Phantom City New Mexico is a fictional city for the campaign setting on Vampire: The Requiem. Due to the new age, where anything and everything can be accepted in society the campaign rules state that per every 25,000 people, one vampire can safely exist without being discovered.

Basic info

Population: 975,081
Location: San Mateo Mountains off of I-40

Primary Incomes: Mining (gold, silver, turquoise and copper), Uranium Processing, Space and Military Technologies (with interest in the Virgin Spaceport the city has seen an influx of companies seeking to expand and benefit from the new port being so close.)

Illegal Incomes: Drugs, Human Trafficking, Weaponry

History

New Mexico began it’s gold rush in 1828 attracting hopeful gold miners to the desert state. One such prospector was named John Lark who was trying his hand at a claim in the San Mateo Mountains when he came across a good vein. He knew that there was no way he could mine it himself and so he opened up a mine on his claim called the Mountainview Mining company. The company was so successful that by 1840 a town had formed at the base of the mountain which housed his mine. The people there called it Larksville in honor of the towns founder and richest citizen.

Larksville grew rapidly, offering a chance for even the lowliest of miners to benefit from the prospected mine. The nearby Pueblo Indians did not appreciate the miners encroaching on the land, raping and destroying the surface with little concern for the impact on the land. Thus John Lark had to rely on militiamen and hired thugs to protect his city from the occasional Indian raid. It was one day a shaman came who called himself Wolfclaw and warned John that he would pay for the rape of the land, it would reach out and consume him.

John, dismissing the shaman as a lunatic, had him shot and buried in a chaff pit within the mine.
About a week later, April 4, 1846 to be exact, John went down into his mine to inspect his newest shaft. While no one is sure on what had happened, John never came back, nor the 4 workers who were working down there while he was there. There was no trace of the miners or John, almost as if they never existed to begin with.

The people began to call city Phantom city after that because it just wasn’t natural that people disappeared without a trace. The mining was still good however, and so John’s son, Ben a bastard born to a whore in the town only listed in records as Mistress Lilly, inherited the mine and kept working the land. Mistress Lilly disappeared shortly thereafter, some believed at the time that Ben had killed his own mother for fear that she may try to claim the mine for herself.

The city continued to grow until the metal veins started to taper off at about 1938. Many of the mines’ shafts where closed, and stories persisted that the mine was haunted. The town was quickly running the risk of becoming a ghost town unless a miracle happened. During first world war, Phantom City donated a lot of it’s fine soldiers to battle over seas, and the women who lived on worked hard, but the owner of the now Phantom Mine Company didn’t believe they could pull their weight as the men did. The population was at a decline until the government did an inspection on the lands. During this inspection they discovered Uranium, and they were paying good money for anyone willing to dig the radioactive material out of the ground. The corporation that now owned the mine company was most eager to help.

Jumping to modern nights, Phantom City is bustling. Declared the 15th most dangerous city in America, the prospector spirit lives on. Unemployment has increased and regulations have decreased, resulting in a work force that is safer, but less profitable business. The owners took some of the capitol and ventured into other fields, hence bringing the city up to date.

Kindred in Phantom City

There is a strong Kindred presence in Phantom City run by the Carthians in an almost parliamentary manner. Each clan has it’s representative Primogen to offer suggestions and assist with the governance of the city. They meet at a secret location to be determined within 24 hours of the meeting. The location and time are sent out via a text or e-mail communication over VOIP.net to anyone who wishes to be on the distribution list. The purpose of this is to maintain security and the shroud, but to not exclude the kindred from being able to attend.

Any vampire may have 2 minutes to voice their opinions each meeting, with the Primogen being the deciding factor in which topics make it to the “floor” and whether to vote and debate on any issues. The Prince always has the opportunity to veto any initiative.

Election process for Primogen and Prince

The election process is generally done independently through each clan. The Daeva, Ventrue, Mekhet and Nosferatu generally do a standardized election of their member body when a new Primogen is needed, while the Gangrel primogen is most commonly satisfied by a brutal brawl called “the Culling” to ensure only the strongest can represent them. The Prince is elected from the body of the Primogen.

At any time a Primogen or Prince can be removed from service if they are judged unanimously by their election body to be unfit for service. The Prince chooses their Seneschal, Sheriff and Hound, who are locked in until the Prince is replaced or they are removed for inability to perform their job function.

Restrictions

• Kindred visiting the city are required to introduce themselves to the prince. Violation can result in final death.
• Invictus covenant vampires are not welcome within the city. Violators can result in final death.
• Feeding restriction: Shamans are off limits. It is believed that the shamans are protected by a spirit pact, feeding or killing a shaman can result in a blood hunt.

Other Supernaturals

The hot New Mexico nights are full of mystery and dark superstition. The truth is that the superstitious kooks most likely have seen something abnormal and either are afraid to tell others about it due to the fear of being labelled a freak or abnormal. They know that monsters are out there, and that they are real.

As far as supernatural society is concerned, each group exists separate from the others. Conflicts do occur, and when they do there is no governing body to support this. Once a year however there is a grand gala where all the known supernaturals within the city are sent an invite from their respective leaders and they are free to come and go to this party as they please.

The purpose of these parties are to create avenues of contact between the groups so that should a misunderstanding happen it doesn’t carry on into a inter-species war. While many do show to the gala, the natural distrust between the different factions or disinterest leads to many members never even making an appearance. The parties are suggested to maintain their (equivalent to) individual masquerades, however it is not strictly enforced during these gatherings. It is assumed that the individuals showing up have come to the realization that they aren’t the only supernatural species on the planet.
The one rule to these galas is that no violence is permitted.