Athens, Texas: A Situation for Modern Horror Games

 Athens, Texas

Or Fool's Gold 

     There is a real town called Athens, in East Texas. This situation takes place somewhere that is like that place, but is very much not that place. It was originally presented as taking place in late 2025, but would be suitable for any modern time period with some adjustments.  

  

Abandoned Farm in the Dustbowl, Coldwater District, near Dalhart, Texas, June, Gelatin Silver Print, Dorothy Lange (1938) 

Content Warnings

Animal Sacrifice, Body Horror, Cruelty to Animals, Diseases (Communicable), Human Sacrifice, Pus, Religious Abuse, Religious Corruption, Structural Racism  

A History of Athens and of Harmony

 500 BCE to 400 CE, Approximately: Native American tribes throughout North and Central America unearth strange objects of a golden colored metal inscribed with geometric symbols in neat rows. Some of these are translated and are used by fringe groups in ritual magic. These "tablets" are then largely destroyed, buried, and expunged from cultural histories due to recognition of the negative effects of the language on the groups who used them. Some number of these tablets were survived and have been rediscovered in small numbers throughout history. By the 20th century fringe scholars make reference to the language from the tablets as "North American Penthic Ritual Script" and fragments of translation can be found in odd corners of old libraries and conspiracy websites.

75 years ago: A group of wildcat oilmen discover a collection of gold-colored objects covered in strange script. Their leader, a devout but heretical Christian named Fredrick Laurence, translates them and uses them to contact "Jesus-In-Harmony". The objects, termed the "Articles of Harmony" are scattered throughout the United States. Their influence remains in those places, invariably resulting in small towns named Harmony and an influence of heretical cults to "The Harmony Entity"

55 years ago: The Harmony Fellowship Church is founded in Athens, Texas by Jebediah Begg. He leads, a secret congregation within the church devoted to "Jesus-In-Harmony", who they also refer to as "The Undivided Host". By means of Penthic Ritual Script they produce gold from within the bodies of living people, mostly poor black men and women they kidnap from the edge of town. Five years after the Church is founded they complete construction on a large wooden church with a gilded cross covered in geometric decorations that hide prayers to their god in the Penthic Ritual Script.

 30 years ago:  A group of three agents of a shadowy government group arrive. Edgar, Edmund and Elizabeth work with a local named Andrew P. Mantle (aka Andy and later Earl) to expunge the cult, burning down the Harmony Fellowship Church and killing or capturing the majority of the congregation. Some, including Lucian Timothy, Diane Timothy, and young Jack Begg (son of pastor Jebediah Begg) are missed or passed over in the purge. 

20 years ago: A second, modern church is built, once more called the Harmony Fellowship Church. Government oversight indicates they are not engaged in the rites of the First Harmony Fellowship Church but ongoing wiretaps are maintained on the communications of the church itself, it's pastor Jack Begg, and the secretary Mary Hoyle.

17 years ago: The remaining investments of the old generation of Athenians begins to sour and dry up. An economic downturn begins in town, supported by meager tourism and the large ranch run by the Timothy family, which is also beginning to fail. The few locals who remember the workings of the First Harmony Fellowship Church begin to consider returning to those practices, but are by this time aware of the governmental oversight and therefore act with substantial caution.

10 years ago: Diane Timothy is convinced by Jack Begg and other members of the community to perform a fragmentary ritual to the Harmony Entity. This goes wrong, resulting in her death but does once more attract the Entities attention, and causes a proliferation of prize-winning cattle among Lucian Timothy's herd, securing his wealth for several years. He is unaware that this has happened, and believes his wife has passed away due to a rapid and aggressive form of stomach cancer as diagnosed by local Dr. Michael Semp, a congregant of the New Harmony Fellowship Church. No autopsy is performed.

 5 years ago: The remaining harmonists are gun-shy about performing another ritual. Still grieving his wife and seeing his community struggling, Lucian Timothy holds the first "Cookout", wherein he distributes huge portions of his rent to local business and families. This funds renovations of Dr. Semp's clinic, Jack Begg's church, and Sydney Richardson's Jewel Hotel. Virtually every congregant of the New Harmony Fellowship Church receives between fifty and five hundred thousand dollars, with millions being handed over the the Church itself. That money does not last.

A year ago: Having funded many of the people of the town for four years Lucian Timothy begins selling off parts of his ranch to continue to give money to his friends in the community. Their resentment for him grows with each such gift.

A month ago: Agent Edgar returns to town with thirty years worth of agency files on the Harmony Entity. He delivers them to Lucian Timothy and revealsthe resentment the town holds for him. Mr. Timothy holds a second Cookout, implying he intends to give away several million dollars. He confides in Sydney Richardson that he has no money to give. Nonetheless the majority of the town attends and receives no money, instead subject to withering insults and cruel taunts by the now impoverished Lucian Timothy. They beat him, only forestalled by the intercession of Vicente Ventura, an employee of Lucian Timothy. Agent Edgar has already left, after a brief conversation with Andy Mantle.

