New Versailles

Lafourche Parish was founded as one of the original nineteen parishes created from the Territory of Orleans on March 31, 1807. Rochet was settled in 1827 by the wealthy Alexandre Pembrey, a male witch whose family hailed from Lyon, France and several other founding families of supernaturals. They’d left France to escape persecution, finding refuge in the Louisiana Territory. Rather than invade lands rightfully owned by local native tribes, Pembrey, his coven, and other settlers sought to cooperate and share the space. A mutual desire for protection from the more aggressive colonizers had the residents of the Rochet settlement and neighboring tribal lands working in concert to establish the town as a safe space. Powerful magicks were cast, cloaking the region in a veil that largely hides it from the rest of the world. Non-resident human visitors who aren’t of magical origins will find themselves forgetting any supernatural experiences when they leave. Visiting the town feels like a faint dream that you can’t quite recall the details of after you wake. For this reason, the town doesn’t see much tourism or visits from folks in the city without an express invitation. The greater Rochet region included Bayou Jimson and what would be called Pembrey Woods (as well as Lake Auberon, which is located in the woods). As part of Alexandre’s practice of witchcraft, the stone circle was built deep in the woods. In 1854, the Catholic Church purchased a plot of land from Alexandre and established Our Lady of the Lake Monastery, though it was eventually closed and abandoned due to lack of funds in the 1920s. It is colloquially called the Pembrey Monastery and has been absolutely vandalized and reclaimed by nature over time. The property also houses the abandoned Whisperwood Cemetery. With a growing need for healthcare in the greater New Versailles region in the wake of the tuberculosis crisis, Saint-Pierre Pembrey, a descendant of Alexandre Pembrey, opened up a hospital halfway between Rochet and the larger city. In 1932, the Pembrey Sanatorium opened along the Bayou Jimson for the treatment of tuberculosis. By the 1940s, tuberculosis became a treatable illness, and the patient population declined until the 1950s, when the property was sold to the state of Louisiana and became the Pembrey State Hospital. It continued to operate as a ward for those suffering from developmental disorders and mental illness until the 1980s, when allegations of abuse surfaced and the hospital was summarily closed and abandoned. It’s haunted as hell and slowly sinking into the swamp. In the modern era, because the Lazarus Division is a government agency wholly aware of the supernatural, Rochet is on their radar. Due to the fact that the town self-policed and has magic that protects against mass hysteria, they are largely left to their own devices.

Write a nice big intro to all the locations and refinements and reputation of Rochet here.

An agrarian community, Rochet boasts a few cattle farms, a dairy farm, and fields of soybeans, corn, wheat, and cotton. The highway in from New Versailles is lined with agricultural homesteads. With a population of less than 10,000 people, it’s a quintessential small town.

A supernatural geared salon that rarely services the mundane population. On the outside it appears to be quite run down, but inside the building it’s decorated in lovely earth tones. The salon menu includes such niche services as horn filing & repair, fang repair, claw clipping, burr removal, etc. If you’re a creature in need of a cosmetic service, you can bet that Carol has you covered!

Throughout the bayou are handmade docks where more reclusive citizens moor their homes on the river. The quality of craftsmanship varies from boat to boat, but it is evident that some of them have been there for a long, long time.

A trailer park on the Southwest side of Rochet. It has been there since the 1950s and hasn't changed too much. A sickly, dated neon sign greets visitors from beyond the overgrowth that shrouds it. Huntsman's Rest is full of middle to low tier trailer homes of many different eras, and is host to a few generational families. The homes and property are taken care of by the park managers, and while they don't do the best job they do their best at it. Most residents take pride in their meager homes and do their best to make the best of them. Huntsman's Rest has a prior reputation for housing a meth lab or two and a baker’s dozen drug addicts. A once favored spot for the Sheriff’s office when training newbies, the police love to give residents a difficult time. Somehow in the last few years, Huntsman’s Rest's changed for the better and now is largely clean of drug activity. Despite the efforts to better it, a reputation isn't always so easily erased.

