New Kensington

New Kensington is the name of the city that was rebuilt on the ashes of Millennium City, Darkness Falls, and Gold Coast City and offers some of the amenities and interests of all three. New Kensington offers the resident and tourist 13 unique Neighborhoods, making it the largest of Paragon City's Districts. It encompasses an area of 646 square miles and boasts a total population of 62,171,064 as of the United States Census Bureau of 2020 making it the largest city on Earth-One. Of this total population, 1% is made up of Meta-humans.

## Geography

New Kensington is both flat and hilly. Platinum Beach comprises most of the areas prime beach and sunbathing spots and property prices here go at a premium. On clear days one is able to see across the water to the stark blue lines of the Destroyer's seat of power, 35 miles offshore. the highest point of the city proper is Mount Chumash at 5,065 feet and from where the Old City of Darkness Falls got its name, featuring three majestic waterfalls cascading down to the sea. The east end of the Santa Millennia Mountains stretches from Downtown to the Pacific Ocean. Other hilly locations include the Mount Zertstoiten area north of Downtown, eastern parts such as Palatial Heights, Crenshaw, Man Matteo, and San Pedro.

New Kensington is home to many floral species, both native to California or hearty enough to be shipped in from elsewhere in he Empire and thrive in the state's climate. Most roads and highways are lined with palm tress and in the hotter, more desert area can be found various types of chaparral, cacti, sagebrush, and bricklebush. The cooler, northern end of the city is famous for copses of evergreen, pine, and laurel; while the warmer southern end trees include Royal Oak, Ash, and Birch. The most abundant flowers throughout the city are the wine rose, Everlasting, honeysuckle, leafy daisy, and Golden yarrow.

Common animals that live throughout all the state include **raccoons**, weasels, otters, beavers, hawks, lizards, owls, coyotes, skunks, snakes, cougars, black bears, deer, squirrels and whales ( gray, fin and blue and risso's dolpin).

## Demographics

According to the United States Census of 2020, 68% of Kensingtonians identify as Caucasian, followed by Asian at 21%, Spanish/Latino at 8%, and 3% Other which includes Pacific Islanders, Blacks, Eastern European, Continental European, Britons, and Russians. Of these groups the highest concentration of Meta-Humans are Caucasian. Meta-Humans make up roughly 1.9% of the city's entire population structure.

## Economy

The economy of New Kensington is the largest of the entire state of California, boasting an almost 2.3 trillion GCP as of 2020. If the city were and independent nation it would rank as the fifth largest economy in the Zertstoiten Empire, ahead of India and behind Germany. The sheer abundance of wealth available to private individuals and corporations is one of the larger factors that make New Kensington so appealing to crime groups and organized crime organizations.

## Arts and Culture

Despite being the footstool of the most evil Empire to ever rise in human history, where on a clear day one can see the distant shores of Isla de la Zertstoiten, the seat of Doctor Destroyer's regime, New Kensington offers a rich and vibrant arts community and night life that appeals to virtually all ages and brings in billions of tourist and expat dollars annually. Whilst this list is only a very narrow fraction of what the city has to offer these are the most active and sometimes infamous places to find entertainments. They are listed in alphabetical order and not by popularity.

**Anime-Con**: Held every July, Anime-Con is the largest convention for all things anime related anywhere outside of Japan. Thousands of otaku, anime lovers, cosplayers, animation studios, and manga artists stuff Eva-Tokyo's Japanese Cultural Center for videos, books, J-pop CDs, food, and collectibles that cover every spectrum of taste and broad appeal.

**Dance Troupe 161**: Internationally famous in Europe and the Far East, Dance Troupe 161 combines the breathtaking skills and talents of ballet, high-wire and ethereal acrobatics that far surpass even Circe du Soliel, Contemporary, Folk, and Ballroom dance shows that routinely stun and awe audiences from around the world. Dance Troupe 161's fame is such that their YourTube Channel has over 400 millions loyal followers. Lead and arranged by the stunning Chinese beauty May Li Fong, 161 has exactly that number of performers even though only the top seven men and women of the troupe have individual reputations that keep the entire production constant in demand. At the demand of Emperor Zertstoiten 161 has become a permanent fixture of The Thumbelina Performing Arts Dome, much to the delight of the Dome's owners, even though it means tolerating the presence of the Emperor himself for one of the two annual performances the troupe creates.

