Upper Fens

From Guidebook

Before the city's founding, the Upper Fens were a marshland, almost impossible to build on. At one point, the marsh got filled in to make way for the neighbourhood. Some of it still exists, the parklands saving the natural beauty in controlled areas. The Upper Fens is a primarily upper-class neighbourhood characterised by well-maintained and well-cared-for old red-brick houses. The neighbourhood's look is so important for the locals that the local council makes sure that any new buildings match the pre-existing architecture, with a lot of resistance towards too modern architectural choices.

Named Locations[edit | edit source]

Fens Field[edit | edit source]

A relatively newly built baseball field, Fens Field caters to the professional baseball teams of Easthaven. The minor league team—the Easthaven Sea Wolves—call it home, but there are opportunities for smaller and up-and-coming sports teams to use the baseball field. If you come for a game, you're guaranteed to have excellent snacks and company as well as an entertaining match.

Copeland Lane[edit | edit source]

Copeland Lane is a street dominated by expensive boutiques and antique shops, catering to fashionistas and the well-to-do. The selection includes famed local designers, exclusive global brands, and antique shops that look like they've been there for centuries. Much of the antiques on sale are from the neighbourhood or elsewhere in Massachusetts, purchased in various estate sales or lucky finds. The selection is eclectic, from curiosities and jewellery to old-style furniture.

The Inkpot[edit | edit source]

A bookstore and café combined, any caffeine or book lover will find a comfortable spot at the Inkpot. The decor is tasteful and light, with expansive windows letting in the sun and letting customers people-watch in comfort. The smell of coffee beans and old books is ever-present, and the prices aren't even that bad despite its location.

Mottershead Asylum[edit | edit source]

A legacy of Massachusetts' early lunatic asylums, Mottershead has been closed since the 1950s. It's been left alone in a lightly populated part of the Upper Fens, and any attempt at getting the place demolished has gone nowhere and likely won't happen. Mottershead has the typical sordid history of insane asylums facilitating forced institutionalisation, abuse of patients, and brutal treatment methods wrongly thought to be effective for anyone who digs deep enough. With its boarded-up windows, it's tricky to get inside, but anyone brave and insistent enough can find their way inside to see the smouldering legacy of psychiatric medicine.

Mottershead Park[edit | edit source]

Next to Mottershead Asylum is Mottershead Park. In contrast to the asylum, the park is well-cared for and quite beautiful to walk through. Here is where you can glimpse the remnants of the marshland, the last bit of wildness in the Upper Fens, but domesticated despite everything. There are a few ponds and jogging paths, but generally, the signs tell visitors to stay off the grass and not feed the ducks.

Samadhi Gym[edit | edit source]

A new age gym that caters to the yoga enthusiasts, Samadhi Gym has several instructors in Ashtanga yoga and even draw their name from one of the eight limbs of the classical yoga practice. Yoga isn't everything, though; they also have large enough facilities and machines to satisfy a proper gym bro that needs to get his gains. Their offered classes range from beginners to advanced, but generally, it serves as a basic gym and a yoga studio.

Barton Art Gallery[edit | edit source]

Every upscale neighbourhood needs an art gallery, and Barton's is the one for the Upper Fens. It offers exhibition space to local artists and non-local, giving them an arena to sell their work to the wealthy clientele typical of the Upper Fens. Not everything is wildly expensive, and occasionally, they host art from a newer artist at prices even the plebeians can afford.

Eden Cemetery[edit | edit source]

Part park, part cemetery, the Eden cemetery is a sprawling space filled with mausoleums, art exhibits, strange statues, and marble benches overlooking a peaceful lake. Built to hold the bodies of the rich and famous of Easthaven, it is an old, carefully maintained park-like area, encouraging people to respectfully wander the paths and explore the eccentric choices of the biggest names of Easthaven. Like any cemetery, it gets spooky after dark.

Arcana[edit | edit source]

Arcana is a shop that caters to all things supernatural, especially objects from Asian cultures. Inside is a treasure trove of rare and unique items: strange books and tomes, various cursed and possessed items. If something in particular is sought after, a simple request can likely procure it. Just remember; when a sign says do not touch, the owner is not liable for the outcome if you ignore the warning, whatever may happen. However, you are responsible for the price.

Owner: Sunako Mochizuki

Upper Fens Subway[edit | edit source]

The Upper Fens subway is old but well maintained. The paint is fresh, the subway cars are clean, and the rattling is just because of the age of the subway tunnels and subway cars operating in them. However, if you're unlucky enough to get lost in the Eden Cemetery station, especially in the evenings, there might appear a strange fog, with eerie whispers luring you deeper. Everyone says to keep clear and not get lost. Too many bodies have shown up in the tunnels, with no marks on them. It is said that if you pass the same thing seven times, you're already lost.

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