Innsmouth is an eldritch town full of monstrous dark secrets and a fictional location found in the mythos of Lovecraft and those who followed in his footsteps. This "town" is known to be extremely hostile towards outsiders and has an unpleasant sensation of being corrupted - with the smell of rotting fish often lingering in the air.
The citizens of Innsmouth (also called "Innsmouthians") are often exceptionally ugly and have connections with the Order of Dagon, a dangerous cult devoted to a minor Great Old One and a prominent Deep One: some of the citizens of Innsmouth are also in the process of becoming Deep Ones themselves in what is known as the "Innsmouth Taint".
Appearance[]
| “ | It was a town of wide extent and dense construction, yet one with a portentous dearth of visible life. From the tangle of chimney-pots scarcely a wisp of smoke came, and the three tall steeples loomed stark and unpainted against the seaward horizon. One of them was crumbling down at the top, and in that and another there were only black gaping holes where clock-dials should have been. The vast huddle of sagging gambrel roofs and peaked gables conveyed with offensive clearness the idea of wormy decay, and as we approached along the now descending road I could see that many roofs had wholly caved in. There were some large square Georgian houses, too, with hipped roofs, cupolas, and railed "widow's walks". These were mostly well back from the water, and one or two seemed to be in moderately sound condition.... The decay was worst close to the waterfront, though in its very midst I could spy the white belfry of a fairly well-preserved brick structure which looked like a small factory. The harbour, long clogged with sand, was enclosed by an ancient stone breakwater.... Here and there the ruins of wharves jutted out from the shore to end in indeterminate rottenness, those farthest south seeming the most decayed. And far out to sea, despite a high tide, I glimpsed a long, black line scarcely rising above the water yet carrying a suggestion of odd latent malignancy. This, I knew, must be Devil Reef. | „ |
| ~ The Protagonist's opinion about the town of Innsmouth in The Shadow Over Innsmouth. |
The town of Innsmouth is described as being in a horrendous state of decay, with many of the buildings rotting, and on the point of collapse.
History[]
Innsmouth was founded in 1643, when Massachusetts was still a British colony. It was notable for shipbuilding and maritime trade up until the early nineteenth century, when the trade that sustained the town began to wane. By 1828, the only fleet still running in Innsmouth belonged to Obed Marsh.
In 1840, Marsh founded the Esoteric Order of Dagon in Innsmouth. He had made a bargain with the Deep Ones, who had lived in the nearby underwater city of Y'ha-nthlei beneath Devil's Reef for millennia. In exchange for fish and gold, Marsh promised the Deep Ones human sacrifices and breeding partners. The town enjoyed a large bounty of fish until 1845, when Marsh and his followers were arrested. Angered by the loss of their sacrifices, the Deep Ones attacked Innsmouth and massacred more than half of its residents. The survivors were forced to join the Esoteric Order of Dagon and uphold Marsh's bargain, securing the Deep Ones' rule over the town. The massacre was passed off to the outside world as a plague.
The Deep Ones ruled Innsmouth uncontested for the next eighty years. In 1927, the federal government realized what was happening in Innsmouth and raided the town under the guise of a Prohibition raid. Most of its population was imprisoned, and Devil's Reef was torpedoed by a Navy submarine. After the raid, Innsmouth was destroyed by the government forces, who claimed the entire town was a front for bootlegging. However, Y'ha-nthlei survived the raid, and the Deep Ones continued to live off the Massachusetts coast.
Residents[]
After the 1846 massacre, there were about 300-400 people living in Innsmouth, many of whom were Deep One hybrids. A number of Polish and Portuguese migrants tried moving into the area before being "scattered in a peculiarly drastic fashion".
- Marsh Family: The most powerful of The town's 4 wealthy "gently bred" families who run its one remaining factory.
- Obed Marsh (died in 1878) - Patriarch of the family and founder of the Esoteric Order of Dagon.
- Onesiphorus Marsh: Relative of the Marsh family and Barnabas' father.
- Barnabas Marsh - Head of the family gold business by 1927.
- Robert Olmstead: the great-great-grandson of Obed Marsh and a Deep One.
- Waite Family: One of The town's 4 wealthy "gently bred" families and the former owners of the fulling mill that became the Marsh gold refinery.
- Asenath Waite (born in 1905): Native resident of Innsmouth and child of both Ephraim Waite and an unnamed mother who "always went veiled".
- Luelly Waite: One of the young men taken to Devil Reef before 1846.
- Gilman Family: One of The town's 4 wealthy "gently bred" families. They lost the brig Elizy and the Ranger during the War of 1812.
- Hiram Gilman: One of the young men taken to Devil Reef before 1846.
- Eliot Family: One of The town's 4 wealthy "gently bred" families.
- Matt Eliot: Obed Marsh's First mate who, as a Mason himself, opposed the sale of the Innsmouth Lodge to the Esoteric Order of Dagon. He was likely kidnapped and murdered by the order.
- Zadok Allen: At the age of 96, Zadok was one of the only people in town who had managed to survive in Innsmouth without being converted. Though he was usually disregarded as a deranged drunkard, he was likely murdered by the Order after speaking to Robert Olmstead.
- Joe Sargent: The local bus driver.
- Nick Pierce, Adoniram Saouthwick and Henry Garrison: Several young men of the town taken to Devil Reef before 1846.
- Esdras Martin: Operator of the barquentine Malay Pride which sailed to the Pacific as late as 1828.
- The Congregational parson: A clergyman who was driven out of town during the Esoteric Order of Dagon's rise to power.
- The Methodist reverend: A clergyman who quit during the Order of Dagon's rise to power.
- Resolved Babcock: The former Baptist parson who disappeared after the Esoteric Order of Dagon's takeover.
Locations[]
As it fell into disrepair under the control of the Deep Ones, by 1927, the town lacked a public library or a chamber of commerce. Many of the street signs had also been removed, making navigation difficult for outsiders. In general, the South is less populous, but the north is more dangerous much as possible the following list runs from West to East.
- Broad, Washington, Lafayette, and Adams: The western streets of grand houses belonging to the town's elite.
- Federal Street: The central thoroughfare of the town.
- New Church Green: Local church building.
- Hall of the Esoteric Order of Dagon: A former Masonic hall sold to the Esoteric Order of Dagon by the Cavalry Commandery.
- Town Square: The open public space within the town of Innsmouth.
- Gilman House: The town's 4+ story hotel, topped with cupolas and covered in peeling yellow paint.
- First National: The local chain grocery store.
- A dozen other shops including a "dismal" restaurant, a drug store, and wholesale fish-dealer’s office.
- Marsh Refining Company: The office of the local Marsh Refining Company.
- Marsh Refinery: A large building with a white belfry on the northern bank of the river across from the town square.
- Main Street: One of the roads that bridges the the dangerous seaward slums and home to the 3 abandoned Georgian churches. Though some people still lived here in 1927 most houses had been boarded up.
- Fish Street: Another deserted street with well maintained brick and stone warehouses, cut in half by its ruined bridge over the Manuxet.
- Water Street: Similar to Fish street but broken up by the remains of wharves, it's bridge though tottering is still usable.
- The Harbour: A sand-clogged dock behind an ancient stone breakwater once covered by a lighthouse.