**Feast**: Chef Michael Lazario's restaurant is the only three-star Micheline restaurant in New Kensington. The classically trained 32 year old chef combines classic French technique with French, Greek, and his native Italian flavor profiles to create dishes that astonish the senses such as his tongue in cheek 'Pearls Before Swine', paper thin slices of Iberia ham served with tapioca and fragrant Basmati rice foam and a seven course tasting menu which is more of an experience than a meal. Feast is a bit of a luxury expense and reservations are best made six months in advance, but it should never be left off of a tourist itinerary.

**Foxfire**: Named in honor of the legendary field commander of Heroes Unlimited, Foxfire is hands down one of New Kensington's finest nightlife spots. The opulent building is three stories high, featuring a pulse-pounding rave every Friday and Saturday night in the soundproof basement, a superlative cocktail lounge on the first floor where one can order classic cocktails or one of the myriad beverages named after famous Paradigm City heroes and criminals lost in the Day of the Destroyer, to the classy and dignified third floor restaurant which serves authentic Japanese food and both sushi and sashimi plucked from the waters of the coast mere hours before serving.

**The Gehenna Club** serves as the place to be for those seeking entertainments of a more mature theme. A bar and nightclub themed after Dante's Inferno, guests are invited to come spend their evening (and their money) sampling each of Hell's six rooms: Limbo is devoted to writing and poetry where guests are invited to share their literary creations over an open mic, Lust features both topless dancing and unique 'podiums' where the more attractive employees stand nude behind glass as a means of admiring the artistry of the human form, Gluttony which features amazing Parisian cuisine from brother and sister chefs Jaime and Phillipe Auswain. Greed offers gambling from poker to roulette wheels to horse racing, Wrath is the clubs biggest room with its massive dance floor and themed week ends, whilst Heresy offers cash and prizes to souls brave enough to get on stage and express themselves through karaoke.

## Sports

New Kensington is the home of eleven top level professional sports teams, several of which play in neighboring communities but use Kensington in their names. These teams include the Kensington Defenders and Kensington Angels of Major League Baseball, the Bolts and Hammers of The National Football League, The SeaGoers and Spikers of The National Basketball Association, the King and Pirates of the National Hockey League, The Galaxy and Universals of Major League Soccer, and the Sparklers of the Women's National Basketball Association.

## Government

To the multitude of visitors and tourists whom come to New Kensington it often comes as a surprise that the Zertstoiten Empire is, by and large, content to let the city tend to it's own affairs and that most laws on the books, including the tenets of the Cit Constitution and Laws Regarding Meta-Human Abilities are virtually untouched. This is all but unique in the Empire, and most people assume it is simply that when dealing with a world that has entire Nations to be brought under control, the Emperor simply can't be bothered to give much attention to a single city. This is an unsafe and unwise assumption. New Kensington is 'blessed' with its very own Governor, which no other city in the Empire has, in the personage of **The Grand Thrall**.

Aleksander Zertstoiten is often, wrongly, thought of as the grandson of the Destroyer. The Grand Thrall is in fact a bioroid patterned after the old Olympus bioroids, a man specifically engineered and groomed to be absolutely loyal to the Emperor and to serve as Zertstoiten's personal representative. The Grand Thrall is hands down the most powerful psionic mind on the entire planet, possessed of every cataloged mental power at unprecedented levels. He could, for instance, take control of another individual's mind with ease while he was in his mansion in Platinum Beach and his target were on Mars. For all his power, however, The Grand Thrall is more-or-less just a figurehead, put in place by the Emperor to ensure that any Imperial citizen or group planning an insurrection is quickly neutralized.

Standard Government officials, all of them top-notch Black Zodiac operatives, assist the Grand Thrall in keeping the city running smoothly. Most of these City Officials are known by name and face to the average Imperial citizen even though their functions may not always be and they don't as a rule make themselves available to the general public.

Law Enforcement no longer exists as the archetypal agencies that people were once familiar with. Such duties are now carried out exclusively by agents of the Black Zodiac. Criminal investigations are chiefly handled on two different tiers. Tier One, Crimes against Individuals, are investigated by Black Zodiac specialists called Longfangs, while Tier Two--crimes against organizations--are handled by the Bureau of Crab Spiders. People accused of criminal acts and activities are still allowed trial by jury; the main difference now being that jurors are placed in the role of advisors to the Court Authorities called Black Zodiac Bane Spiders. A typical trial follows the same pattern: The accused are afforded a defense attorney while the State presents evidence of guilt. Both sides present witnesses. If the accused is found guilt, jurors are sequestered to consider a list of punishments which are, then, presented to the Bane Spider. Of these, the Spider uses his own judgment to select the appropriate punishment which can be anything from civic duty to, depending on the heinousness of the crime (or the Bane's personal ethical beliefs) immediate execution.

