Central
Central
Baltimore is where all the action is.
The culture, economic, and vacationer’s center of the city (never mind
the geographic center), Central Baltimore contains the most important places of
note for the Camarilla Kindred, starting with the World Trade Center,
essentially the literal manifestation of the Ivory Tower in Charm City, the
capital of Baltimore for the Kindred.
The
Baltimore Club
When
they are not partying at Geisha, or mingling at one of the various Elysiums,
the Harpies of Baltimore relax at the Baltimore Club. Originally a gentlemen's club for doctors, lawyers, and
businessmen, the Baltimore Club is one of the most elite and exclusive clubs in
Baltimore. The staff there are excellent
and the food is exquisite, and anyone who is anyone has a membership to the
club. It is there that the Harpies hold
the majority of their get-togethers.
The club is formal dress only, and anyone who doesn't look and act their
best is sure to be a target of some Harpy derision at a later date.
The
Belvedere Hotel
One of
the nicest hotels in Baltimore, and one of the lowest key, the Belvedere has
long been owned and run by the Brujah-controlled mafia. The hotel is in the domain of Joe Olives,
one of the more powerful Brujah in the city and wielder of the most power over
the mafia families. Anyone wanting to
meet with Joe Olives can go to the Belvedere.
Several of the staff are ghouls, and Kindred who are not invited by Joe
Olives are not permitted to feed on the premise.
Enoch
Pratt Free Library
The
Enoch Pratt Free Library used to be very near to the site of the Tremere
Chantry, until the recent move further north, away from the city proper. The Tremere still wield a great deal of
influence when the library is involved, however, and is considered the domain
of Reuben Shalowitz. Any Kindred in the
city are allowed access to the library, excluding Reuben's private collection
of occult books contained within. Once
of the librarians is a ghoul of Reuben's, and will be happy to help any Kindred
find anything they are looking for.
The
Hyatt Regency Hotel
The
Hyatt Regency is by many considered the nicest hotel in Baltimore - perhaps all
of Maryland. It affords a spectacular
view of the Inner Harbor, and offers such services as a five star restaurant,
on-sight massage, an indoor pool, valet parking, meeting halls, and a
gymnasium. The staff there are
excellent, and the entire atmosphere is designed for the perfect stay. However, with its over four hundred rooms,
it is the primary Elysium and housing for the Kindred of Baltimore.
Any
Kindred coming into the status who has even a modicum of status but has not yet
acquired a domain from the Prince will be given a room at the Hyatt
Regency. The rooms are always
excellent. A large majority of the
Kindred social events are held in the Hyatt's meeting halls, including most
Elysiums. Feeding is forbidden in the
hotel; however, there is a 'room service' that can be called, provided discreet
refreshments delivered directly to one's room, no questions asked. The price of the room is, of course, paid
for by the city, and no one is charged as long as they do not violate any
traditions or create some sort of problem.
The
Inner Harbor
The
entire inner harbor is completely off limits for feeding. This included the water front and any
buildings between the water and the nearby roads (Harbor Place, the Science
Center, the Aquarium, Federal Hill, the World Trade Center, and the Hyatt
Regency). This embargo on feeding in
the Inner Harbor was placed during the mid-eighties, when the Primogen council
decided to attempt to increase tourism in Baltimore. The Inner Harbor was to be the focal point of this tourism, and
the Prince ordered that feeding was therefore going to be banned in the
area. Violations of this restriction
have been dealt with in an extremely harsh manner, sometimes resulting in the
Final Death of the offending party.
Penn
Station
Penn
Station is one of the most heavily monitored - and heavily utilized -
transportation centers in Baltimore due to the night trains that run
there. Several ghouls or Mesmerized
mortals watch the trains coming in, and are trained to identify Kindred and
report back to the Authorities in Baltimore.
Like BWI, taxis and limousine services are available to take newcomers
to see the Prince at the World Trade Center.
Renaissance
Harborplace Hotel
The
Renaissance Harborplace Hotel is one of the best hotels in the city - for the
Kine. For Kindred, it is a place to
avoided. Two decades ago, Lupines came
and drove out the Kindred in the hotel, claiming it as their own
territory. It has since then been
inhabited by werewolves, lurking the corridors, rising up throw their own halls
of power. Garou experts say that the
werewolves in the hotel are part of the Glass Walkers tribe, an urbanite group
of werewolves who delve into mortal businesses and cities with gusto.
The
Undercity
The
Undercity of Baltimore consists of subways, drainage tunnels, and sewage
tunnels, all of which are controlled exclusively by the Nosferatu. Kindred are permitted use of the subways as
long as they do not delve off the beaten track - if they do so, they will be
contacted by the Nosferatu and 'asked' to leave. Entering the sewage tunnels is very much frowned upon, and delving
too far will almost certainly bring the attention of the Nosferatu upon the
offending party. Entering the drainage
tunnels is completely forbidden, and some offenses have been met with violence
before questions were asked. There is a
massive underground city with labyrinthine tunnels and chambers, and
subterranean horrors where the Nosferatu lurk and compile information.
It is
rumored that all of this can be accessed via anywhere in Baltimore, but it is
said that the primary entrance is somewhere on Federal Hill. Situated thus so that the Nosferatu can
easily overlook the city and are in close proximity to the World Trade Center,
the exact location of the entrance is one of the best kept secrets in
Baltimore.
The
World Trade Center
The
World Trade Center sits overlooking the northern tip of the Inner Harbor,
surveying the heart of downtown Baltimore City. Once simply a tourist trap, Viktor Albrecht made the decision to
move the center of his holdings from the nearby Hyatt Regency to the top two
floors of the World Trade Center. Any
visitors to the city will inevitably be taken there to hold audience with the
Prince. They will be taken to the
second floor to the top, where they will be waited upon by ghouls, who will
offer sustenance and clean clothing (if necessary), and rooms at the Hyatt
Regency if the vampire does not have housing for the day. A private elevator manned by two of
Albrecht's ghouls goes to the top floor.
That floor consists of a meeting room which has a near 360 degree view
of the city, and an adjacent office for the Prince. The Primogen Council meet in the office, and Prince takes all
presentations there.