Ashmore, Pennsylvania, USA
Nestled somewhere in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania in Luzerne County lies the almost-forgotten town of Ashmore.
About
Before the decline in popularity for the Poconos, some would say that Ashmore was one of Pennsylvania's best-kept secrets. Hidden in the mountains, but not too far from big cities, with a population of just under 5,000 people, the town was quaint, with quaint little shops and a quaint, clean motel. Lake Ashmore was great for fishing, boating, skiing, and swimming in the summer, and close enough to the slopes that drew the skiers and snowboarders that made the Poconos so famous, at a fraction of the cost. Who needs a heart-shaped hot tub anyway?
But big developers never looked to Ashmore for their trendy resorts, and Ashmore never grew enough to compete (like “Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge” - if you know you know!). Later, the Pocono’s decline in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s saw many resorts shut down and abandoned, and Ashmore survived but never pulled out of the slump. Though it still entertains tourists now and then, most of the residents are locals.
Yet Ashmore has another secret–a large population of Supernaturals. It’s true they exist all over the world and walk among us every day, but there’s just something about Ashmore. Maybe it is that the unassuming ‘sleepy little town’ is so sheltered by the mountains and out of the way, maybe it’s that crevice at the bottom of the lake, maybe it’s ley lines, maybe it's more. Whatever the reason, the supernaturals seem to be drawn to Ashmore. Humans who know, know enough to keep their mouths shut, and those that don’t might find out soon enough!
The world
Please understand, that like any other book or movie, the Unnatural world exists within specific established parameters, which can be found on the individual race pages and throughout the website, and is made available to you, the player, to play and enjoy. If something is not listed, it does not exist.
–Supernaturals exist everywhere, but most humans do NOT know this. Folklore, myths, the vocabulary associated with supernatural/paranormal, movies, books, and pop culture, all exist as we know them IRL, but the majority of people don’t believe they are real.
–The ONLY Supernaturals that exist in the Unnatural world are Vampires, Werewolves, Phral, Shifters, Waterborn, and Incarnates. There are no others. No Fae, no ghosts or spirits of the dead, no gods, or zombies, etc. Your character may believe what they want, including those things that do not exist, but this is it.
–The “Veil” is an “open secret”, and all who know strive to protect it, humans and supernaturals alike. Breaking it by telling others or outing another supernatural MAY have serious IC consequences, including death. Please keep this in mind during your roleplay.
–There exists an entity called Horizon that watches over all Supernatural activity in the United States. Other similar entities exist all over the world, but they mind their own territories unless called upon for help. Do not introduce, make up, or roleplay about other entities, or about knowing of these other entities, or of Horizon, other than their healthcare network public face, unless given permission to do so.
–All Supernaturals shift to non-human forms (those that have them) during the full moons. OOC’ly we’ll have the sim set to midnight and have the full moon last 2 real-time days to give everyone an opportunity to play. Supernaturals do their best to remain in shadows or the woods and away from Human eyes, but accidents happen!
Facts about ashmore
Players are welcome to claim to be a “local”, and grow up in Ashmore, or even be multi-generational “local”. If you decide to do this, there are things that your character might know about Ashmore, so listed below are some facts to help you with this. Please do not deviate from this or introduce “history” into Ashmore without approval.
Because of the nature of RP and sims in general we will not be listing any player-owned businesses on this page, even if they claim to have been there for years, or are multi-generation family-owned.
Population < 5,000
Driving distance to New York City: About 2.5 hours, in good weather and easy traffic.
Driving distance to Philadelphia: About 2 hours in good weather and easy traffic.
Average temperatures: 16-30 degrees F in winter, to 60-80 F in summer.
The first buildings in town were built in the late 1890s to replace the makeshift camps that housed loggers, quarry workers, and sawmill workers, and it slowly grew from there. By the 1910s the town had taken shape, with a central park and a few businesses surrounding it, and the first City Hall. Tourism boomed around the 1950s and ran strong up until the early 1980s, and was the driving force in the conservation of the forests. Logging operations stopped in the late 1950s, and the sawmill closed a few years later.
Bad Moon Saloon: $$ Roadhouse, biker bar, casual, country/rock, jeans-and-t-shirts. Good drinking place, with a very limited, rustic menu. Built/established by Frik Grey, a British biker (werewolf) that rolled into the little town sometime in the early 60s, from an old bar/shack that had served loggers and quarry workers. Locals would know of Frik, a well-known figure in town, often donating to charities and helping others when he could. He is also the first/original werewolf in the area. Frik is now a bit of a recluse, living in an old cabin in the mountains, and left the bar to his nephew, Paul Grey. OOC: Werewolf hangout.
Club Lazarus: $$$$ Upscale, Jazz, cigar, whiskey, bourbon, dress-to-impress. Established in 2017. The first church built in Ashmore was a large tent that housed its members until the first wooden structure was built in 1909. The church burned down in 1925, and a new church was rebuilt in 1932. The building was well-maintained for a few decades and served different denominations through the years until it shut down in 1986 for a lack of funds for repairs and a lack of attendance. Debates between historical preservation societies and city planners delayed demolition until it was bought in 2016 by Rosemary Broussard and opened a year later in October 2017. The outer building was restored and now serves as an entrance to Club Lazarus. OOC: Vampire hangout.
Club Redrum: $$$ Upscale, fetish/clubwear Club Redrum was built in 2022, and caters to a more ‘modern’ crowd with its neon lights, arcade games, pool table, and yes, even kink theme. It is often frequented by college students in town, though not exclusively by them, and has, since opening, attracted a more sophisticated clientele with unusual/fetish tastes. OOC: Incarnate hangout.
The Green Man Bar: $$ Casual, Locals. The Green Man was built sometime in the 1980s and over time became the local’s watering hole, mainly because of its location in town. It is named after Pennsylvania legend, Raymond Robinson (aka Green Man) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Robinson_(Green_Man) Despite changing hands several times over the years, the name or the ambiance has never changed. OOC: Race-Neutral hangout.
Ashmore Quarry: The quarry had been operating since 1885 until 1992 when it shut down. The shutdown is partially responsible for the economic decline in the immediate area, as workers moved away to find other jobs.
Ashmore Motel and Diner: The first boarding house in Ashmore was built in 1905, more as a place for temporary housing for people moving into the area looking for work in the quarry, logging, or at the sawmill. Several inns and boarding houses have been built since then, but the current buildings were constructed in the 1950s to accommodate the increase in tourists.
Spellbound: Spellbound is a New Age shop opened sometime in the mid-80s by Alysse Blackburn and Carol Petelier. Alysse had a bit of wanderlust and took off with a biker gang (werewolf pack) leaving her best friend Carol and her niece, Lexie Vaher, in charge of the shop. Alysse is now a werewolf NPC that sometimes works at the Bad Moon.