## Education

There are three public Universities within the city limits.

**Zertstoiten Community College** is a four year community college that focuses more on the expectations and advancement of career with a special emphasis on the mind of the young person just coming fresh off of high school education. It doesn't offer any degrees above the Bachelor of the Arts, meant to showcase the beginning stages of a career. As might not be otherwise expected the ZCC is largely a stepping stone for careers in arts and media rather than academia, sciences, and other long term careers. The ZCC is open to students of any age with little adversity, making it ideal for older and retired people to return to classes without a serious commitment to a whole new change in career.

**The St. Cleopatra School of Medicine and Hospice** is a seven to fourteen year medical college which offers diplomas and certifications all the way up to Doctorate in medical sciences, which include everything from general preconditioning to Behavioral Sciences to Veterinary Medicine. It's exclusive to these branches of medicine, and also serves as one of the largest hospitals in the New Kensington Area.

Paragon University i the largest and most accredited college along the West Coast and, likely, outside of Zerstoiten's Isle itself. It offered classes and degrees in virtually every career out there, save those which are already covered by The ZCC and St. Cleopatra's. Because the Emperor places such a high value on intelligence and education, is is the only school in New Kensington that does not demand tuition. The only payment that a citizen is required to make is for their own classroom materials, otherwise attendance is completely free. Students may attend lectures, classes, and seminars in person or through online courses but cannot graduate and receive their degrees without maintaining at least a GPO of 3.5. It makes graduating sometimes too difficult for the average person on the street, but the rewards--which include job placement assistance and counseling--are well worth the blood, sweat, and flaming hoops a student must now and again leap through.

## Media

New Kensington has three newspapers, all of which are owned and controlled by The Grand Thrall. These are the *Kensington Times, The Gazette*, and *The Kensington Variety.* The Times and Gazette report local news and happenings around the Empire, whilst the Variety focuses mainly on celebrity news and shenanigans. There are also numerous smaller newspapers, most of which serve their neighborhood's native language market.

As part of the region's aforementioned creative industry, the Big Four major broadcast television networks, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, all have production facilities and offices throughout various areas of New Kensington. All four major broadcast television networks, plus major Spanish-language networks Telemundo and Univision, also own and operate stations that both serve the market. The region also has three PBS stations, KATE Channel 70 which is purely anti-Empire hate speech and propaganda, and KTBN Channel 41 which is Paradigm City's largest Christian and religious broadcasting network.

New Kensington art, culture, and nightlife news is also covered on many national and local online guides, periodicals, and magazines.

## Notable People

**Tuay Fal**: Tuay Fal is The Kilf ambassador to the Zertstoiten Empire. He lives in a subdued but opulent 18-room mansion in the Platinum Beach neighborhood. Unfortunately, his official duties keep him largely out of sight of the public. He is a known and outspoken proponent for heroic meta-humans and sincerely tries to make time for them when a meeting is requested.

**Enochai** is the name given to the monstrous horror that lords over the Notting. Though very few people have ever survived a face to face encounter with the monster, those few whom have describe it as a humanoid creature standing roughly ten feet high, with a body that seems to be made of rotting vegetation, atop which is a head like a flaming jack-o-lantern. Thankfully, Enochai only seems to be active in the Old Town neighborhood during the Fall.

**Lord Kadaver** is the leader of the Crown of Knives black magic cult. Kadaver (pronounced KADA-veer) is an old soul of a villain, having once been considered the preeminent mastermind criminal of Darkness Falls during the Eighties. Early in 1991 Kadaver was apparently vanquished by the superhero team known as The Champions, but since the Day of the Destroyer he has risen again to form the Crown of Knives. Kadaver is well over 600 years old, a lich of some notoriety with a wide array of magic available to him. It is generally believed that he exists in a tomb-like structure deep in the New Kensington sewer network.

## Crime

Owing to the fact that New Kensington has the highest concentration of Meta-Human criminals utilizing the city as their base of operations, the city has a rate of crime larger than the national average. 2021 reported 1200 incidents of violent crime including homicides, up from 4.5% in 2019. 13,000 individuals go missing annually.

