Harmonia Tenebrae

A world where the strange and supernatural hides under a veil of normalcy.

Latest World Events

Sam Cassius made a Move (PascalsAngel GMed) 3 weeks ago. View Move

Missing and Dead

ABC7 News

"-of this year, 1,400 San Francisco residents are missing, 20,000 in California at large. Many of the case details are sealed to the public, and the odds are likely that most won't be found alive. Our local SFPD has a homicide clearance rate of more than 90%, well above the national average, but lags behind in almost all other departments, including missing persons cases. In 2021, agencies involved in public health, women and family services, law enforcement and legal services reported 165 cases of human trafficking. The numbers are down from the 673 cases reported in 2017, but COVID-19 created barriers to entry for many agencies seeking to uncover, limit, and prosecute cases. Our-"

A Contractor made a Move (JHoneyz GMed) 3 weeks ago. View Move

13 Shot Dead in Nemo's!

13 Shot Dead in Nemo's, Detroit!

News anchors sit in chairs as the camera pans them into view, "Breaking news! Thirteen people found dead in Nemo's bar in Detroit. Obtained recently by Jeremiah Vallucci right in the heart of Detroit, he and his family were shot in gang rivalry from what is to be assumed as a turf war. Speculations suggest that this was caused by a rival group against the 'Remnants of the Detroit Partnership', the Uptown Crew, a forthcoming gang. Further reports mention that people have been seen going in and out of the bar before the event, shown on camera here..." Pictures and recordings are shown on screen, with five people going in and out in about thirty minutes, and another man going in and out in three.

Latest Journals

5 days, 1 hour ago: Alan Samuel Cole wrote a Downtime Journal for Stairway to Nowhere

Paper

Paper dolls.  Shadow puppets. 

Why do I care?

I'm alone in a sea of chatbots.  Feels real but it's all a lie. Everyone I will meet here is just a drawing, a caricature of the person I should be meeting. 

And it's working its way into me. 

People are people. Everyone deserves to make it home.

But not everyone does. I know that better than most. Sometimes home isn't even a place to make it back to. Any port in a storm, till the storm's closing in, and the shadow men are all you've got. 

Why these people?  Why these jobs? is there some lesson to be learned here? Here in the ocean of false friends.  

I got so angry at Gideon when I thought he was throwing himself away. He mentioned another world. I need to know how he came here, and if he's just another shadow on the wall, cast by the fire I dare not turn my face to...

 

 

Stop being dramatic.

 

1 week, 5 days ago: Valentin Reznik wrote a Downtime Journal for It's Cleanup Day!

Who is this in the mirror?

The first Slasher’s blood felt like justice. The Contract’s payouts just feel like… numbers. Have I stopped caring? The Contract’s Harbingers upgraded me greatly since it began. My fists crack concrete. My skin stops bullets. But last night, I woke up and my teeth were bleeding black. Is this what she went through before she disappeared? Or is this unique to me? Maybe this is why she sought her grandfather's medical company and his aid? I found her old coat in a pawn shop. Left it there. She’d hate what I’ve become. Sure, it wasn't literally hers, somehow I could smell the difference, but it was the same style, same brand, even the same size. I know I'm nowhere near Darien Connecticut where she lives now, if she exists in this new world at all, but the resemblance was otherwise uncanny. That last Contract, it's left me wondering just who I've become, and how far it will go...

1 week, 5 days ago: Valentin Reznik wrote a Downtime Journal for Maikendo

I still can't beat that first challenge!

I've been playing that game again, it's easier with friends. Maybe I'll get another controller, invite someone to play with me, but who? What am I saying? If Laurence and Chrissy visit, Laurence would play all day! I should have them visit, or take the console and go visit them! I bet Kitt could beat the mouse's test in her sleep!

That damn rabbit is impossible, getting up that tree before it is Herculean in it's difficulty. I can dodge the eels and get the golden fish. I can defend the mouse until she beats the test on her own. But getting up that tree before the rabbit... it's so frustrating!

I dreamt about her again, this time was different though. Dreamt I was back in Maikendo. The NPCs begged me to stay. One had her voice. When I woke up, my console was on. Title screen said: ‘PLAYER 2 JOINING SOON.’

