>>>>>All right chummers, no posting would be complete without the neo-anarchists getting their word in. And of course, we have agreed (or maybe complied) with the anarchist's requests to put a posting on the DE Shadows page. So without further ado, we present a down and dirty look at Northern Delaware, or more specifically, Bridgetown.<<<<<
Bridgetown On 30 Nuyen A Day
Imagine a place that used to be somewhat safe. Then place it near a small city, mostly inhabited by corporate businesses. Now give it a spin. A dash of VITAS, corporate banking wars, the ever popular VITAS II, the Awakening, the formation of the UCAS, the hardest hitter yet, VITAS III, and to top it all off the corruption of nature.
Welcome to Bridgetown chummer.
>>>>>Isn't she laying it on a bit thick? Bridgetown was never really a great part of town... <<<<<
Squareman{04-17-57/19:47:39}
>>>>>It was a hell of a lot safer in the late ninties. No toxic shamans or gang wars... <<<<<
Thin Lizzie{04-17-57/19:52:17}
To be precise, Bridgetown is the area of shanties beneath the Delaware Memorial Bridge and it's surrounding sprawls. It covers most of Route 9, Route 13, and all of the other main roads terminating at the Bridge. The line where Bridgetown and Wilmington merge is a fine line and is not determined easily. every sprawler has his own opinions on where the border lies.
>>>>>The Wilmington Sprawl ends at about the old bowling alley on Route 9. Currently the home of a particularly violent gang of chipheads calling themselves the Red Death. <<<<<
Mickey{04-17-57/20:54:24}
>>>>>You've got to be kidding me. Wilmington Sprawl and Bridgetown are basically the same place. I'd say that only the actual shanty communtity and a small ring around it comprise Bridgetown proper.<<<<<
Captain Crook{04-17-57/23:01:58}
In any event, Bridgetown is the best place for shadowrunners to hide. That is, it's the best place to hide if you don't mind putting yourself at risk. Bridgetown sports one of the highest crime rates in the state, rivaled only by the Wilmington Sprawl itself. Folks of every kind are here: smugglers, deckers, thieves, mercenaries, rogues and worst of all toxic shamans. All of these things make living in Bridgetown dangerous for the unwary. If you want to stay here, be prepared to watch yourself at every turn as ignorance can easily lead to death here.
Let me give you a breakdown of the sprawl area here in Bridgetown. The first place that need to be discussed is the underbridge. The Delaware Memorial Bridge was at one time the longest twin span suspension bridge in the world. While still traveled on, the bridge now has a few permament residents. At a distance, one could mistake the odd protrusions at the bridge's foundations to be corrosion from all the years of filth in the Delaware River. But once you get close to it, you can see that the protrusions are actually man made. And when you get really close, be ready to dodge bullets. Many SINless squatters, and no small amount of the shadow communit,y in Delaware have lived or reside in the supporting beams and underside of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. When S-K bought up all of Sussex County, many of the dispaced simply could not afford or locate any kind of housing in the Wilmington area, but didn't know where else to go. The Bridge seemed to be the only shelter they could find.
>>>>>Wait a minute here. You're telling me that a bunch of homeless dreks came to this bridge. A toll bridge no less. And they begin to take up residence in the bridge supports? How did the cops let this happen? I'd think that LS would have rolled in there and driven them all out by now. <<<<<
Badger{04-17-57/12:28:31}
>>>>>Okay, time out. Here's how it breaks down, Badger (And I know because I live there). When people started coming to the bridge in the early 30's, the neighborhood was in steady decline. This part of town has never been a good place for cops in the first place so they didn't really notice until about two hundred sprawlers declared it as a home. <<<<<
Edgie{04-18-57/01:56:52}
>>>>>But what about the threat to travelers on the bridge? All someone would have to do is get a mess of explosives and take out even a small part of the bridge. It's dangerous, especially with the shadow community being so prominent. <<<<<
Badger{04-18-57/01:59:59}
>>>>>Duh, that's why they call it the shadow community drek brain. We don't just shout it out you know. And asides from that, we're not all murdering bastards either. It takes a stone cold psycho to blow up innocents for a terrorist strike. <<<<<
Darkeman{04-18-57/02:12:37}
>>>>>Isn't that what terrorists do? <<<<<
Stark{04-18-57/02:42:42}
So the homeless start to get drawn to the bridge. Within about two years, Bridgetown grew from the size of twenty displaced families to about five hundred families. Small shanties and almost bunker-like dwellings became common almost overnight. All of this happened only about ten years after the Awakening and Goblinization hit. But that of course also brought horrible disaster.
In 2039 the Night of Rage came to Bridgetown. The population of Bridgetown was comprised mostly of metahumans, most of which being orks or trolls. When the riots in Wilmington spread to the shanties and dwellings in Bridgetown, the carnage that occured was almost incalcuable. Roughly half of the sprawler community was decimated by the violence and there were many public lynchings of orks and trolls. For the first time since it's creation, Lone Star Securities stepped into Bridgetown, guns blazing and quelled the riot within a day. Afterward, the bodies laid in the streets for days. Racial tensions ran high (and in some places still do) and the community grew into the high paranoia level it has now embraced. The town of course did recover, but the wounds have never fully healed.
