Arkham Horror

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1. #1French Hillselective

   Keys: Progress Club, French Hill

   Arkham's most prestigious neighborhood, where colonial-era mansions and faculty housing share winding, cobblestone streets with Miskatonic University's imposing campus. Old money families like the Derbys and Pickerings maintain their ancestral homes here, hosting elaborate social events while whispering about neighbors who've joined the Progress Club. Despite its affluent appearance, residents have noticed an increasing number of strange lights in upper windows and mysterious chanting from certain properties after midnight.

2. #2Easttownselective

   Keys: Easttown, Hibb's Roadhouse

   A densely populated working-class district where immigrant communities from Italy, Ireland, and Eastern Europe have established footholds in Arkham's economy and culture. Cramped tenements and boarding houses crowd narrow streets lined with small ethnic groceries, pawn shops, and questionable establishments like Hibb's Roadhouse. Police patrols are infrequent here, and residents handle problems internally, developing a wary attitude toward outsiders that serves as both community protection and convenient cover for those with secrets to hide.

3. #3Northsideselective

   Keys: factories, Northside, mills

   Dominated by the belching smokestacks of textile mills and the constant clanging of machinery, Northside represents Arkham's industrial heart. Workers' housing consists of identical row homes built by factory owners, where soot perpetually gathers on windowsills and laundry lines. Environmental regulations are practically non-existent, allowing the Northside Business Association to dump chemical waste directly into the Miskatonic River—a practice locals believe is responsible for the strange mutations in fish and the occasional iridescent fog that rolls through the streets at dawn.

4. #4Downtownselective

   Keys: Founder's Rock, Independence Square, Downtown

   Centered around Independence Square and its "Founder's Rock", an irregular mass of stone that lies at the center of the square. This district showcases the city's architectural evolution from Colonial simplicity to Victorian ornamentation. City Hall, the Arkham Advertiser offices, and various banks maintain a veneer of orderly municipal function, while the independent retailers struggle against larger commercial interests from Innsmouth and Kingsport. Beneath the commercial bustle lies a network of maintenance tunnels dating to the city's founding—ostensibly for steam pipes and electrical conduits, though city workers refuse to service them without partners.

5. #5Riversideselective

   Keys: Riverside, Miskatonic River

   Once the economic engine of Arkham, this waterfront district has fallen into disrepair as shipping moved to the deeper harbors of Kingsport. Abandoned warehouses and dilapidated piers provide perfect cover for bootleggers and rumrunners, while cheaper rents have attracted artists, occultists, and those seeking to disappear from society. The Miskatonic River itself seems different here—darker, deeper, with unusual currents that occasionally bring unidentifiable organic matter to the surface before fishermen can hook it with gaffs and destroy the evidence.

6. #6Merchant Districtselective

   Keys: Merchant District

   A bustling commercial area where shoppers browse everything from handcrafted furniture to imported luxuries beneath striped awnings and ornate signage. The district operates on two levels: legitimate businesses serving daily needs aboveground, while a network of speakeasies like the Clover Club cater to Prohibition-defying clientele in basements and backrooms. Shopkeepers form a tight-knit community, collectively investing in private security rather than relying on Arkham's distracted police force, which helps maintain the district's prosperity while also ensuring certain unusual transactions remain unrecorded.

7. #7Uptownselective

   Keys: Uptown

   Carefully maintained Victorian homes with wraparound porches and elaborate gardens line streets named after Revolutionary War heroes in this affluent residential district. St. Mary's Hospital, several prestigious private schools, and exclusive social clubs serve a population that prides itself on education and civic responsibility while remaining willfully ignorant of how their family fortunes originated. Behind the neighborhood's pristine facade, pharmaceutical dependencies, nervous conditions, and family secrets are managed through private arrangements with certain doctors at St. Mary's, whose reputations depend on absolute discretion.

8. #8Southsideselective

   Keys: Southside

   Neither as wealthy as Uptown nor as industrial as Northside, Southside represents Arkham's middle-class heart with its mix of modest single-family homes, small businesses, and community institutions like the South Church. Ma's Boarding House serves as an unofficial community center where newcomers are quietly evaluated by longtime residents before being truly accepted. The neighborhood maintains an unusually high concentration of protective folk practices—horseshoes above doors, specific planting arrangements, and seasonal rituals that most participants claim to maintain "just for tradition's sake" while carefully ensuring no step is omitted.

