Walking The Twilight Path

The Twilight has always existed.

The year is 2023. For most people, the Earth seems to be as we had always known her. The go about their day thinking nothing of the vast trove of legends, superstitions, and rumors that fill their ears. They remain willfully ignorant of the warlocks, monsters, and gods lurking on the edge of the collective consciousness, always a possibility but never more. Even as humanity has filled its pockets with technology equipped to capture and transmit, there has never been enough evidence to prove the truth through the constant bombardment of chaff and haze created by the skeptics.

A High School senior mauled to death by his girlfriend after she is cursed to be a werewolf, his mangled corpse written off as an attack by a rabid dog and her execution by Hunters a grief-stricken suicide. A Brazilian widow documented a series of conversations with the misty figure of her late husband, discredited as special effects. A Chinese fishing boat catching a mermaid in a net and radioing the harbor, only to be lost at sea before they can return with their evidence.

Each week brings new signs that we were not alone, and new excuses to explain why we are. Superstition is common, and folk-wisdom is listened to by the wise. Impromptu witch trials are a regular occurrence throughout the more rural parts of the world. Suspects are forcibly subjected to bizarre tests of their humanity, and the results are often open to interpretation. A mob’s justice is swift.

Yet the paranormal is not merely relegated to a threat to be exterminated. Where some see monsters, some see sentience, and others see opportunity. If a vampire can sustain themselves on cloned blood and work the graveyard shift, why not legalize and tax? Politicians, Corporations, and Aristocrats employ odd-looking individuals as "advisors" or "protection." Entertainment media runs rampant with every form of mythology, and tabloids are... much the same, honestly, but taken just that little bit more seriously. Charlatans of all stripes, from palmistry mediums to televangelists, have flourished thanks to legitimate talents bolstering the their numbers.

Long have cabals, cults, and secret societies thrived in the shadows. Their roots run deeply through humanity’s oldest systems of power. Machinations are constantly challenged, and sleeping dangers are always stirring. The world is always changing, forcing long-dormant powers into action as others return to their rest. And it is for this cauldron of conspiracies that The Powers That Be have once again turned their attention to the blue marble. For the first time in centuries, Harbingers approach worthy individuals with an offer they won't refuse.

The Games have returned, and a new generation of Contractors are being forged.