A Murder of Harpies

In Dark Metropolis, we are planning on adopting the Murder of Harpies concept first released in Invite Only. Instead of the traditional two Harpies (Prince and Priscus Harpies), we’re going to have five. The more astute amongst you might have noticed that this neatly gives us one Harpy per clan and covenant (and one per ST).

The Murder is a group of Kindred thrown together into an uneasy working relationship, each raised to the position of Harpy for a different reason and each pushing a different agenda through their influence. The Harpy is about more than gossip, each member of the Murder will say. It’s about information, says one: the Harpies keep the Kindred of both Upper and Lower Courts up to date. It’s about status, says another: the Harpies’ words make or break reputations, and how else can you tell who to throw your influence behind? It’s about raising the average, says a third: if you don’t have commentary on what’s hot and not, then people will get lazy when they should be striving to be noticed. It’s about the public face: controlling the media controls the population. It’s about the truth: the Harpies are the only ones who can tell it as it is. The Harpies all have their own ideas of why they exist, and that sometimes brings them into unlikely alliances or, more often, wars over column inches.

A Harpy is one of the main Court positions likely to have regular interaction with the Low Court Kindred (and therefore the PCs), even if that is simply noting the rises and falls of the fortunes of the lowly as well as the great. They are all weaving their social webs, each trying to uncover exclusives the others won’t get. After all, if you’re the Harpy the Court is listening to, you can tell them anything you like. They employ assistants and informants to be their eyes and ears in the Courts and on the streets, and an enterprising Kindred can find a speedy way of making friends by working for a Harpy. And probably just as many enemies…

The Harpies’ stock in trade is information, for all that they claim a higher purpose, and they pay well for it, though it's more likely to be a future positive mention in their columns or a good word in the right ear than anything so crass as money. And of course, smart Kindred only tell the Harpies what they want to see published, whether it benefits them or their allies or damages someone else’s reputation. Many a Kindred has come a cropper when they decided to tell a Harpy false tales – the Harpies didn’t get to their current positions by being gullible.

Development Notes:

We liked the idea of the Murder of Harpies, especially as it means each Harpy has an ST to write for them. We wanted to give the feel of a lively group of NPCs with their own writing styles, agendas and political positions so that PCs could get involved with their machinations and effect subtle changes on status and reputation. The Harpies provide a semi-anonymous way of broadcasting gossip (though obviously there are still ways of finding out who was behind a particularly slanderous piece of information) and, we hope, give another social dimension to the game.

In Shades of Norwich, the Kindred Rumour Mill (the general one and the clan and covenant ones) met with great success as it gave players another way to affect the setting and have their social efforts rewarded, but it was a faceless groupthink rather than individual communications. It reflected significant player actions, but it was difficult to turn it to player advantage directly. The five Harpies give faces to the rumours and more effectual player influence over the way information is broadcast in the setting.

It is our intention that becoming an assistant to one of the Harpies should be a reasonable PC goal, though the timescale for it will depend on many factors. However, any PC can potentially interact with a Harpy’s assistant and make a profit (in whatever form that may take) as long as they have information to offer, which gives every single person in the Court a potential way of getting something they want, and a motivation to keep their ears open.

Introducing the Murder:

Samuel Asinelli – Nosferatu Invictus
Of course someone as important as Samuel is a member of the Murder: he makes or breaks the reputations of Kindred both low and high with but a stroke of his pen after all. He worked hard to secure his position at the top of his tower and you can be damn sure he’s going to do everything he can to stay there. If that means shading reports to support the status quo, so be it. His reports are often rambling, punctuated with flurries of excitement and excess punctuation when he finds something that really excites him and his muse. As such he makes a point of having his assistants keep an eye on the Low Court in case the ‘next big thing’ emerges so he can be the first to discover it.

Likes Reporting on:
Fashions and trends; the movers and shakers in Kindred society; what’s hot and what’s decidedly not; the politics of the city.

Avro Clark - Mekhet Lancea et Sanctum
A deeply faithful Kindred who insists that Truth is God and God Truth, sometimes to the point of causing unease among his own covenant. His commitment to telling the truths he perceives can cause ripples that the Sanctified would rather avoid. His Harpy reports are conspiracy-theory-filled rants about anything and everything, but they contain moments of utter clarity within them, which can be a compelling combination for his readers, and his obsession with puzzles appeals to many Kindred of the Court. Dismissed by some as a tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist, he nevertheless has a knack for breaking stories others can't, and he has a reputation for telling it as it is.

Likes reporting on:
Conspiracy theories; occult mysteries; religious events and miracles (regardless of denomination); political corruption.

Rosa Flores – Gangrel Carthian
Brought up from the Low Court as a surprisingly appealing and easy to get along with Carthian. Seen as somewhat of an appeasement to the Carthians, but she defends herself fiercely - she’s too Gangrel to want to be seen as a chosen for anything but her own merit. She truly believes in the work of the Harpies - voices of the people in a system that tries to drown out all but the most powerful. For all her ideology of representing the people, if someone threatens her status she crushes them immediately. After all, she’s worked hard to get where she is today.

Likes reporting on:
High drama; crimes and punishments; the gory stuff; territory fights and disputes; grisly Kine issues that may affect Kindred interests.

Freddie Hallam – Daeva Ordo Dracul
Affected and louche, Freddie fancies himself a worldly commentator on the shallowness of Kindred politics. He shows off by throwing in references to art, but he just can’t resist a good scandal. He is a pragmatic Daeva, one of the few members of the clan who plays along with the system, but he has a sneaking admiration for those who are a bit more chaotic. His political career is one of carefully walking a tightrope between keeping his position and shocking more conservative Kindred with his opinions.

Likes reporting on:
Interpersonal scandal, especially of the kind that shows Kindred aren't as removed from their Beasts as they'd like to think; reasons why people have been given positions or changes in status; anything that could cause ripples in people's relationships; Kindred interference in Kine matters.

Aurelia Tarrant - Ventrue Circle of the Crone
Aurelia is a magpie for strange phenomena, whether scientific, natural or magical (she would say it’s not for ordinary Kindred to interpret which is which). Embraced by a High Court Ventrue of good family, she is extremely well-educated, and in her news reports she demonstrates that she knows more than you do. Her reports are impeccably, and very densely, written. They must be combed through to extract that tidbit of gossip about just where that shadowy creature was seen on the street or beside which constellation the light in the sky was seen. If she were questioned, she would claim that she is making sure that the most worthy Kindred come into contact with these phenomena. While some scoff at her ivory-tower pose, intellectuals enjoy her mind-games and recognise that she is the first port of call for occult gossip.

Likes reporting on:
Phenomena and anomalies; changes in kine behaviour; intellectual rivalries; new discoveries; anything that presents the Circle in a positive light.