9. #9Miskatonic Universityselective

   Keys: Miskatonic University, Necronomicon, Orne Library

   Founded in 1690 as a theological seminary before evolving into a world-renowned research institution, Miskatonic University's gothic spires and ivy-covered halls house academic departments ranging from conventional medicine to the controversial Department of Folklore and Anthropology. The university's true crown jewel is the Orne Library's restricted collection of occult texts, including the only authorized North American copy of the Necronomicon, which requires written permission from the Archaeology Department chairman to access. Despite its academic prestige, the university maintains unusual traditions, including the practice of sealing certain dissertation research permanently when faculty committees deem the findings "unsuitable for general academic discourse."

10. #10Arkham Sanitariumselective

    Keys: Dr. Mintz, Sanitarium, Arkham Sanitarium

    Perched on a windswept hill outside the city proper, this imposing Victorian structure with its distinctive cupola and barred windows houses patients suffering from conditions ranging from melancholia to violent psychosis under the supervision of Dr. Mintz and his studies on dreams and dreamwalking. The sanitarium's west wing is reserved for patients whose families pay premium rates for absolute privacy, many of whom are never visited and whose medical records are conspicuously vague about their specific conditions. Local folklore claims the building was constructed on land where native tribes once performed rituals to contain malevolent spirits, which some staff believe explains the impossible geometries of certain corridors and the unexplained sounds emanating from the sealed basement level.

11. #11Arkham Historical Societyselective

    Keys: Historical Society, Mr. Peabody

    Housed in a meticulously preserved Colonial mansion bequeathed by the Peaslee family, the Historical Society maintains archives documenting Arkham's development from settlement to modern city, including property records, newspaper archives, and artifacts recovered from construction projects. The Society's elderly curator, Mr. Peabody, possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of Arkham genealogy and can trace the relationships between founding families with unsettling precision, though he becomes noticeably reticent when discussing certain bloodlines or properties. Behind the public exhibition areas, the Society's basement archive contains materials not cataloged in the official registry, including journals documenting "anomalous events" throughout the city's history and a locked cabinet of photographs deemed "historically sensitive."

12. #12St. Mary's Hospitalselective

    Keys: Dr. Lee, hospital, Mortimore, St. Mary's, Vincent

    Boasting the most modern medical equipment in Essex County, St. Mary's six-story brick facility treats Arkham's affluent citizens with discretion and comfort unmatched by the public hospital. The hospital's reputation for advanced treatment masks its secondary function as a repository for unusual medical specimens and case studies deemed too controversial or disturbing for medical journals. Dr. Mortimore is the Chief Physician. Dr. Vincent Lee is a well-meaning doctor who works here. The basement morgue, overseen by Dr. Waldron, has specific protocols for certain categories of deceased patients, including immediate cremation without autopsy for deaths involving unusual discoloration, anatomical anomalies, or patients from specific Arkham family lines—procedures justified officially as "infection control measures" but enforced with unusual rigidity.

13. #13Orne Libraryselective

    Keys: Orne, Armitage, Orne Library, library, librarian

    The intellectual heart of Miskatonic University, this imposing neoclassical building houses over one million volumes across its public stacks, departmental collections, and the infamous restricted section. Professor Henry Armitage presides as head librarian, personally controlling access to the locked rare book room containing texts in languages both ancient and unclassifiable. Graduate students report strange acoustic properties in certain reading rooms, where whispered conversations carry impossibly to distant corners while normal-volume discussions remain inaudible a few feet away. The library's subbasement, accessible only to tenured faculty with special clearance, contains artifacts associated with the books above—items cataloged with alphanumeric codes rather than descriptions and stored in lead-lined containers that remain perpetually cold to the touch.

14. #14Hibb's Roadhouseselective

    Keys: Hibb, Ezekiel, Roadhouse, Hibbs, Hibb's

    This weathered two-story establishment in Easttown officially operates as a tavern and hostel for transient workers, but its true business happens in the warren of back rooms where anything from illegal liquor to magical artifacts can be procured for the right price. Owner Ezekiel Hibb maintains his neutrality in Arkham's various factional conflicts by enforcing a strict "no violence inside" policy with his modified shotgun and uncanny ability to anticipate trouble before it erupts. The roadhouse's second floor contains private rooms with surprisingly sophisticated soundproofing, rented by the hour or night with no questions asked about the nature of meetings held there, while the root cellar contains a concealed tunnel rumored to connect to the Miskatonic River for emergency escapes or discreet disposal of problematic evidence.