The criminal activities in New Kensington have a greater, more articulated organized crime structure than the rest of Paradigm City. It takes its model loosely after the former Advent (very loosely, as nobody wants to go back to *that* kind of tyranny.) At the very bottom rung of the pyramid are the four primary gangs of the area; The Yakuza, the Warriors, The Switchblades, and the Carnage Babes. Each of these four street gangs then answer to the next tier up, the powerful eight Meta-Humans known as The Hierarchy. In turn The Hierarchy then answers to the woman the top, the Arch-Villain Syllable.

The **Yakuza** makes no bones about what it is or it's ancient history. Operating almost exclusively from Mandara and Eva-Tokyo, the Yakuza is an almost 100% all-Asian organized crime structure ranked by Japanese, Chinese, some few Koreans, and a handful of Thai. As an organized crime unit it has no peers owing to its propensity to fill its upper echelon with Meta-Humans an only tight leashes held by the Hierarchy--with occasional threats from The Grand Thrall--to keep it in relative check.

The **Warriors** are a large street gang of predominately Caucasians, Blacks, and Latinos that pattern themselves after the ideals of structured anarchy, relying less on modern firearms and more on self-discipline and Medieval weaponry to get their point across, whatever that current goal happens to be. The Warriors see the challenge of taking on Meta-Humans without superpowers of their own as the highest distinction of glory.

The **Switchblades** are on the smaller scale of the street gangs of the city, found primarily in Crenshaw and Man Matteo. Like their rivals the Warriors, the Switchblades dispense with the 'cowardice' of hiding behind or relying heavily on Meta-Human abilities. Their primary focus is on bladed weapons of all kinds, from the tiny weapons that they take their name from to giant and impressive broad and long swords. They are particularly keen on riding tricked out, dystopian vehicles into battle and have even been known to go after the far superior Black Zodiac vehicles.

The **Caustic Babes** are an all-female gang that keep themselves to Downtown, which is their claimed and undisputed territory. They are content to stay put and engage in their favorite criminal past time: the illicit sex trade. Unlike the other gangs in the city, for the most part, the Babes do have a leadership of female Meta-Humans, which they are not at all above unleashing when some arrogant, chauvinistic band of Warriors or Switchblades think they can muscle in. Because their numbers are so few the Babes are especially brutal and violent as a means to warn interlopers away.

The **Hierarchy** comprises the middle tier of the pyramid of crime in New Kensington. How these eight Meta-Humans from wildly differing backgrounds and outlooks--four male and four female--came together to work as such a well-oiled machine is largely a matter of speculation although each credit the actual hierarchy as being the brainchild of the area's mastermind, Syllable. Speaking in the broadest of terms the members of their Hierarchy operate in teams of two; each of these teams acting as the heads and spokes-holes for the gang assigned to them by the Arch-Villain. Almost all of the time the gangs and their management teams are allowed to operate fairly autonomously, except in such cases where such autonomy directly threatens the plans of Syllable or would lead to unnecessary conflict between gangs.

## The Neighborhoods

The thirteen neighborhoods that make up the whole of New Kensington are presented here in alphabetical order. Parentheses indicate where in the city the neighborhood can be found.

