Old World Order vs. New

For centuries, the supernatural scene of Geneva has been dominated by House Montagne of the White Court. They certainly don't qualify as benevolent rulers, but they do play the long game in managing their territory / hunting grounds. They have managed to keep the city peaceful and prosperous, even if they have to quietly disappear the occasional threat or rival.

However, there are new factions moving into the city. A small scourge of Black Court vampires is moving in, perhaps planning a power play against House Montange. Some of the mundane gendarmes are starting to get clued in to the supernatural, and may be looking for a way to gain enough power to fight back against the monsters.

Threat: Shifting Sands

Faces: Donatien Montagne, White Court Patriarch; Catina Vasilescu, Black Court Mastermind

Rumblings of Change

Geneva has been relatively quiet over the past few decades. It has remained relatively untouched by the Vampire War, and House Montagne was able to quickly deal with any minor disturbances. However, over the past year or two, there's been an uptick in the number of strange happenings: a haunting here, an influx of Faerie troublemakers there. Perhaps it's just another sign that the world is growing darker these days, but one thing is clear about these seemingly disconnected events: they're accelerating.

Threat: The Widening Gyre

Face: Monster of the Week

The Mortal Threat

In most areas of the world, the various supernatural factions are wary of attracting too much attention to themselves. One mortal human is no match for most supernatural creatures, but when you get an entire village together with torches and pitchforks, things can go south quite quickly. If too many mortals find out about the supernatural, we could have another Inquisition on our hands.

Geneva is something of a perfect storm with respect to the threat that mortals could pose: The population density of the city means that they have sufficient numbers to oppose most supernatural threats, if they were roused to do so. The Swiss gun laws lead to the fact that most of the mortals are well-armed; Switzerland has one of the highest militia gun ownership rates in the world. Finally, the Swiss militia system ensures that the mortals are not only numerous and armed, but also organized. Some have speculated that the Swiss militia system was created specifically to defend against the supernatural threat, but that is surely just a rumor.

Theme: The Sleeping Giant

Face:

Status Quo

On the mundane side, Geneva is a cultural fondue; most European languages and nationalities can be found here. There's a lot of money floating around, and while petty crime is common (it is a city, after all) violent crime is nearly unheard of. A safe and prosperous (if expensive) place to live.

On the supernatural side, House Montagne keeps the city superficially clean and peaceful while slowly preying on the mundane humans.

Movers and Shakers

House Montagne are in control of much of the city, and feel that their power base is nicely stable.

Catina Vasilescu's Scourge are laying low for now, but developing plans to carve out at least a piece of this city for themselves.

The Gendarmes are keeping the peace (quite well, in their opinion) but know nothing about the supernatural goings-on.

Les enquêteurs spéciaux (Special Investigations) have seen a few too many strange things in the course of their police work, and are seeking some sort of power to put them on even footing with whatever is lurking out there.

CERN Physicists know nothing about the supernatural, and could probably easily explain it away as "fluctuations in the gravitino field" or something similar. However, they do have a vested interest (their funding) in keeping the region stable.

Hotel Wilson

The Wilson is the highest-class (and highest-priced) hotel in the city. Unknown to the normals, (and perhaps only suspected by many in the supernatural community) it is also the seat of power of House Montagne.

Theme: An Elegant Facade

Face: Valentin Montagne, White Court Doorman

• Valentin can usually be found in the foyer of the Hotel Wilson, making sure that the important clients are properly taken care of and the undesirables are quietly escorted away.

Old Town

Old Town is one of the main tourist attractions in the city. Shops, cafes, and historical sites are tucked in among the winding, hilly streets. However, a threat looms in the underground tunnels: a scourge of Black Court vampires have recently moved in.

Threat: Tourist Trap

Face:

Cathedral St. Pierre

Saint Peter's Cathedral is an extremely old church; it was begun in the 12th century, but was built on a site that had been a place of worship since a few hundred A.D. With so much tradition behind this site, its threshold can defend against nearly anything. It has remained a place of calm even in times when sinister forces have infiltrated the surrounding area of Old Town.

Theme: Eye of the Storm

Face: Pastor David Laurentis, Skeptical Believer

• Pastor Laurentis holds services at Saint Peter's cathedral every Sunday. His faith in his God is as strong as any priest's, but if you arrive at his door ranting that you need some holy water because a literal vampire is chasing you, he's likely to call a mental hospital once he manages to calm you down.

Cornavain

Cornavain is Geneva's main train station and the center of the city's public transit system. You can get to here from anywhere, and you can get to anywhere from here.

Theme: 20 Minutes From Everywhere

Face:

Jet d'Eau

The Jet d'Eau is the tallest feature in Geneva. It can be seen from all over the city, and even from some of the nearer mountains on a clear day. However, it's not always obvious why it's on or off at a particular time. Some have speculated that one faction or another is using it as a signal to its members. Others have pointed out that if you want to hide something from most magical forces, underneath 500 liters per second of running water is an excellent place to do it.

Theme: In Plain Sight

Face: Vincent Delacroix, Latent Hydromancer

• Vincent claims (and possibly even believes himself) that he's just a civil engineer who's pretty handy with a wrench when the pipes break down. However, some who have seen him work believe that he might have some subconscious talent for hydromancy, considering the near-miracles he can work with water pipes.

CERN

With the recent commissioning of the Large Hadron Collider, the European Organization for Nuclear Research is once again at the world frontier of high-energy physics research. However, the startup of the LHC was plagued by problems. After the "incident" on September 19th, 2008, some of the major supernatural players got involved. Perhaps some physicists have enough pull to force a negotiation, or maybe one of the signatories to the Unseelie accords negotiated on their behalf. Either way, all mortal practitioners (those who tend to "hex" technology that they come in contact with) are now banned from all CERN campuses.

Theme: Cathedral of Reason

Face:

UN Palace of Nations

Some of the original founders of the United Nations must have been in the know: in addition to getting the mundane nations to agree to a neutral meeting place, they successfully petitioned the supernatural factions for the same thing. Now, the Palace of Nations is considered to be Neutral Ground under the Unseelie Accords.

Theme: Accorded Neutral Ground

Face: Niels Van Herten, Supernaturally Sensitive Security Guard

• Niels works as a security guard at the tourist entrance to the UN Palace of Nations. With a single glance at a group of visitors, he always seems to know whether to launch into the standard "tourist" explanation or quietly ask if they're here for Accords business.

The Rhône

The Rhône is a great boundary: between the North and South sides of the city, between the territories of multiple conflicting supernatural factions, and between the high, cold Alps and the warm wine country.

Theme: No Man's Land

Face:

The Paquis

If it can be found in Geneva, you can find it here. Whether you're looking for some simple touristy shopping, a trendy nightclub, valuable information, or something of questionable legality, there is someone in the Paquis who can help you out.

Theme: Whatever you need...

Face: Camilla Bray, Well-Connected Club Owner

• Camilla owns _, one of the hottest nightclubs in the Paquis. She knows everybody who is anybody in this city, and can almost certainly help you find whatever you're looking for. For a price, of course.

Les Grottes

A quirky neighborhood that started as a social and architectural experiment, much of Geneva's independent supernatural community can be found here. Among the "artistic" architecture and "alternative" shops, you can find a few minor talents and some small-time magical practitioners. Some of the shops will sell useful magical components to those in the know, and there's one used bookstore with a reasonably well-stocked section on supernatural lore.

Theme: Home of the Strange

Face: