Overview
San Valentin is a city of massive growth and new development. While it is no Los Angeles, San Valentin could very well rival the population of San Francisco in the next 30 years.
The city has become a large tourist attraction, partly due to its beautiful beach, and is largely visited by couples curious about the city dubbed "California's City of Love". Tourists have tons of attractions to cater to their tastes, most of which are newly established for these tourists.
San Valentin shows clear signs of their history with their Spanish Mission style architecture seen in almost every building built before ten years ago, when the specific laws regarding architecture was repealed. However, most architects still use this style as they know it attracts the tourists which have become the largest interest of any business in San Valentin.
History
The city of San Valentin was founded, similarly to other cities in the area, by a group of missionaries and conquistadors. The missionaries tried to win over natives with the ideals of love, unlike others who forced natives into labor and religion, these missionaries simply preached to the natives and helped them develop technologically, eventually earning their trust and assistance. Together they drew up the original plans for the city,and each of the buildings and roads in those plans are still there today.
With the rise of the bear flag revolt, the leaders of San Valentin advised their citizens not to get involved, so as not to upset either side and cause conflicts for the small city. By some kind of miracle the ideals of love that the city had been built on remained and the people stayed out of the violence.
In 1907, a mysterious illness claimed the lives of 73 townspeople. Dr. Luthor Angstrom and the 2 other doctors in San Valentin at the time worked hard to deal with the ailments, but to no avail. Dr. Angstrom noticed that the first people who contracted the disease had been miners at a local mine; following his demands the mine be shut down, no new cases of the disease appeared. Symptoms of the disease included necrosis and physical violence.
During the 1920's, The Great Depression hit San Valentin pretty hard. Mayor Cornell established Cornell, a place of residence for the homeless, an example of San Valentin's seemingly endless compassion. In 1952, a fire raged through Cornell, utterly destroying most of it. The homeless were homeless once again, and this time they fell by the wayside.
The ideals of love and compassion eventually seemed to fall to the side. From 1976-1983 San Valentin experienced its first serial killer, a winged man by the name of Marcus T. Hadley, something the inexperienced police force was ill prepared to deal with. During the winged menace's crime spree, 19 people were murdered. With the final murder came the killer who had killed himself. After these events the city went wild, crime is now completely out of control. Organized crime has seemingly sprouted out of nothingness. While crime skyrocketed the economy plummeted. In a last ditch effort to save San Valentin, the leaders turned the town into a tourist trap.
Cityscape
A moderately sized city, San Valentin has a few different identities for each of it's districts.
CORNELL
Cornell is the largest slum in San Valentin. A wretched hive of scum and villainy, Cornell is dominated by the low level criminals, the drug dealers, and the illegal immigrants. Named for a former mayor who built it to relocate all those who had lost their homes and jobs during the Great Depression, Cornell was formerly a respectable place, until the crime wave hit the city in the 80's. The majority of the original district was burned down in a fire in 1952; what resulted looked much like a shantytown from South America.
Part of Cornell was not really affected by fire; this place is often referred to as "Upper Cornell". The Russian Mob had a foothold here, and nowhere else in the city, due to the strong Mafia presence in San Valentin. They lost control of the territory after Mayor West hired Sodra Die Mens to wipe them out.
Mens has taken over their former base of operations, commonly referred to as "The Strongbox". He is currently forming his own personal gang, and making a killing in weapons sales stolen from the Russians. The Strongbox and some of the surrounding buildings stick out due to their abandoning the general architecture archetype from constant rebuilding, and is frequently visited by taggers seeking adventure.
LONG HILL
Of course, not all of San Valentin is poor, nor is it all city. Long Hill is a shining example of the other side of social spectrum; villas everywhere, not a crime in sight.
Mayor Henry West's home is in Long Hill, looking surprisingly small compared to the massive villas owned by other residents. Armed Bodyguards are present at all times.
VALDANTA HEIGHTS
This is where the working class of San Valentin live. These homes were built in the 1890's, and apart from adding electricity and running water, they remain mostly unchanged. Beautiful scenery, this part of San Valentin stretches from the Southwest to the West, meaning you have to cross through it to get to the Marina and the Grayson Bay Ferry.
BRIGHTHOLME ISLAND
Named for Charlotte Brightholme, wife of Dr. Luthor Angstrom, Brightholme Island is a beautiful scenic island, which would have made it a beautiful place for tourists to flock to. This is not the case, as the city sold the island to the Mafia in 1996, and it has become a playground for the wealthy elite. On the north side of the island lies Sam G. N. Connor's villa, where many view that the true point of power lies in San Valentin.
OTHER LOCATIONS OF INTEREST
Abandoned Lighthouse: An abandoned lighthouse on a desert hill overlooking the ocean. Multiple gruesome murders happened here from the 1930's to the 1950's, and it has been abandoned since 1953. Thrill seekers will occasionally pop in here, but it is dangerously dilapidated on the inside. A note was once found inside, saying, "este es el Faro del espectro de la muerte".
Mission Hill: A convent established when the Spanish Missionaries first arrived, it was built onto a mountain from the east, overlooking what would become San Valentin. It can be seen when driving to San Valentin, and is always pointed out by the inter-city bus drivers. Today, it is still run by the Church, and on occasion will receive guests looking to atone for their sins. It is a difficult hike to make it there, but for those who have gone to the top of the steeple, the view is beautiful.
Los Maldad Gold Mine: A gold mine that came into operation in 1907. The miners came down with a mysterious illness, which soon was spread to the other citizens of San Valentin. Dr. Luthor Angstrom deducted that whatever caused the illness came from inside the mine, and the mine was shut down. The illness disappeared not long after, and the mine has been left alone for over 100 years. No one enters the mine; at least, no one has been ever seen leaving it.
Culture
The culture here is one revolving around the tourism, and the much hyped values of of love and compassion that have fallen by the way-side. In Cornell, much recreation revolves around prostitution and drug usage, while in the rest of the city is devoted towards keeping tourists happy.
Notable Citizens
Mayor Henry West is a very respected man, who has held office since the summer of 2005. West is well-loved by the people, be they rich or poor, as he has been working on redirecting some of the funds from the tourist trade to rebuild Upper Cornell and Lower Cornell. He is a Knight in shining armor to the poor, and is considered to be quite eccentric by the upper class, as the money he is re-routing towards the slums was from a kickback system developed by a previous mayor. He is a well-known socialite, and anyone who holds power in San Valentin deals with West. West is no pushover, and has stared down the barrel of a gun on multiple occasions. He has plans to turn San Valentin into the largest city on the Western Seaboard.
Sam G. N. Connor, the head of the San Valentin Mafia, and possibly the most powerful man in the city. He controls all business in San Valentin, apart from Upper Cornell. He owns a villa on Brightholme Island that he uses to entertain the rich and famous. Affable and witty, Connor is a polite and unassuming man, but for those who know him well, he is a ruthless, cold-blooded psychopath that would stop at nothing to get what he wants. He always has at least two dozen bodyguards around him, noticeable or not, and informants everywhere. He has also been known to keep close body doubles around, and at least two have been murdered in his place.
Dr. Luthor Angstrom was an British immigrant who arrived in San Valentin circa 1899. He married another immigrant, Charlotte Brightholme, who, along with a good portion of the townspeople, came down with a mysterious illness 1907. He and the people suffering from the illness were isolated on the then unnamed Brightholme Island. He noticed the first people to contract the disease were workers in a mine not far from the town, and so ordered the mine shut down. Those who were affected by the illness eventually died, and the heart-broken doctor was last seen in a boat rowing out to sea from the island. Legend says a gunshot could be heard coming from the sea in all of San Valentin, but there is no actual record of this.
Police Commissioner Gordon Mann is a man who hates to play by the rules. Corrupt as can be, Mann is actually in good public standing, widely supporting a charitable organization that is actually a front for drug peddling. Mayor West is aware of Commissioner Mann's various illicit activities, but can't do anything because of Mann's squeaky-clean standing in the public. With fingers in every pie, he's been always been among the crosshairs of the Russians and the Mafia. The real question is, who will kill him, and why? Whoever tries will have to get around his massive bulk, as Mann is 6'7'', and 400 pounds.
The Ex-Mayor of San Valentin, Raymond Porter, was the man who had to come to grips that San Valentin was no longer a good place. He became Mayor in 1985, during the chaos that ensued from Marcus Hadley's crimes. He decided he would make a profit from it, and not long after, following the constant crime and his embezzlement, San Valentin, was broke. Needing a way to get more cash, and his embezzlement undiscovered, he and the other community leaders hit upon the idea of turning San Valentin into a tourist trap. He was the one who hit upon the idea of building fans on the rooftops of the skyscrapers to move the car exhaust into Cornell. After embezzling pretty much any money that came into the city, he retired, and was succeeded by Mayor West, who has had to deal with his mess. Ray Porter maintains a strong friendship with Sam G. N. Connor.
