Beneath 00: The City Beneath the City

08 Jan, 2026

Tone & Themes

Conspiracy, detective, investigation.
Solve mysteries - smaller mysteries that build towards a grander thing.
Supernatural mystery - not always having monsters trying to kill you. Buffy but more horror - Horror? Noir? Delta Green.

What level of violence are you comfortable with?

Okay with blood and gore.
Only implied sexual violence in the background, or as a plot element to resolve (e.g., a victim might ask the PCs for help).

Implied discussions - e.g., you date an NPC and discuss the relationship openly, but all intimate moments are "fade to black."

This is based on the process outlined in a Spark in Fate Core.

"We can always afford ramen and cheap whiskey."
"An area not having weird stuff, but a lot of the areas around it have weird stuff."
"The city is quite old and has grown up over time. Lots of old buildings. The further out you go, the older the building gets. Concentric circles."
"The city has many old noble families who claim descent from kings of old."
"Recent attempts to dig out a new train line have uncovered something mysterious."
"The city is proud of its older heritage and is technically behind the times."
"The city is on a bay that gives it volatile weather from hour to hour."
"There is a wonder from the days of old in the city, which is a huge crystal statue called The Titan."

There is an old city beneath the city which is mysterious and intruding on the main city.
There is a necropolis that has been disturbed recently.
Reports of strange visions in the city have been on the rise, of strange places or locations. From tabloids or the internet.
A socialite daughter of one of the noble families has gone missing recently.
The rumours about the instability of the old families in town and the locations may or may not be true.

Legacy: A black market of ancient bodies and artefacts has sprung up
Current: A serial killer is murdering people and leaving strange designs on their body.
Impending: A pirate radio station knows more than it should and is being hunted by the authorities.

Legacy: Cymbaline Huevre is a shadowy noble secretly holding "Necroscope" parties and funding the black market.
Legacy: A dean of archaeology at the university is involved in the black market finds.
Current: A crack detective is investigating the case. Dwarrow, the detective. Had a serial killer in their family. Known, but not trusted. But good at their job.
Current: 'The Scribe' is the serial killer's nickname.
Impending: Mysterious DJ of the pirate radio station. Otis, sounds like a laid-back, very personable everyday person that talks about weird stuff. Everyman persona. Tonal mismatch. [Inspired by Old Gods of Appalachia]
Impending: An agent of the communications bureau is trying to track down the signals, but they keep going to landmarks and old clock towers.

At Eastgate Station, a subway is being built. The bottom collapsed into a cavern that has not yet been found.
Necropolis - Embalmer's workshop.
Strange visions have appeared —> Port District.
Socialite Daughter - Her fans have set up a vigil outside her house - she was a charity influencer, like Paris Hilton.
Instability —> A really posh, wooded green area where the older families have their seats of power. Vertical with old bridges, like Edinburgh. Hills that have bridges? The old part is in the concentric rings. Bridges are thick enough to have secret tunnels between them.

The city was perhaps a tomb city during the age of magic; perhaps the circles keep something in check.
The statue walked out of the ocean and is the guardian of the city.

What sort of agency/business do the PCs have?

A mysterious agency that solves problems? Government funded. Shoestring budget. X-Files.
With an ordinary person who gets drawn into it by accident?
Size: Small.
Power: Limited.
Support Staff: Tiny. Office lady is like an eldritch horror who knows everything.
Past Cases:
- Secured the weather balloon that crashed somewhere on Bananaloaf Mountain. Nothing strange about it at all.
- Stopping weird occult graffiti on monuments. Definitely not weird.
- Weird stuff and clean it up.

An ordinary woman, a computer programmer, who is drawn into the supernatural world after she leaves her apartment to visit a light show.
An undead revenant, a former priestess of the old city.
A soldier who can turn into a were-wolverine.