Modern Salem
Controlled by - The Autumn Court & The Ebon Noose (The Winter Court), Cooperative.
Salem (short for "Jerusalem") is 20 miles northeast of Boston, up along the coast. Many of the events of the American witch hunts that took place in the summer of 1692 actually took place in Salem Village, the site of modern Danvers. Salem revels in its reputation as "Witch City, USA," and capitalizes on that reputation every Halloween, as visitors converge from up and down the eastern seaboard to get a taste of the town's "spooky" ambiance.
Salem's reputation as a witch city is so well known that it spills over into the consciousness of the mortal inhabitants. They think nothing of Salem's several witchcraft shops and occasionally go in for a book or a few exotic herbs themselves. This pre-eminence of witches is aided by the presence of the Ebon Noose, a coven lead by The Winter Queen herself. There is an unquestionable concentration of would-be witches in the area, although the coven is composed mostly of changelings and talentless mortal wannabes than true Thaumaturges. Still, those that do come to power are usually already partially indoctrinated in the brand of magic promoted by the Ebon Noose. Traditionally, Salem is also the seat of power for the Autumn Court, owing to both its reputation as an Occult center and its historical significance to the Court, although Jacky Carroll spends as much time conducting business out of Boston as he does in Witch City.
Due to the large changeling community and the relatively small size of Salem, the changeling politics of Salem are unusually incestuous, with many different motleys, entitlements and factions competing for status and everyone knowing everyone else's business.
Resident NPCs - Shuck's Crew (Privateers. The motley makes its home in Danvers, but frequently extends its territory into modern Salem.)
Danvers (Salem Village)
Controlled by - Contested between the Scarecrow Ministry (The Autumn Court) and Ol' Shuck's Crew (Privateers)
Other Players - The Abbey of the Ravenous, The Midnight Circus (True Fae)
The town once known as Salem Village abuts modern Salem, and some say taints it. Danvers is best known for its lunatic asylum, which, although closed down in 1992, still remains a potent presence in the surrounding countryside. Autumn Court scholars and magi believe the high concentration of insanity, in conjunction with the permanent taint of the land by the Witch Trials, is what attracted the True Fae and made the asylum an entry to the Hedge.
Those who know the history of Samhain well know that Danvers was, and may still be, Others territory. Not long after it was established in 1878 patients from the asylum would occasionally go missing. At first such events were infrequent, not arousing much attention. Before long though, the incidents spread into the town, often accompanied by sightings of strangely dressed transients and gypsies.
Inevitably the missing returned, though not as they once were. Thoroughly broken by their experiences and having returned only at their Keepers' behests, these Changelings succeeded in turning Danvers into a Loyalist stronghold. The Autumn Court, which had long since reigned in Danvers due to its historical involvement with the witch trials, was pushed out to modern Salem.
There was a time when the loyalist Changelings of Danvers and their Keepers posed a serious threat to the Changelings of Salem, but that hasn't been the case since the mid-'90s. When the Asylum closed, the lack of an easy supply of souls weakened the Others' hold over the area. Eventually the Keepers grew bored with the never-ending stalemate between their followers and the Seasonal Courts, and withdrew. Without the aid of their benefactors, the local loyalists were driven nearly to extinction. The handful that survived scattered to the winds, or went underground entirely.
Today, as far as Changelings are concerned, Danvers is practically a ghost town. The trod that once connected to the Asylum seems to have withered without regular use, although such passage ways never close off for good. Under the direction of Belladonna, Winter Courtiers scour Danvers for any signs of Loyalists or returning Keepers, while the Scarecrow Ministers cultivate the town's reputation as a place to be avoided by any freedom loving Changeling.
Resident NPCs - Naomi Peterson (Hedge Witch, Custodian of the Danvers Historical Society), Shuck, Garm, Scissorman, Johnny Capp, Razor Molly, William "Pretty Bill" Turner (Shuck's Crew, Privateer Motley)