1. **Central (central)**: Central New Kensington serves at the seat of the city's government and public works departments. It doesn't have much by way to attract the tourist but is easily navigable to sites like City Hall, The Department if Water and Power, Parks and Recreation, Department of Motor Vehicles, and City Council Hall. It is also the sight of The Emperor's Court, where the Bane Spiders rule.
2. **Chermoya (Southern**): Chermoya holds the distinction of being New Kensington's biggest farmer's market, that's virtually all the neighborhood is. Dotted with small fruit and dairy farms, Chermoya boasts a wide assortment of mundane and exotic fruits, vegetables, meats, herbs, and spices from around the Empire including the infamous Kensington Bleu, the rich and heady cheese beloved at the Emperor's personal table. Restaurants find a lovely home here, from little mom and pop burger joints like Up and Away Burgers to three-starred Micheline 'Feast', owned by internationally famous chef Michael Lazario.
3. **Crenshaw (Southern)**: Lovingly called Education Alley by the locals, Crenshaw is the neighborhood exclusively devoting to knowledge and learning. Although Crenshaw is in an almost constant state of turmoil owing to a glut of the Switchblades street gang, even they are hardly a deterrent to those determined to better themselves. It's off to Crenshaw when one decides to attend classes at the four-year Zertstoiten Community College, pursue medical careers in the St. Cleopatra School of Medicine and Hospital, or enroll in the Dollmaker Academy which churns out Black Zodiac operatives of all skillsets and levels. If none of these appeal, one can spend their days quietly reading and researching in the Paradigm City Library or chase down their degrees at the mighty Paragon University.
4. **Downtown (Southern)**: Known as the haven and mecca for artists, the talented, and the just plain weird; Downtown New Kensington made the less-than-subtle transition from relatively tired residential and shopping area to gentrified strangeness during the wild 'Me, Too' decade of the Eighties. The area is packed with cafes and coffee shops, tea houses and Dives where the performance of original song, dance, and poetry are not only expected but encouraged. Downtown has an extremely active nighttime scene, which includes Goth and Emo bars, so-called Vampire Clubs, and even spaces that can be rented out for LARPing and other esoteric delights.
5. **Eva-Tokyo (West)**: It has been said that everything New Kensington has, it owes to Olympus. Ever-practical, Olympian president Yoiko Hibiki wasted no time in implementing 'Plan 10' when the Black Zodiac attacked. In a matter of seconds, bioroids and technologies from Olympus were flooding out, introducing systems that greatly assisted in the rebuilding effort. Ambulances have been replaced with mediport technologies to whisk patients directly to hospital, walls and barriers of force that can be erected around the city, new medicines and scientific applications, and above it all the Atlas Sphere, which converts anti-matter to a continuous clear and endless supply of energy to power the whole of Paragon City. It's no surprise that in this ultra-hightech neighborhood Japanese is spoken more than English. Delights for the tourist include the History of Japanese Arts Museum, The Royal Kabuki Theater, the Rising Sun fish market, and the Japanese Cultural Center which hosts the massive Anime-Con annually.
6. **Farcry (east)**: Farcry is not so much a neighborhood as it is a highly industrialized and well-equipped fortress and prison and yet families do live here. The facility rests on 13 acres, two of which are residential blocks for the Black Zodiac agents and their families that live onsite. Farcry otherwise serves two purposes, the primary one to serve as a State Prison for Meta-humans convicted of crimes that don't rise to the level of executable punishments and the second is to ensue that the dark and vile things from The Deadway don't come surging into New Kensington, as the border between the city and the necropolis can only be found here. Naturally, tourism is prohibited.
7. **Man Matteo (West)**: Depending on who you ask, Man Matteo has either taken up the mantle 'Shining Jewel of the West Coast' or, the Devil's fairgrounds. Those natives that don't find lucrative careers elsewhere in Paradigm City windd up with jobs here, the only neighborhood that is the City's purest tourist trap. 100% of Man Matteo's annual income comes from tourism. Here one can find Six Flags: Paradigm City, The extremely popular Foxfire Nightclub which honors the members of Heroes Unlimited with unique drinks named after them, the Cube which features vintage pinball and coin-op games from the Seventies and Eighties, the infamous Red Light Boardwalk where almost every carnal pleasure imaginable is legal (nobody under 21 years of age allowed), and the Thumbelina Performing Arts Dome which is the home for the world renown Dance Troup 161.
8. **New Beijing(South**): Formerly the neighborhood called Mandara, which was supposed to be some play on the word Mandarin, it was formerly changed after long bouts of lobbying and appealing to the Grand Thrall. Rechristened as New Beijing the neighborhood is almost exclusively Asian, particularly Chinese-heavy with smatterings of Koreans, Thai, and Vietnamese. Here one immerses themselves in Chinese culture with visits to the Han Royal Theatre, the History and Arts of China Museum, the spectacular Zen Temple which is home to twenty-five true to life Buddhist monks, and a plethora of restaurants that celebrate the tastes and textures from all over China. Every summer sees a wide assortment of traditional Chinese operas and plays performed under the stars at Confucius Park. Recently there have been dark undercurrents in the neighborhood, as the Chinese Triad has made several attempts at gaining a foothold here only to be stopped by the narrowest of margins by local meta-heroes.
9. **Old Town(north)**: Built on the tragic remains of what was once the historic district of Darkness Falls, Old Town yet somehow retains its haunting beauty and cradles in its arms the ghosts of the past. The residential areas are a fine mixture of of small middle-class homes and Victorian mansions reminiscent of the Antebellum South. Old Town remains a grand ole dame of history as well, many of the buildings that were left standing after the Day of the Destroyer converted into museums, libraries, culture and arts centers, and art galleries featuring exhibits from the founding to Darkness Falls in the eighteenth century to the modern day. Old Town still also retains a feature that made Darkness Falls so appealing to researchers: instances of paranormal events. The neighborhood continues to report consistently on ghosts, apparitions, haunted places, cryptids, supposed magic cults, and both UAP and USO sightings.