 

2 weeks ago: Sage wrote a Downtime Journal for It's Cleanup Day!

Parks and Rec

I've been learning so much, but I have no time. I thought I'd have some, but then I got terribly sick. That's taken care of now, but I still have no time. I can find time for a relaxing bath or a swim, but those aren't as relaxing as they used to be. Maybe I should try a hobby, when I find time.

 

Speaking of time, I need to call Alan more, staying alone like he does can't be good for his mental health. But, he knows about time. I mean, a lot about time. Sure, I know about some time things by now, but maybe he knows how I can find more time to just LIVE.

 

So, I went on a talk show recently. I know I use the name Sage for professional work and contracts, but I did this appearance under my real name to explain about the park and the recent death in the family. At least they let me hide my face "to keep my private life private."

 

People want to know when it's re-opening, and I want to re-open, but I don't think that will happen. If I'm going to use my skills outside of movies and television, maybe I need to open my own park. I did tell them that I'm considering a new park. I'd need investors I can trust, but still maintain the controlling share of things.

 

I have lawyers on that, they kinda came with the estate but I'm the one paying them now. I did ask them to look into Tabatha Van Sterling and Aiden Mercer, I just want a bit of what the public knows about them before I talk to either about this idea.

 

If it happens, Grayson gets a free lifetime pass. And maybe I can find time for myself too.

2 weeks ago: Sage wrote a Downtime Journal for The Hour is Close at Hand

Network

I guess I have to get used to allies needing healing, I met Chad again when he got hurt after we'd parted ways. I really didn't have time to find out what happened or chat, I need to call him some time so we can keep in touch. Anyhow, at least I'm properly starting to network. With Chad and Alan and hopefully more soon, we can trade notes and help each other out. I almost regret turning Mercer down for the cybernetics, but I really don't feel right having artificial material inside me. I need  to tell him so.

 

What does any of that have to do with anything? Well, the networking part. Having taken charge of the estate, there's a lot more than just moving things, redecorating, and meeting her staff. I need to network with people who can do the moving and redecorating, and her staff, but also with society at large. I can't hide from the press forever, they want to know more about our family. I don't know how much I can avoid telling them. Our wealth coming from Klondike gold is public record, but I've never heard anyone bring it up. Yet.

 

I really hate it, but I need to schedule some talk shows, go to some major parties, and make ties with the mundane world. I expect I'll take too much time planning it all out, like I do with everything.

2 weeks ago: Gideon Vipponah wrote a Downtime Journal for Stairway to Nowhere

I must defend myself better.

If I learned anything from this most recent Contract, it's that I need to be better able to defend myself. I am laughably vulnerable for such dangerous missions. 

That being said, the spirits saw fit to answer me by granting me a much tougher pelt in my animal forms, and the ability to continue speaking with and commanding the animals' spirits even when my physical form assumes their spiritual embodiments. Truly, these bounties will aid me greatly in the future, of that I am certain. However, to protect my human body, I have also seen fit to buy Kevlar armored clothing in the style of my normal hiking clothes. It's not much, but it is a good first step. That being said, I must soon take steps to take the best defense in these dangerous Contracts. I cannot continue to behave as a pacifist if I am going to survive, much less continue to score victories.

2 weeks, 6 days ago: Okiyama Oda wrote a Contract Journal for 'til Death Do Us...

Blue Cheese Sauce on my Fries??

One of the greatest things about cheese is that it goes really well with lots of different things. We’ll all have our own views on what the finest cheese-based culinary combos are – for me though, one of the greatest is that simple takeaway pleasure of cheesy Fries! It never fails to hit the spot…

Indeed, from my experience, the grated cheese scooped from a plastic container by the person serving you in the takeaway and dumped onto your freshly-fried tatos (lol) is usually the blandest of all the cheeses. Yes, mild Cheddar – the Coldplay of the cheese world… But are we about to see the boat pushed out a bit more in terms of which types of cheeses are paired with our chips? A brand new chips’n’cheese combination that’s now available that I really think could catch on:  namely, fries with blue cheese sauce!

