Omenwich Square, a portal to the old world amidst the ever changing landscape of New York City. It's brown stone buildings, romantic architecture and faux gas light lamp posts and wall fixtures generate the ambiance of old England, luring one deeper into it's trappings. As one ventures deeper into the narrow alleyways they soon find that retail adventure abounds. Along the cobblestone corridors are nestled many small and quaint shops just waiting to be explored and at the center of it all lies Trinity Market, the heart of Omenwich Square.
By day Omenwich is an extravagant detour for the wayward spirit. It's rustic, Old-World atmosphere is a welcome change for those wishing to escape the rat-race, if even for a few minutes. All of the shops maintain a character that compliments the theme of the Square so that visitors truly feel they've taken a respite into myth without ever leaving the city.
By night, Omenwich takes on an ambiance more associated with dark macabre of old London's Piccadilly Square during the time when Jack the Ripper stalked the foggy, shadowed streets. Visitors and patrons alike will delight in the mood generated by the legendary structures, but all will agree that something truly sinister seems to lurk within the obscure corridors. The aura of magic is strong and veil between worlds is thin within the Square, thus inviting to the likes of Fae and other entities.
In order to protect it's patrons and keepers, Omenwich Square's alleys were once secured with wrought iron gates originally designed to prevent wandering zombies from entering. Many of the gates are locked at nightfall by a private security company employed by Omenwich.
ESTABLISHMENTS
Owner/Operator: Angus Leary
The heart of Omenwich Square.
Arcane Artifacts
Owner/Operator: Dana Morrowynd a Metahuman Fae.
Antiques and ancient relics.
Dark Horse Crossroads Book Store
Owner/Operator: Holly Bowman an ex-private investigator.
An old fashioned book store; a two story labyrinthine archive featuring current to the rarest of tomes. Formerly owned by the deceased Erich Lawrence Park (a ghostly resident) the store was purchased in late 2015 by Sadie Verdin who mysteriously vanished as well.
Blackwell's Magic Shop
Owner/Operator: Benjamin Blackwell
Owned by an old British stage performer, the shop itself is a maze of magical props and books on the art of legerdemain and illusions. Blackwell himself was known for the old disappearing act, a trick not so entertaining in our new 'magical' world. A tentative play-by image and persona for Blackwell is John Hurt.
In truth, Benjamin changed during the Shift. The magical tricks he performed he is know able to conjure via actual incantations. He has the ability to manipulate magic but in order to do so requires the development of an incantation — his own specific formula requiring a combination of movement, words in a variety of tongues and components. These 'recipes' are of course NOT fool proof. Benjamin has more failure than success and can, quite comically, be found with singed whiskers, the scent of smoke permeating his workshop.
Owner/Operator: Christopher Vines
This garish café, located witihn an eight story building on the corner of Broadway and 83rd street, has been designed to emulate the dark and macabre of Edgar Allen Poe with slight steampunk twist thrown in.
Morrow's Greens
Owner/Operator: Chevy and Madison Morrow
Omenwich's local Green Grocery. A quaint market that always seems to 'magically' have just what you're looking for. They not only sell fruits and vegetables but dry goods and basic staples, like milk and eggs as well. Chevy and Madison are a middle aged couple originally from Scotland.
Harrington's Haberdashery
Owner/Operator: Greyson Harrington
A classic men's clothing store. Greyson provides custom taiioring and sells a variety of fashions from classic, to common, to edgy.
Black Rose Decor
Owner/Operator: Tess Mayfair
This interior design shop, located on the main floor of the 82nd street side of a four story building, has decorated most of the shops of Omenwich Square. They specialize in old English, Gothic and Victorian design.
Ballantine Place
Supervisor/Maintenance: Walter Kripp
A beautiful nine story gothic apartment block located at 1522 Amsterdam Avenue containing fifty suites. It is one of, if not the oldest apartments in the area. It is known for it's sky lit court yard, labyrinth of wrought iron stairwells and old style elevators.
CHARACTER RESIDENTS:
Apartment 905 — @Atticus Gale
TRINITY MARKET
A year before the RESONANCE the Holy Trinity Catholic Church closed it's doors; it was a shock to the community. The popular place of worship was shut down in a matter of weeks. The reason provided by the Bishop was that a rare form of black mold, one only irradiated by the destruction of the building had sadly been discovered throughout the structure. Oddly, though, not one parishioner had ever suffered any symptoms associated with the dangerous spores and the church refused any further investigation into the matter.
An investigation revealed a few strange stories of events that would have been unaccepted in a pre-Resonance world. Objects moving by themselves, eerie voices, and people being scratched by some unseen entity. It would seem as if the church was haunted. These allegations were of course denied by the church, but after the 'Resonance', the priest began to talk, as it became obvious that whatever 'evil' had invaded the church was related to this significant event that changed everything over night. He admitted that there was a presence in the church, but further investigations revealed nothing. It would seem that whatever had existed there prior to the Shift left after the event. Even to this date, the church still remains closed to public.
After the 'Resonance' the businesses of Omenwich Square appealed to the church and acquired the park behind it, a beautiful sanctuary at the heart of the square. They called it Trinity Market, and quickly people flocked to it to set up their wares and stations. The bazaar seemed to appear over night and people, or more appropriately Faerie, descended upon the magical market.
The market is bordered by dark stone walls laden with creeping vines that turn to bright red and flaming orange in the Autumn. Black wrought iron gates lazily guard three grand archways that offer entrance into the enclosed area of cobblestone paths that spiral round landscaped islands of foliage. At the center is a small gothic fountain featuring a bronze statue of the Arch Angel Michael, but it is believed by some that it is indeed that of Lucifer before his fall.
For most of the year, the market lies empty and is used mainly as a park, it is only on specific days, that curiously coincide with certain ancient Sabbaths, that open markets are held. On those days, marketeers, performers, seers, magicians and seekers gather over night and will vanish just as quick when the days allotted to the market are done. During this time, one may acquire many rare magical items that are otherwise unavailable throughout the year. But, a word of caution to the wise that the procurement of such artifacts may come with a hefty price.
The ground of Trinity Market is consecrated, lessening the power of, or even forbidding those dark arcane arts that could do harm, but it also lies upon an older and deeper magic — it is a sacred site of the Faerie and as such is neutral ground for their kind.
OMENWICH LABYRINTH
The sewer system beneath Omenwich Square is reminiscent of the old underground canal system of London and forgotten subway systems are entwined with the strange tunnels. Beneath the allies and narrow roads of Omenwich, lies a labyrinth of ancient catacombs, so old in fact that they seem to pre-date New York itself. This leads a few to believe that the sewer system may in fact originate from some other location, brought to Earth via the Resonance, though precisely from where has yet to be discovered. It is known, however, that occasionally dark passages appear where there were none before, and those that travel down them may become lost, never to be seen again.
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