15. #15Unvisited Isleselective

    Keys: isle, unvisited, physics department

    This densely wooded island in the middle of the Miskatonic River remains technically public land, though few Arkham residents venture there despite its accessible location. Pre-colonial stone structures, including a perfect circular arrangement of megalithic blocks, occupy the island's center, with symbols carved into their surfaces that match no known Native American language or European tradition. Fishermen report that electronic equipment malfunctions near the island, compasses spin erratically in its vicinity, and time seems to flow differently for those who explore its overgrown paths—a phenomenon documented but unexplained by Miskatonic's Physics Department. Wildlife behaves abnormally on the island, with species coexisting that should be natural predators and prey, while plants grow in patterns that botanists describe as "deliberately arranged by unknown means."

16. #16The Black Caveselective

    Keys: the cave, spelunking, black cave

    This natural limestone formation in the densely wooded hills outside Arkham features an entrance chamber accessible to casual explorers, beyond which a narrow passage descends to unmapped depths that seem to defy conventional geography. Local teenagers dare each other to venture beyond the initial chamber, but most return quickly, citing disorientation and unexplained anxiety that increases with depth. Spelunking experts from Miskatonic University's Geology Department mapped portions of the system in 1923 but abruptly discontinued their research after three graduate students became separated from their group and emerged two days later with no memory of their underground experience except for detailed sketches of structures they claimed to have seen "in the deepest place, where sound behaves wrongly." The cave entrance has since been officially condemned as unsafe, though the posted warnings and nominal wooden barricade do little to deter determined visitors.

17. #17The Graveyardselective

    Established alongside Arkham's founding in 1692, the cemetery on French Hill contains graves spanning three centuries, from simple Puritan headstones to ornate Victorian mausoleums belonging to the city's prominent families. Caretaker William Yorick maintains the grounds with obsessive attention to detail while collecting local burial traditions and superstitions in a journal he refers to as his "professional reference." Certain sections of the cemetery feature unusual soil conditions that preserve rather than decompose organic material, while other areas demonstrate accelerated decomposition that baffles scientific explanation. University students occasionally report seeing small groups conducting midnight ceremonies among the oldest graves, participants whom Yorick claims are "just paying respects in their own way" while refusing to elaborate on their identities or practices.

18. #18Police Stationselective

    Arkham's law enforcement headquarters occupies a utilitarian brick building downtown, perpetually understaffed and overwhelmed by the city's blend of conventional crime and unexplainable incidents. Sheriff Engle maintains rigid professional standards despite budget limitations, requiring officers to categorize paranormal reports under mundane classifications like "public disturbance" or "suspicious activity" to keep departmental statistics within norms expected by state authorities. The station's evidence lockup contains an unusually large section designated "unclassified materials"—items confiscated during investigations that don't correspond to any recognized contraband category but which officers deemed unsafe for public circulation. A high turnover rate among desk sergeants has been attributed to the stressful working conditions, though veterans privately acknowledge it correlates specifically to those assigned to night shifts in the records room, where the filing system occasionally reorganizes itself between shifts Sheriff Engle has a close relationship with several occult societies.

19. #19Silver Twilight Lodgeselective

    Keys: Silver Twilight Lodge, Sanford, the Lodge, Brother Carl

    Abandoning its historical Arkham headquarters after federal investigation threatened exposure, the Lodge established a new compound on Hawaii's Big Island, where volcanic landscapes and isolated beaches provide natural boundaries against unwanted visitors. The sprawling property, officially registered as a "spiritual retreat center," features a central temple constructed according to precise astronomical alignments, communal living quarters built in concentric rings based on member rank, and art studios where "vessels" create works sold to wealthy collectors through front galleries in Honolulu and San Francisco. Brother Carl Sanford selected this location not just for its seclusion but for specific geomagnetic properties mentioned in his translated texts, believing the island's volcanic activity creates "thinned barriers between dimensions" that will facilitate the ultimate ritual when the celestial alignment is perfect. Local indigenous communities maintain a respectful distance from the compound, recognizing something fundamentally wrong in the Lodge's energy despite its public claims of cultural appreciation and spiritual synthesis.