Fountain Blue Restaurant's Truffle Fries Recipe | Recipes.net Oh yeah Baby!
Crispy fries, flaky salt, oregano, maybe some good, good chilli salts as well; that's gonna be so good when paired with a medium-rare steak with a bone marrow infused garlic butter- oh you know it's gonna be a grand ol' time.
"Oh My!" Steak Sauce
Where am I gonna get it, you ask? Oh well- you can get it in Ventura County's Ttilby's Steakhouse. Mm hmm HM! You eat al these good good meals with a tall glass of made in-house honey-lemon soda, you are never finding any restaurant nearby that would make you feel the very same love this place feels. The wait staff? Kind. The Prices? A little out there, but who cares about a little splurge.

 

3 weeks, 2 days ago: Aiden Mercer wrote a Downtime Journal for "Beautymark"

Addendum A: "Improved Neural Link"

I'm writing this one out I got more time.. Anyways I upgraded my designs of the Neural Link and have actually made it workable. I already installed it in my head and it seems to be working out, although it is rather prone to damage if hit.. which might be a problem. 

The design itself is rather simple having a 'port' of sorts to connect to computers and other electronics through cables. The important part is the stimulation of the brain which keeps adrenalin pumping for a short time which allows the body to move better.. don't know about the drawbacks yet needs more time to use it. 

Other than that this month has been quite wondering when that fish guy is going to show up.. I need to get him to pay for my water bill. This motherfucker is constantly using my water when he shows up.. this is becoming a problem.

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Harmonia Tenebrae is a twisted reflection of the modern world where the supernatural is hidden and explained away, even forgotten by the masses despite it being very real. Here, witch hunts do not happen. Billionaires and Senators employ capitalist greed to control society, and everyone knows. Charlatans might have real power, but no respect, and cults are reviled, not for the worship of eldritch horrors, but for the brainwashing of innocents and violent acts that do make the news. But the world is changing. The advent of the smartphone and its widespread use threatens "The Veil" daily, and the secret societies that pull humanity's strings scramble to keep control. At any moment it might come down, and then the world could be changed forever...

Now's a good time to move up.

House Rules

Contractors from Harmonia Tenebrae Are portable, and may play in Contracts in other Playgroups.
Harmonia Tenebrae grants 6 Experience points to GMs who achieve the Golden Ratio.
  • Citizenship: Active Players are expected to GM Contracts from time to time. If you have played as a Contractor in your most recent six Contracts, you are barred from playing in Harmonia Tenebrae again until you GM.
  • Supernatural Powers: All non-mastery, non-concealed Powers must be obviously supernatural when activated or grant a mutation that marks the wielder as supernatural or bizarre if discovered.
  • Dice Rolling: This playgroup will use a different method of dice rolling, more details on the Discord server.
  • Timekeeping: Time will align with real-world time for the most part, however, this will be playtested and may be changed. This is explained in more depth on the Discord server.

Full Setting Description

This is where the shadows grow long

Most people live their days completely ignorant of the true terrors lurking around them. Their experiences rarely draw back the veil of shadows and reveal the horror in their midst. These glimpses into the supernatural can cause them to retreat into comforting lies - 'There are no such things as monsters' - or stir their morbid curiosity. Only a few, however, can overcome their fear and dare to look deeper.

Abandon hope whoever enters here

What if monsters were real? Not as abominations lurking in the shadows… but cunning predators hiding in plain sight? Influencing every aspect of our world in ways we would never dare to imagine? What if you could contend with them? Or even become one of them?

In Harmonia Tenebrae, vampires, werewolves, and monsters of many different kinds are all living among us: an entire supernatural world hidden in plain sight. But the onset of camera phones and the internet threaten The Veil; the baroque web of secrets, ancient conspiracies, and modern upheaval used to conceal the truth few, like yourself, can or even dare to see.

You might be a monster, pretending to be human, fighting for survival and supremacy in a dark and mysterious world. Or you might be something else entirely... Called upon to fight back against the darkness that lies just beyond the Veil by supernatural, mythological, or even scientific means... or maybe some strange combination.

Change the world. You pick the hours.

