A brief rundown of the various important people and places of Philly. For those of you who are reading the book, we're largely going "Vancouver method" for city building. Any ideas anyone else has are greatly appreciated.


Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, etc.- Philadelphia was the Colonial capital during the revolution. The British managed to take it, but that was not enough to break Washington’s army. The Declaration of Independence was signed here, as was the Constitution. Needless to say, the city’s nickname as “The Cradle of Liberty” is well-earned.


Valley Forge- Washington’s winter camp in 1777-1778, about 20 miles northwest of the city. Synonymous with suffering Continental soldiers, though truth be told, they’d endure an even worse winter the next year at Morristown, New Jersey.


The Big Five universities- Temple, St. Joseph’s, Villanova, Drexel, Penn. All quality institutions, but the economics and locales vary widely, from Temple’s oasis in the middle of urban blight, to the Ivy League towers of Penn.


Veteran’s Stadium- An old, dilapidated place that’s home to the Phillies and Eagles, scheduled for demolition in a couple of years. Notable for a Nevernever crossing that leads into an ogre camp… though the ogres might well be more civilized than the mortals on the other side!


The Mutter Museum- A small collection of medical oddities that is widely regarded as the freakiest place in the city. Who knows what could be found in the back rooms?


The Camden Aquarium- Not actually in Philly, but across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey. A noted tourist spot, often commented on as one the two reasons a person has to go to Camden.


The U.S.S. New Jersey- The other reason to go to Camden, the “Big J” is an Iowa-class battleship that saw active service off and on from WWII up through the 1980s. Amazingly, in reality she managed to go through almost the entirety of WWII without a single combat fatality, but in this universe, she was badly battered at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in 1943. Among the supernatural community, there are persistent rumors of ghosts haunting the ship, protected from the sun and sea by multiple layers of steel…


William Penn- Founder of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Noted for his relatively honest dealings with the local Delaware Indians, and may well have run across some native spooks in his time with them.


Benjamin Franklin- Inventor, scientist, statesman, writer, and probably the greatest mind America has ever produced. No way he wasn’t clued-in.


George Meade and Winfield Scott Hancock- Civil War generals most famous for stopping Lee at Gettysburg, both were Philly born and lived there after the war. Perhaps they ran across something odd in their service.



Modern Players
Mayor Juan Martinez- Philly’s first Hispanic Mayor, widely celebrated for his ability to turn around a poor school system. However, the money to do this had to come from somewhere, and the police department suffered some cuts, the effects of which are beginning to show.


Antonio “Tiny Tony” Petrucci- In reality, the Mob was basically thrown out of town in the eighties, and barely a peep has been heard from them since. In this universe, federal focus on targets in New York, Chicago, and Vegas allowed them to survive largely unscathed. Antonio is the new boss on the block, having taken over when his father suffered a heart attack. (And it was indeed a heart attack, none of the other mobsters had anything to do with it.) The new boss is rather flashy, and as lethal as any other gangster. Rumors place him as anything from a complete straight to having a little kinetomancy himself, but nobody’s sure. What is for certain is that there are some jackals looking hungrily at the new lion’s turf.


Wilhelm Schmidt- The Red Court’s top man in town. Earned some respect for being a little more civil than most, but he’ll still tear into your throat; he’ll just apologize while he does it.


Michael Skavis- Wilhelm’s White Court counterpart. Runs the slums with an iron fist. Has taken the traditional Skavis “urban blight=poverty=despair=free lunch” tactic to heart.


Lord Ionos- One of the High Winter Fae, Ionos is Mab’s mouthpiece in Philly. He prefers not to get involved in mortal affairs, but the Black Jenny situation has piqued his interest. A valuable ally… and a deadly enemy.

Black Jenny- The most mysterious power player in the city, she appeared out of nowhere a couple of years ago as the go-to girl for nasty artifacts and ritual implements, with a bunch of thugs to match. The Wardens would love to nail her ass to the wall, but they’ve got as much clue to her identity as anyone else, i.e. zilch. But whether she’s Black Court, a power-hungry sorceress, or something that’s slipped over from the Nevernever, one thing everyone can agree on is that people who cross her are seldom heard from again.