10. **Palatial Heights(West):** The center for banking, commerce, and finance for the city of New Kensington. It's the playground of the rich and the famous, where the sweeping antediluvian mansions of America's deep South meet the steel and glass suspires of Fortune 500 companies such as NaiaTech and Kevcom Communications; both of which are headquartered here.

11. **Platinum Beach(West)**: The Platinum Beach neighborhood rests on the coffin of what was once upon a time Gold Coast City. Only 1/4 of the neighborhood is open to the public, the remainder is reserved for the huge mansions used by the Grand Thrall and held as guest homes for visiting dignitaries which also includes, thankfully, the extremely rare visit by the terrifying Emperor himself. Otherwise the neighborhood is famous for its dozen casinos, including the world famous Phoenix Salad and infamous Gehenna Club. This 'Casino's Row' brings in millions of tourism dollars annually and all of these go directly into the Imperial coffers.

**12. San Pedro(Central)**: San Pedro is a large neighborhood in the center of the city and remains the largest of the middle-to middle-high income residential neighborhood. The average median income is $75,000 annually and the average age of the typical resident is thirty-five. San Pedro consists of concentrated blocks of track row Ranch-style homes, strip malls, parks, schools, and boasts the Mall of Malls, a five story indoor shopping plaza featuring hundreds of storefronts. Skater H8ter Park is the largest park of the neighborhood, featuring ramps and set ups for skateboarding and BMX activities. There are very few earned income workers that need to find employment outside of the neighborhood; three facilities that turn out Black Zodiac arms, armor, and vehicles offer stable and consistent jobs. Although the crime rate in certain areas of San Pedro is high because of the presence of the Warriors street gang, the neighborhood remains listed as one of the more contentment bearing neighborhoods.

**13. Uptown(North)**: The pinnacle of the northernmost neighborhoods, also referred to tongue-in-cheek as Automobile Alley. Uptown is mostly just that, lines of dealerships including Honda, Kia, Ford, Jeep, and Toyota. What businesses aren't devoted to the automotive industry here are textile in origin, such as the Hummingbird Paper Mill and the Victory Cola plant. By far Uptown's greatest draw for tourism and memory-seekers alike is the famous Angels Highway. This stretch of concrete runs the entire north to south length of New Kensington and commemorates the codename and name (if known) of every single first responder, city worker, and Meta-human hero or criminal that sacrificed their lives to save others during the Day of the Destroyer. The Highway also passes through the Nations Monument, which features the single-most recognizable Meta-human outfit ever worn by Paradigm City's lost heroes. Uptown boasts a 0% crime rate. Even the most vile criminal or reprehensible Black Zodiac operative wouldn't dare risk damaging any part of the Angels Highway.

## Things That Go Bump

Although New Kensington is a high-tech, modern city there still are heavy elements of the supernatural woven among the city streets. This is especially true of the Old Town neighborhood, which still makes frequent reports of supernatural and paranormal activity. While not every report and rumor can be investigated, there have been enough reports made of and evidences of come to light enough to make some of these elements very well known.

**The Notting** are a species of paranormal entity that comes in several appearances. Many mystics in the region deduce that the Notting are a species of evil fairy. They are largely vegetable-like creatures, having humanoid bodies seemingly made of various kinds of rotting vegetation and produce, with jack-o-lantern heads. Another branch is feared (and in some circles desired) because of their close resemblance to dark elves of RPG fame, and yet others still have been identified as redcaps, bogies, and goblins. The Notting are extremely hostile to human beings and tend to attack on sight. They are mostly reported in the Old Town neighborhood, although some have been seen in Crenshaw and San Pedro.

**The Crown of Knives** is the largest and most vile black magic cult operating in New Kensington. Patterning themselves off of the old European hellfire clubs, the Knives are known for kidnapping, killing sprees, and every so often trying to open gateways from the Pale to let Lovecraftian monsters come through to go on a rampage. Oddly enough, Lord Kadaver (See Notable People) is fully aware of HIM and makes it a point to have his cultists battle the monster wherever it raises its head.