A reporter for San Valentin City News (SVCN). Harris takes his job seriously, but has had difficulty gaining any respect due to his having been Cornell born and raised.
Economy
The economy of San Valentin has one of the greatest wealth divides for a city in the country. The majority of the residents reside in ghettos, and the few who don't are incredibly wealthy, the city's elite class of politicians, mobsters, and a few entrepreneurs.
Transportation
Recent Events
- Desmond McLeod, the assassin otherwise known as Shootout, came to San Valentin on a job. He made the mistake of invading Mathias Hadley's home, and was presumably defeated in combat.
- John Curtis, AKA The Replicator, arrived in San Valentin on a job for the CIA. Mathias Hadley made note of him as a person of interest, but Hadley was distracted and Curtis slipped away.
- The Replicator finds a sphere containing a biological weapon, and takes residence in an undisclosed location.
- The Replicator replicates a crime committed by Marcus Hadley, Mathias' grandfather, and Mathias is arrested for it.
- Mathias' extended relatives bust him out, and a family reunion begins.
- The Replicator orders for one of his allies, The Middleman, to come to San Valentin.
- Sodra Die Mens comes to the city, having been hired by Mayor West to eliminate the Russians from The Strongbox, something he does with lethal efficiency.
- Marv, a former enforcer of Sam G. N. Connor, arrives in San Valentin.
- Marv gets hired by Mayor West to wipe out the Mafia and the Hadleys, and settles in Valdanta Heights.
- Connor has some kind of plan to wipe out the Hadley clan. Commissioner Mann is working for him.
- Sodra Die Mens doublecrosses Mayor West, taking control of the Russians business in Cornell.
- The Replicator and The Middleman have some sort of plan to get more of the biological weapon out of the Los Maldad Gold Mine, but they are forced to hire local.
- Mathias discovers that he has another relative other than those involved in the breakout. Blake Hadley pledges to come to San Valentin.
- After failing to make contact with Marv, The Replicator decides to test out Sodra Die Mens efficiency by sicking him on Mathias.
- The Replicator gets through to Marv, but he has no interest on being hired as an assassin. Curtis is warned that if he gets in Marv's way that Marv will come after him.
- The Replicator succeeds in hiring Sodra Die Mens, but chooses not to tell him about the other Hadleys.
- Blake & Cascade Hadley arrive in San Valentin and meet up with the others at the Cathedral, but Sodra Die Mens shows up seconds later, ready to collect his bounty. A battle breaks out.
- The Hadleys are shown to work quite well as a unit. Blake is horrified by the violence, but knows he would do anything to protect his family. Cascade manages to damage Sodra Die Mens, but not before he manages to carry out the hit on Mathias.
- Fleeing from the carnage, Mens takes refuge in the forests, where his leg is shot off by Marv, who has been watching the entire battle. At this point Sodra Die Mens flees before Kels Hadley can track him down, and Marv charges headfirst into the fray.
- The other Hadleys working desperately to protect the San Valentin Cathedral, Blake was left to attend to his brother Mathias, who never got the chance to know him. It was Blake who brought the body to a mortician, and Mathias' death hit him hardest.
- The Replicator is summoned by Leland Owlsley during the conflict, who expresses disapproval of his behaviour and actions. Curtis proves his worth to Owlsley, but is now on very thin ice with his employer.
- Sodra Die Mens decides to get vengeance on The Replicator, but is unable to track him down. He swears vengeance on the entire city, pledging that it will burn.
- Upon seeing this, The Replicator & The Middleman decide to make another attempt at making peace with Marv, who flat out refuses.
Special Note
Some rules:
- Mayor West & Sam G. N. Connor are out of bounds for being killed. If you try to kill Connor, it will be cited as a body double.
- No blowing up massive portions of the city. A few buildings is OK, but nothing extreme. Large-scale firefights are also allowed.
@the_replicator designed most of the thread many thanks to him, however I am fairly certain he is no longer active. If you have any ideas or would like to contribute pm @mth_. I would love some help to get this going again but as I have a tight schedule I'm somewhat relying on the community's help. If you want to do something big but don't know where to do it, pm me and I'll talk it out with you. If you know someone who you think could fit the environment please recommend SV to them.
(not even close to done, will edit and complete when I can)
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