After the Night of Rage, Bridgetown began to expand. It had grown to reach Route 9 through a mishmash of partially paved and dirt roads and scattered trails and eventually swallowed entire neighborhoods and parks. By 2050, Bridgetown was booming in comparison to it's former vision. At last check it was estimated that now three thousand strong are living within the shanties, bridge extensions, and small neighborhoods of Bridgetown.
But enough talk about history, lets get to the posting of places to hide, buy equipment and get information.
Where to Stay (If you're that suicidal)
Ramada Inn / Rt. 13, Wilmington Sprawl Area
Price Range: Cheap (30 nuyen/night) Security: Low
This little hotel used to cater to some of the smaller government and community groups of the late 1900's and the early 2000's, but has suffered horribly from the presence of the WCE and from the emergence of the Sprawl. While not technically a part of Bridgetown, it can be reached in ten minutes by car.
California Motel / Rt. 13, Wilmington Sprawl Area
Price Range: Really Cheap (15 nuyen/night, Read: Dive) Security: Yeah Right
The California hotel used to run under a different name a long time ago, but even then it was a squallid place to get a room in. The place has only gotten worse since it's construction and is comparable to the Redmond Arms Hotel in Seattle. It is rat infested, has no utilities but unless someone really needs to find you, it makes for a hasty safehouse
Cheap Coffin Hotel / Rt. 9, New Castle Area
Price Range: Average (35 nuyen/night) Security: Mild, Bias towards humans
One of the more respectable joints in Bridgetown, Cheap Coffin Hotel is where most out of town runners go to when they need a place to stay. The security there beats most others in the area, although it's nothing really elaborate. If you've got the nuyen, stay there for a day, but no longer than that, as locals know to find out of towners here.
>>>>>The security here is just a pair of trolls, brothers I think. They may look pretty scummy, but I'm pretty sure that at least one has law enforcement training. Kinda odd for a troll though.<<<<<
Squareman{04-18-57/03:23:32}
Eco Lodge / Rt. 9, Bridgetown
Price Range: High Avg. (45 nuyen/night) Security: Good, Bias against orks and trolls
A rarity in Bridgetown, Eco Lodge seems to do quite well considering it's location along Route 9, just a stone's throw from the center of Bridgetown. Some of the neighborhoods it borders are known to harbor violent gangs, but Eco Lodge seems to do quite well despite this fact.
>>>>>You betcha, chummer. For a few nuyen extra, you can go to the lodge and they seem to cater to folks who really need to hide. Also has good security, headed by some Bridgetown Mage called Talis-Man<<<<<
Edgie{04-18-57/03:45:56}
Local Places (You might want to stay away from...)
Calvin R. McCullough Elementary School
I heard this place used to be a fine school. Too bad that some of the locals burned part of it down in the riots in 2039. Most of it's still intact and about half of it is rigged from power illegally routed from WCE. Within the walls of the old school, you can find one of the local gangs headquarters here, the Bridgetown Brawlers. A good place to stay away from.
>>>>>The brawlers aren't much to be scared of. For the most part they rarely leave their own turf, but beware to the trespasser who crosses the fence. Some of them sport particularly nasty 'ware.<<<<<
Chrome Bridger{04-18-57/04:57:19}
Crazy Joe's
Crazy Joe's is a tech shop right in central Bridgetown. the building has been many things; a fast food house, electronics shop, barber shop. now it sells anything from simsense decks/chips, to do it yourself weapon kits and programs for decks. Also if you think Crazy Joe won't kill you, you can ask about what's under the counter....
Collins Park
This neighborhood was almost entirely swallowed by Bridgetown since it already had a reputation for violent crime. However, the folks in Collins Park haven't exactly had a good time of living there even before the emergence of Bridgetown. In recent years, the predominantly ork and dwarven neighborhood has taken to patroling their own neighborhood, and putting up a ten foot, razorwire fence around it with crudely made gate houses to keep some of the more violent sprawlers out.
Old New Castle
This is yet another example of Delaware's former beauty. the colonial town of historic New Castle is the home of humans too poor or too outlawed to live in the WCE or to stake out someplace in the Wilmington Sprawl. Most of the houses have been gutted and the historical buildings' contents moved to the WCE. It is by no means a large area, just about ten blocks out from the river with an old middle school and a burned out shopping center.
Battery Park
All that can be said about Battery Park is this. Beware. Locals have been reporting sightings of toxic shamans in the area. It's right next to the river, and is home of no few toxic spirits.
Delaware Memorial Trading Post
On a hill near an offramp for the bridge is an old war memorial for Delaware Soldiers who died in a 1960's and 70's war. However, the locals have turned it into a trading hub. There are tents and wagons and kiosks set up by a few of the more enterprising locals. Things can not only be purchased for nuyen here, but also bartered. Since many of the bridge folks have never really been anywhere where they could really get a hold of money, bartering is essential for everyday needs.
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