We finished Burning Las Vegas. The last post is here: http://community.livejournal.com/dresdenfilesrpg/16330.html

Though it has been alluded to previously, here are the magical components of Las Vegas, and how they interact with each other and with the mundane worlds.

Ley-lines

Las Vegas and powerful energy have a symbiotic relationship. Asking which came first is a chicken and egg dilemma. The gambling, the excessiveness, the power all draws magical energy to the city. The tribal rituals in the Valley of fire attract spirits of like nature. Nuclear testing in Nevada released the same energy that would be produced by 500 kilotons of TNT, earth shattering effects that bled into the Nevernever. Likewise, the moment you enter the city, a tourist is touched by magic. There is a certain excitement, a feeling of being alive and open to possibilities that you won’t experience anywhere else in the world. Those not cued into the supernatural dismiss it as clever advertising, but the mystically inclined know that ley-lines, rippling with energy cross all over the city funneling energy into and out of Las Vegas. What’s weirder… they move. Most Wizards are accustomed to the power of ley-lines, but few form out of town are prepared to ponder a magical landscape that shifts as larger and larger casinos are built, highways are rerouted, power plays are brokered and the folks from Nellis Air Force base meddle with things they cannot possibly understand.

The Strip – Fey Central

By far the greatest center of power in the City, the strip is governed over by the Fey. Just as the casino tycoons like Steve Wynn erect 1000′ monuments as bastions against the old mob, so too have the Summer and Winter court battled over the strip. The last treatise written in the accords states that during the hours of hope, chance and thrills (from 1PM to Midnight) the Summer court shall rule. During the hours of despair and loss (from 1AM to Noon) the Winter will claim domain. During two hours of the day, however neither court prevails. In that time deals can be struck that could not be made anywhere else in the world. Agents of the court are free to mingle with each other, though don’t be fooled, this is not a time of peace, in fact it is often an opportunity for one court to strike out at the other “off the record”. The Zenith and Witching hours are dangerous ones to tread inside the strip.

Each court has their own haven where the agents retreat while the other is in power. The Mirage is the haven of the Summer Court, and Circus Circus is the haven of the Winter Court. Though newer casinos have been built, the fey are slow to change so they have kept their fortifications. However many more modern agents have noticed the allure of the newest creation, the Wynn and subtly both courts vie to call it their home.

Valley of Fire – Passage to the Hunting Grounds

“Child, have you heard the stories of how the Anaszi once lived in this land. They called in the Hunting Grounds and it was here Átahsaia, the cannibal demon drank the blood of man. If you are curious, I will tell you his story.” – Story of Átahsaia, the Cannibal Demon.

Though the Anaszi disappeared from Nevada over 800 years ago, a remnant of the tribe still maintains the spell that preserves Átahsaia, in a perpetual sleep. A network of ley-lines are netting the cannibal demon, keeping it asleep but these ley lines are anchored by spirits, which must regularly be appeased. Because of this, the veil to the Nevernever is very thin and it is far to easy to get lost in the Valley of Fire and never return.

In the physical realm the Shaman who maintains the pact must constantly fend off enterprising wizards who would tap into the energy the nexus of ley lines provides, government agents from Nellis whose satellite imagery has picked up strange electromagnetic radiation in the area, as well as perform the (sometimes bizarre) rituals to keep the spirits appeased. On the other side of the veil, lies the hunting grounds, a fiercely territorial land of predators where powerful spirits have staked their claims and hunt any who trespass in their domain.

Las Vegas Country Club – Locus of Fate

• The Major Domo has a slumbering river spirit bound inside him. The spirit’s presence allows him to gain psychic impressions from touch. Since discovering this power, he has moved to the country club where he shakes hands with the most powerful men and women in the country, if not the world.
• Masseuse is a naga, a shape shifting serpent with magic abilities. Her task is to protect the spirit living inside of the Major Domo.
• The naga wants him to leave Las Vegas for a more hospitable location for the river spirit. He doesn’t want to leave because the abilities the spirit lends him have made him wealthy and influential. The Major Domo is unaware of the naga’s presence.
• The presence of the spirit also causes random connections between powerful people. It is a locus of Fate, attracting the changes and fluid situations represented by The River.

The Vampire Courts

• Red Court influences the Latino gangs, making them more savage than usual.
• Jade Court may have some influence over Asian gangs.
• House Raith is involved with the strip club industry.
• House Skavis scavenges the despair found in the few casinos they are allowed near.
• There is a Black Court vampire from Portland that visits occasionally for business deals.

White Council

The White Council wardens have a training ground near Las Vegas, and trainees occasionally spill over into the city. The Fellowship of St. Giles also aids the Wardens, helping them train new wizards to combat vampires.

Further Questions

Who cares about the city?

• Fey Courts – They thrive off the city and control the Strip
• The Shaman is preserving the ancient spells holding an apocalypse in a box
• White Courts – Cultivating sin
• White Council – Cares about the area nearby that trains wardens.
• The Man – Might care about the city but he’s not telling.

Who keeps the peace?

• Fey Courts – The Strip
• The PCs – Invested in helping people in Las Vegas
• The Craps
• The Man

How do mortals cope?

General population just assumed the supernatural in Las Vegas is all part of the show.

What interests a supernatural tourist?

• Deals between the courts during the Witching hour
• All the Ley Line at the Valley of Fire, at the Country Club and moving through Las Vegas
• The Mirror Market – A place to buy anything
• The Voodoo Lounge – A safe place to meet.