as Gotham City Rail. The station was built into the underbelly of the clocktower pictured above, which was originally commissioned by Alan Wayne in 1898. The tower itself has since been condemned by the city for safety purposes, but due to the old Wayne's superstitious habit of forgoing a thirteenth floor, we at the Court still have a nest there to this day. There is also a Talon's nest in the central guts of the tower.The uppermost floors, including the belfry itself, remain off-limits...even to the Court of Owls. It seems there is no way of climbing higher into that clock tower, and yet it always tells the correct time. Blueprints available, even to us, offer little to no help in discovering a further way in. Mysterious, yes, but not an outcome unheard of in our strange city.THREAT: LOW ∙∙∙∙∙SURVEILLANCE: MODERATE
THE ATLANTIC BAY HOTEL has been described as a nexus of dark energy since its initial construction in 1928 at the edge of Gotham Square. Accidents during construction birthed legends that workers have been built into the walls. Money troubles also halted construction several times, but eventually it was finished with fifteen floors and two elevator bays. The Atlantic Bay has a spacious time capsule of a lobby with roman columns, vaulted ceilings, and vintage paint and décor so guests and tenants alike feel they’ve just set foot in luxury. The reality is quite grim.This hotel has been a base for the city’s worst since its grand opening largely due to cheap accommodations and no questions asked. The hotel is also split between tenants, young travelers in need of a hostel, the downtrodden, extramarital affairs, and far more. These walls were underground fight club Skizm’s first home. It boasts waterfront views of the Manhattan skyline and its prime location of being on Market Street, close to Union Station and the main commercial drag of Gotham Square.On average, The Atlantic Bay sees 80 deaths a year. Staff has partaken in and covered up murders, drug deals, and criminal activity. GCPD no longer investigates the premises. Many believe these halls are haunted, others view the building as a hedonistic playground, we see opportunity for our agents.The manager, former cocktail waitress Amy, is an agent of the Court and will facilitate all activity as directed. More about The Atlantic Bay hotel can be found here.THREAT: LOW ∙∙∙∙∙SURVEILLANCE: HIGH
Also known as the Gotham Health Department or GCHD, it was fully defunded in 2019 when the Gotham Renewal Fund was drained. Affiliated with Gotham General Metropolitan Hospital, Arkham State Hospital, and the Gotham City Children’s Hospital, they also provided guidance, assistance, and strategies regarding public health and medical services. The now-defunct Gotham City Orphanage was also included in this division. Funding for the Orphanage decreased year-over-year until Edward Nashton was driven to raze the former Wayne Manor in 2022. Social Services was also part of GCHD.Former Court member Thomas Wayne’s generous donation to the Department of Health in 1983 was followed by the erasure of his eldest son, Court member Arthur Wayne and the forgery of the boy’s documentation. Funding was successfully cut in 2019 and its staff gutted while Arthur Wayne was undergoing court-mandated therapy following a suicide attempt in that same year. This catapulted his transformation into Joker.The Department of Health attempted one final stand in 2022 when Drops-related crimes and deaths were ever-rising, but ultimately failed due to a lack of funding. We cut the hotline and further siphoned resources to compensate for backlogged dues from the likes of Carmine Falcone (d.2022) and Salvatore Maroni.Court member Kathryn Monroe serves as the Department of Health’s acting hand. Her operations primarily consist of funding the work of Arkham State Hospital’s board.We successfully control the Department of Health, however we must be leery of ambitious outsiders.THREAT: MODERATE ∙∙∙∙∙SURVEILLANCE: HIGH
Opened on October 11, 1886 as the Newark Theatre. It was originally a vaudeville house managed by the Solomon Brothers. Wood frame balconies were replaced with a steel and concrete balcony. The auditorium was decorated in neoclassical style and the lobby doubled in size. Its original capacity was 1,900. After its remodeling, an additional 103 seats were added.In 1932, when vaudeville’s popularity began to diminish, the Solomon Brothers struck a deal with Paramount to start showing movies. The theater underwent another remodel which covered most of the Thomas Lamb décor with a flat paint. After this last remodel, the theater was renamed the Newart Paramount Theatre.The theater closed on March 31, 1986 due to an increase in insurance rates. All of the seats on the lower level have been removed. The remains of the box seats on the left side of the auditorium. All of the chandeliers have been removed.This crumbling relic remains a haunt of Court member Arthur Wayne to write music on its piano in solitude. Due to its dilapidated conditions, the theater is also a nest for suspicious activity. Do mind the rusted metal and rabid animals.THREAT: LOW ∙∙∙∙∙SURVEILLANCE: LOW