20. #20Innsmouthselective

    Keys: Innsmouth, the Innsmouth Look, the Esoteric Order, Dagon

    A decaying coastal town 17 miles northeast of Arkham whose once-prosperous fishing and gold refining industries have collapsed into near abandonment. The few remaining residents share distinctive physical features—bulging, unblinking eyes, grayish skin, and progressive loss of hair—collectively known as "the Innsmouth look." The Marsh family maintains de facto control over the town through their gold refinery and Esoteric Order of Dagon, a cult-like organization that replaced traditional churches and civic institutions. Outsiders face immediate hostility, with the dilapidated Gilman House hotel serving as the only accommodation for rare business travelers, who frequently report disturbing nocturnal sounds and strange processions heading toward the breakwater after midnight. Federal authorities conducted a mysterious raid in 2017 that further diminished the population, though no official explanation was ever provided for the operation.

21. #21Kingsportselective

    Keys: Kingsport

    Perched on granite cliffs overlooking the Atlantic, this picturesque seaside town combines colonial architecture with a thriving artistic community drawn to its dramatic natural setting and quality of light. The Central Hill district features meticulously preserved homes of sea captains and merchants from the 18th century, while the more bohemian harbourside area hosts galleries, cafes, and the renowned Kingsport School of Art. Below the conventional town lies the Strange High House in the Mist—a structure visible only under certain atmospheric conditions, perched impossibly on a sheer cliff face that should not support construction. Despite its quaint appearance and popularity as a summer resort, longtime residents maintain peculiar traditions, including the Festival of the Elder Tide where small boats carrying elaborate lanterns are set adrift during the winter solstice, supposedly to "guide those who travel between" though none will specify what exactly travels or where.

22. #22The Clover Clubselective

    Keys: O'Bannion, Clover Club

    Behind La Bella Luna lies the city's premier speakeasy and gambling establishment, where plush emerald carpeting, mahogany gaming tables, and private booths create an atmosphere of illicit luxury. Owned by mobster Danny O'Bannion after he wrested it away from original owner Peter Clover, the Clover Club is frequented by Arkham's elite, the club maintains its operations through strategic bribes to police and extensive security measures, including hidden panels, escape tunnels, and a sophisticated early-warning system for raids. The main floor offers standard vices—illegal alcohol, card games, roulette—while the exclusive upper level hosts private high-stakes games rumored to occasionally accept unusual wagers beyond money, including artifacts, properties, and services that club staff meticulously record in ledgers using a proprietary code. Membership requires sponsorship from existing patrons, with the enigmatic doorman Mr. Fleming possessing final approval authority based on criteria known only to himself and O'Bannion.

23. #23La Bella Lunaselective

    Keys: Bella Luna

    A front for the Clover Club, this upscale Italian restaurant in the Merchant District defies its surroundings with authentic Sicilian cuisine and an atmosphere of old-world elegance maintained by the Volpe family for three generations. The establishment serves as neutral territory for Arkham's various factions—university academics, business leaders, and organized crime figures alike dine at its white-clothed tables, adhering to an unspoken agreement that conflicts remain outside its etched-glass doors. While its official business hours end at 10 PM, select patrons know that knocking three times on the kitchen door after midnight grants access to an exclusive back room where Chef Giovanni serves traditional dishes not found on the regular menu, incorporating ingredients imported through channels that bypass normal customs inspection. The restaurant's wine cellar extends impossibly deep beneath the building, containing bottles dating back to the 1700s and a sealed door that staff are forbidden to approach, ostensibly protecting the family's most valuable vintages but generating whispers about the true contents of the Volpe family's oldest storage areas.

24. #24The Progress Clubselective

    Keys: Lamplighters, Progress Club

    The Progress Club is a secret society only in the sense that no one but members are allowed to attend the club, and in the sense that the members do not talk about what they do in their meetings. But everyone in town knows where they meet, everyone knows what they sponsor (with the charities they started and buildings they've paid to construct having their logo, in the form of an arrow pointing upward), and members are often very public about their membership (wearing an arrow pin on their lapel). The Progress club is a social club for the richest members of Arkham's rising "new-rich" Industrialist class; the wealth, progress-minded factory owners and venture capitalists that in many ways reflect the zeitgeist of the American facet of the Edwardian age. They're Arkham's answer to the Rotarians or the Lions' Club; a private society for the very wealthy and influential to get together, network, engage in charitable acts of philanthropy for the town's betterment and to improve their own public image while at the same time trying to control the local city politics.

    In Arkham, however, just about every public group has some kind of hidden occult underside; in the case of the Progress Club, it is in reaction to the group run by the Industralists' political rivals, the "old families" of Arkham, who have been decidedly unwelcoming to these brash new-money types, and are whispered to be very much entrenched in weird occult practices (not least through their own secret society, the Lamplighters).

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