The city of Lost Angels

Sister Judith's Cathedral on Wilshire Boulevard

Every time I make a picture the critics' estimate of american public taste goes down ten percent.

~ Cecil B. DeMille

A Dark History of Lost Angels

• The city of Lost Angels was founded on Ghost Rock after the Great Quake that rocked California.
• Survivors of the shattered coastline rallied around a charismatic leader, Reverend Ezekiah Grimme. Grimme and his followers raised a great city that boomed in the ghost rock rush that followed.
• Food was scarce during this time and Grimme and his loyal followers resorted to cannibalism. He used his vile parody of a pious man and lured in refugees and harvest them for their meat.
• The unholy pilgrims soon reached a site selected by their leader and began building the center of their new church. Thus the City of Lost Angels was born, and Grimme's faithful slowly gained a herd of human cattle upon which to feast.
• Everywhere BUT the Holy City had food...the western lands were ravaged and remained barren. More and more refugees came to be slaughtered.
• Some old manuscripts say there was a plague surrounding the Holy City and it was Grimme's doing
• Grimme denounced the raging rail wars and forbade the rail barons passage across his lands, and the priceless harbor of Lost Angels. This was known as the Edict of '77. The city declared themselves independent of both North and South, and the Commonwealth of California was born.
• Shan Fan to the North of LA is also independent of the North and South
• 1880, however, the rail barons finally made it to LA despite Grimme's attempts to stop them. Dr. Darius Hellstromme unleashed his secret weapons, consuming the city and its surroundings in flame as he dropped a series of ghost firebombs.
• The scientific power from Hellstromme ended the Great Rail Wars and Grimme started to lose control of the city.
• Grimme hatched a series of events for one last-ditch effort to get back control of the city. He was going to have his followers and most powerful disciple put together a nefarious feast. But, unknown to this day, was a group of heroes thwarted his plans and flooded the whole city and killed the followers and Grimme.

From the Depths of Despair

• A young lady by the name of Sister Judith Prosperi was a follower of Grimme but had not known his foul nature until later. Legend has it she wept when the great city was destroyed by the flood and her tears split the ground open and a salt river spang forth. Clearly, Judith had been touched by the hand of the Almighty!
• She was dubbed the Angel of Mercy, she gathered the other disciples and helped as many as they could. Many trials and tribulations came across her and her followers but they weathered the storm.
• The agnostics settled on a promontory overlooking the ruins called "Perdition". Sister Judith concentrated on permanent structures that would withstand the next disaster. Where Perdition remained more transient, figuring they'd just have to rebuild everything after the next disaster anyway.
• As time went on more and more people migrated to Lost Angels. very few wanted the diligent, reserved life of the flock so Perdition swelled in months, spilled off the high ground and surrounded the city proper in just a few years.
• Most of the transients were less law-abiding, many were thieves or fortune hunters to get rich quick.
• Judith, felt threatened so she and her followers built a 40' obsidian wall around the cathedral and the wards radiating out from it. 

Council of Elders

• Secular forces grew jealous of Sister Judith flock's control and wealth of the city. Sister Judith negotiated and with some skullduggery, she gave the non-believers official representation
• The Council of Elders was formed:
• Patriarch(Judith), four bishops, four deacons, and the secular mayor of Lost Angels who speaks for the Town Council.
• The  Town Council, in turn, represents the rest of the city-state with Councilmen elected from Oldtown, Midtown, Mazedge, Movie Town, and Eastside.
• Four bishops responsible for the 4 wards in the Holy City
• Four deacons manage Ecclesiastical, Judicial, Pastoral, and Financial Departments
• Some say the secular voice is greatly outvoted and they don't feel they have much of a say in the matter of great importance.
• 1890 CSA and USA officially partitioned California and recognize Lost Angels' independence once again.