Either way, you are summoned at the whims of mad gods with arcane agendas to do insane things that are both dangerous and lucrative. The Harbingers have tapped you and Imbued you with knowledge, gifts, and abilities beyond mortal ken, but they do so only in exchange for success. Payment on delivery. 

This is the supernatural gig economy...

 

World Events

Sam Cassius made a Move (PascalsAngel GMed) 3 weeks ago. View Move

Missing and Dead

ABC7 News

"-of this year, 1,400 San Francisco residents are missing, 20,000 in California at large. Many of the case details are sealed to the public, and the odds are likely that most won't be found alive. Our local SFPD has a homicide clearance rate of more than 90%, well above the national average, but lags behind in almost all other departments, including missing persons cases. In 2021, agencies involved in public health, women and family services, law enforcement and legal services reported 165 cases of human trafficking. The numbers are down from the 673 cases reported in 2017, but COVID-19 created barriers to entry for many agencies seeking to uncover, limit, and prosecute cases. Our-"

A Contractor made a Move (JHoneyz GMed) 3 weeks ago. View Move

13 Shot Dead in Nemo's!

13 Shot Dead in Nemo's, Detroit!

News anchors sit in chairs as the camera pans them into view, "Breaking news! Thirteen people found dead in Nemo's bar in Detroit. Obtained recently by Jeremiah Vallucci right in the heart of Detroit, he and his family were shot in gang rivalry from what is to be assumed as a turf war. Speculations suggest that this was caused by a rival group against the 'Remnants of the Detroit Partnership', the Uptown Crew, a forthcoming gang. Further reports mention that people have been seen going in and out of the bar before the event, shown on camera here..." Pictures and recordings are shown on screen, with five people going in and out in about thirty minutes, and another man going in and out in three.

A Contractor made a Move (JHoneyz GMed) 3 weeks ago. View Move

Adoption Jumps to 3.5 Years on the List!

Adoption Wait Jumps to 3.5 Years Until Processing!

A man walks into frame in a clean beige suit, sitting down with a stack of papers, rustling them in order before speaking, "Goooooooood morning World! Recent news has started spreading across the Middle East and Asia, primarily talking about adoption! Right in the heart of India, New Delhi shows statistics saying that across 4,500 adoptions, with the highest being 11 years, ELEVEN YEARS, most adoptive parents have said that it has been a challenge to get said child; claiming to take from two to three and a half years to have the adoption processed and approved. This should not be happening folks. While processing is important, there is no excuse for over a year, let alone three! And that's what I got on Asia for today! Now lets go look at South America..."

Allison Cooper made a Move (PascalsAngel GMed) 3 weeks, 1 day ago. View Move

Broadway Bees!

"The honey bees at the top of the tallest hotel in America, Courtyard and Residence Inn Central Park at 1717 Broadway in New York, were recently visited by the first graders of Neighborhood Charter School. They learned about local history and the bees, but also about declining bee populations around the world. Commercial beekeepers in the U.S. reported losses of up to 62% of their colonies heading into this year. Without bees, plants that only they can pollinate will die out, devastating habitats, animal food chains, and eventually causing the failures of our own food supply chains. Though the future of bees in America may look bleak-"

Chad Thunder made a Move (PascalsAngel GMed) 3 weeks, 4 days ago. View Move

Tragedy on the Coast

"Jeremy Henrickson, graduate of San Francisco State University, was been found at Ocean Beach earlier this Tuesday. He leaves behind a loving family, Martha and Callum Henrickson, and took the opportunity to address the depressed young adults of San Francisco. They'll be on at 8 to share their story and promote SFSP, San Francisco Suicide Prevention."

"Jeremy is remembered fondly by his coworkers at Titan Dynamics, who describe him as a fun loving spirit and joyful presence. Almost five thousand people died from drowning each year between 2020 and 2023, but a local security camera caught Jeremy walking into the ocean Monday evening. The footage is disturbing, but has already circulated in small online circles-"

Posted by Snow, 3 months, 1 week ago. Permalink

WOOOOW!

100th Game on a NEWBIE!!!!!

My first GM in the game.

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