Mayhawk Admin
Posts : 134 Join date : 2012-08-01
| Subject: Old Town Alexandria Sat Oct 20, 2012 5:01 pm | |
| Old Town Alexandria The Aspect: The South Will Rise Again The Face: Bran Kildare, The Huntsman, Summer's Duke of Northern Virginia The colonial city of Alexandria predates the founding of the District of Columbia by a hundred years. It was initially part of the land annexed from Virginia to form the District, but prior to the Civil War it was returned to the state. It remains a suburb of Washington, D.C., with many of it's residents commuting across the Potomac, to work for the Federal Government. The neighborhood of Old Town lies in the eastern portion of Alexandria along Potomac River, and is the area of the city first to be laid out, dating from 1749. Known for its historic town houses, art galleries, antique shops, and restaurants, som of Old Town's landmarks include General Robert E. Lee's boyhood home, the Lee-Fendall House, a replica of George Washington's townhouse, Gadsby's Tavern, the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop, the Torpedo Factory art studio complex, and the Huntsman's Tavern, a colonial pub. At the foot of King Street down by the water, is a large plaza frequented by River cruise boats and street entertainers. The extensively landscaped Market Square with it's large fountain and farmers marked is the oldest continuously operating marketplace in the United States, though it began as primarily a slave market, the second largest in the U.S. Prior to the opening of the Washington Metro King Street station in 1983 the townhouse areas west of Washington Street was a low income African-American community, but with the increased traffic to D.C. a spurt of new hotel and office building development led to the area's gentrification. At the top of King Street is the George Washington Masonic Memorial, a towering structure built on the summit of Shooter's Hill modeled after the legendary Lighthouse of ancient Alexandria in Egypt. Like the Washington monument in D.C. this is a node for one of the area's most potent ley lines. Since ancient times this region on the south shore of the Potomac was controlled by the Summer Court Fae who have been at war with the Winter Court for mastery of the ley lines that run through this land. The fey influence the Nation's Founding Fathers through contacts in the Masonic Brotherhood to build the nation's capital along both banks of the city, so that neither court should have undue influence over the country. But as history played out the Southern part of D.C. ended up being left by the wayside and the Summer Court felt betrayed. Since then they have sought to gain some influence in the powerful city across the river, and for many years the leader in these efforts have been a powerful sidhe known as The Huntsman. The Huntsman goes by the mortal moniker of Bran Kildare, the affable owner of The Huntsman’s Tavern. This Irish Pub is the hub of the region's Summer Court stronghold. Bran is always willing to make friends with people from the District, but he always expects something in return for any favors he might give. | |
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