Kathy’s is a family-run restaurant located in the rural area of Rochet. A boxcar diner, there’s barely room for the booths crammed into the tiny space. The restaurant sports standard diner fare of burgers and blue plate specials, as well as a host of pies and cakes baked right on the premises.

Main hall for town meetings and any performances that happen in the area. Has a small stage and auditorium space, as well as a few offices for town clerks etc.

Bottom of the barrel strip joint and dive bar, one of the main congregating spots for those of age. Dated 80’s decor isn’t enough to keep people away, Peachez boasts beautiful dancers and cold beer on hot summer nights. A nice place for locals to make a dollar or two from their peers, fraternities, and long haul drivers who might be passing through. Somehow, Peachez is thriving with business. Catered toward a rowdier crowd, the security (and some of the dancers) are no stranger to throwing trouble makers out. Public elementary and high schools - Pretty self explanatory, don’t expect much from schools with books that stopped being relevant after the fall of the Soviet Union.

R.L. Aubert Public Library - A brick building with ivy covering the northern side, filled to the brim with text and tomes. There is a secret section here, located behind a trick bookcase. Within it are all manner of books concerning the area’s magical nature and supernatural histories.

Rochet Baptist Church - Officially called “Rochet Hilltop Baptist Church of the Free”, it’s more easily just referred to by locals as “church”. This is a small church house with no air conditioning and a healthy amount of parishioners. In the spring, the church hosts easter egg hunts and in the winter, food & toy drives.

Shady Oaks - A retirement, rest, and rehabilitation home specifically for the supernatural who are not immune to the process of aging. This facility is better able to handle the complex needs of an aging supernatural population by employing experienced carers. The staff here is very proud of their work and from what we hear, it’s a great place to retire.

Sheriff's Office - In comparison to other offices, this is a smaller location which could be considered a ‘Satellite Office’. They may not have a K9 unit but they have two single cells that get a healthy share of frequent flyers.

The Catalina Motel - Hospitality at its finest, the Catalina features mid-century decor and color televisions in every room! The motel is the land time forgot, and it remains a crumbling relic of a bygone age when the area saw a tourism boom. It houses some permanent residents, but otherwise the occupants are rather transient. Rooms can also be rented by the hour.

The Depot - One of the oldest buildings in Rochet proper has seen many different faces. While this originally was a trading post, these days it is a bar paying homage to its roots by keeping the original name. The Depot is a hopping location favored by locals from all walks of life and age demographics. Among its merits are line dancing, a mechanical bull, cool drinks and altoids cans which are most definitely 'not ashtrays'. At the back of the main area is a stage which sometimes hosts live music, or callers for line dancing occasionally but stopped hosting open mics quite some time ago. On nights when the stage is bare, a fantastic sound system is linked to the touch tunes jukebox. There is no air conditioning in this bar, but many ceiling fans hang from the rafters pushing cigarette smoke and cowboy cologne around. The environment here is fun, hospitable and electric. Plenty of friends to be made among it's patrons both old and new.

The Patrice Clinic - The most modern building in town, the clinic sits on Main Street, sticking out like a sore thumb with its sleek architecture. Despite being an eyesore, though, it’s the only medical facility operating out of the town. Run by Dr. Lia Patrice, the clinic operates largely pro bono to permanent residents. Labor costs are offset by blood drives for both human and supernatural citizens. Those without insurance must pay out of pocket for medications, though often at a subsidized price provided by the good doctor. While not accessible through 911, the clinic takes emergency calls, being staffed 24/7. It is one of the only medical facilities in the greater NV region that is equipped to treat supernatural patients.

Willow Ridge Campground - Willow Ridge has lots of amenities and low priced single and bunkhouse style cabins. Campsites with Picnic Tables and Fire Rings, outdoor grills, a man made lake for fishing and swimming which has ropes capable of swinging on, along with two docks. Other perks include a race track, a makeshift baseball diamond and a beautiful playground. The grounds are patrolled constantly, mostly because the werewolf couple who owns it have a house on the grounds & plenty of volunteer help. The wooded areas at Willow Ridge are a favored area for local packs to run in, and these woods are credited as one of the last places that Texas Red Wolves were seen in the Louisiana wilderness.
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