The Backwaters and Crack Den are an urban role-play community and experience in the virtual world of Second Life. Founded over a decade ago, the virtual urban sprawl and artisan community is known for its in-depth creative writing, character development, and story-making.
Backstory
Deep within the Louisiana bayous, far from the urban pulse of cities like Hathian, lies the elusive town of Laveau. Shrouded in whispers and legends, its origins are as muddled as the murky waters that envelop it. Time and again, hurricanes have tried to wipe Laveau off the map, but like a stubborn specter, its dark legacy refuses to fade.
Laveau’s grandeur has been battered by the ravages of nature, leaving behind majestic structures that now stand as decaying testaments to a bygone era. But it’s in this very desolation that the town has morphed into a haven for vice and villainy. The facade of law and order is maintained by the sheriff’s department, but this is no regular law enforcement. Their badges might gleam, but their souls are tarnished. Controlled by the domineering Silent Serpents cartel, these sheriffs act as the iron fist, ensuring Laveau’s secrets stay buried and its lucrative operations go unhindered.
The Silent Serpents cartel operates ruthlessly in the shadows of southern cities and towns. They establish networks of informants and enforcers, luring vulnerable individuals with promises of power and wealth. These pawns help the cartel with the trafficking of kidnapped victims and drugs, targeting unsuspecting young men and women from the local university and other nearby cities.
The kidnapped are plunged into the sinister underworld of Laveau, where they are forced to work in the seediest establishments. Drugs are used as part of their conditioning, ensuring their compliance and dependence. Laveau has also become a distribution hub for illegal substances, catering to the vices of its depraved residents and visitors.
The crown jewel in this kingdom of corruption is the Lady Luck, a casino housed within the grandeur of a docked steamboat. Here, the high and mighty of Laveau drown in games of chance, narcotics, and decadence. And for those seeking warmth in the cold embrace of Laveau, the red light district provides solace, away from the scrutinizing gaze of a town that long ago traded its conscience for coin.
Yet, not all of Laveau’s stories are of man-made misdeeds. The bayou itself is alive with tales. Time-old legends of voodoo and magic resonate in the very air. The Disciples, led by the enigmatic Papa Samedi, dance at the edge of these tales. These followers, with a twisted sense of faith, appease the loa – the voodoo spirits – with malevolent rituals and offerings. In return, they believe the loa grants them dark powers, giving them free rein over the town’s psyche.
Despite the Silent Serpents’ stronghold, the sheriffs always have their hands full. While they serve the cartel’s interests first and foremost, they also keep a vigilant eye on the smaller factions and operations, ensuring no one oversteps their boundaries or threatens the Serpents’ supremacy. Any “crimes” or activities that jeopardize the cartel or draw undue attention to Laveau are swiftly and ruthlessly addressed.
Laveau exists as a town consumed by darkness and decay, its once proud history lost in the mists of time. The spirits of the bayou whisper their secrets to those who listen, the echoes of the past hauntingly reminding them of what Laveau once was and what it has become. With the lines between life and death easily blurred, it is only a matter of time before the shadows reclaim what is rightfully theirs.
Your Story
Will your story begin with character being taken, turning a blind eye, or one that is even more insidious? What secrets is your character hiding? This lawless, remote town is ripe with stories that no one dare retells. Create a new character or extend the one you already have created with the Crack Den Story HUD.