Three weeks ago: Lucian Timothy uses Edgar's notes to curse the town for their greed, calling the judgement of "Jesus-In-Harmony" upon them. This causes the beginning of the "Athenian Contagion", which is discussed later. He withdraws into his empty house, joined only by Vicente Ventura, who is soon rapidly effected by the effects of the Contagion.

Two weeks ago: The first person to display symptoms of the Contagion arrives at Dr. Semp's clinic, displaying signs of Hemochromatosis. Over the following week it progresses to the point where cubic iron growths begin to appear within boils and lesions on the sufferers skin. He performs debridements and bloodlettings before reporting what he has found in a call to the pastor. This alerts the agency to the situation.

Yesterday: Lucy Pike is hospitalized and a coma is induced. The CDC takes notice of The Contagion and dispatches a team to investigate. The agency attaches itself to this investigation by way of their network of informants throughout the United States Federal Government.

Today: The player characters arrive.

The Athenian Contagion

Cursed for their greed, the inhabitants of Athens Texas begin to develop growth's of iron pyrite, commonly known fool's gold. This afflicts humans, dog, cows, deer and goats. Those five were the "participants" and or sacrifices in Lucian Timothy's ritual.  The disease is communicated exclusively by contact with physical currency in humans or contact with infected animals. One might theorize that the Harmony Entity remembers a time when some of those animals were key parts of monetary exchange. 

The Contagion Proceeds in the Following Stages:

Exposure: On contact with an infected dog, cow, deer, goat or with any money within the bounds of Athens, Texas. Roll as appropriate to your system or flip a coin. 

Progression: Roll or flip a coin each day to see if the disease has progressed. At the discretion of the referee debridement or bloodletting may or may not provide reduced chances of the disease progressing.

Stage One, formation of initial lesions: Sores open on the skin particularly on the hands, neck and chest. These are no bigger than silver dollars and produce a thin pus containing small gritty bits. 

Stage Two, dietary compulsions: The afflicted crave red meat and iron. This often results in sucking on small pieces of hardware or eating the iron-rich red clay of the local landscape. This might cause nausea or damage (physical, mental or spiritual as appropriate to your system).

Stage Three, skin discoloration: As with normal Hemochromatosis the sufferer's skin takes on a coppery or bronze coloration and their eyes show signs of jaundice around the edges. Tanning oil, copious makeup and sunglasses might help hide these symptoms.

Stage Four, pyrite lesions: Geometric growths of gold-colored iron pyrite protrude from lesions. This is highly painful and may cause maluses to appropriate rolls. However it also acts as a form of armor for the afflicted. 

Stage Five, violent urges: Accelerating feelings of hate for all greedy and envious people. Susceptible to bursts of temper and violence. 

Stage Six, organ failure: Death soon follows as the liver and kidneys begin to shut down.

Key People and Relationships in Athens Texas

Al C. Bladen: Dallas based real estate developer. Interested in turning Lucian Timothy's ranch into a tourist attraction. Unaware of the history of Athens or the contagion (at first). Prefers check and money order to cash.

Andy P. Mantle: Black, unhoused man. Recently arrested for spray-painting "Harmony is a lie told to dogs" on the exterior of a local branch of a national bank. His father was kidnapped by the First Harmony Fellowship Church. He worked with Agent Edgar in the original case and was an agency asset for a decade after. Refuses to touch guns, money or any religious objects. As friendly and open as the referee wants. 

Annie-Lee Pike: Children's minister at the Harmony fellowship church. Unaware of the occult history of the organization. Always carries a few dollars to pay the ice cream truck when it passes.

Dr. Michael Semp: Head of the local clinic, where he looks down on his largely female staff, including recently hired Dr. Lilly Daniels. A harmonist of the old school. A life-long bachelor and gambling addict, he is active in a half-dozen poker nights and floating craps games. Travels to Dallas for larger events. 

Hank Cullen: Security at the Harmony Fellowship Church. Unaware of its occult practices. An ex-veteran (dishonorable discharge) who is always open carrying. Racist, but trying to unlearn it thanks to his new relationship with Annie-Lee Pike. Brother with Helen Roy Cullen. Pays exclusively with his phone.

Helen Roy Cullen: Local realtor. Lucian Timothy bought several buildings from her at an inflated price and sold them at a lose. Married to Sydney Richardson's husband, Danny. Congregant at the Harmony Fellowship Church, unaware of the history. Drops rent money off at the bank every Friday.

Jack Begg: Pastor at the Harmony Fellowship Church. Son of the old pastor. Didn't really believe in the Harmony Entity until a week ago. Working with Marcos Lopez to piece together old ritual chants to ask for the healing of the community. Often away at religious conventions, where he is in touch with other harmonists around the country. Tithes are accepted by card, cashapp, venmo, paypal and zelle but cash is preferred. 

Lucian Timothy: Rancher, now destitute. Lives in the census designated Harmony, Texas. Performed a ritual to punish the town that killed his wife and impoverished him. Feels only a little guilty about spending several decades harvesting black people's bodies for precious metals. Living in his basement obsessively reading Agent Edgar's notes, the bible, and a dog eared copy of Butcher's Crossing by John Williams

Lucy Pike: Local wedding planner. Recently planned a wedding for Vicente Ventura and his wife Isabel. Provided a discount in the hops Lucian would pay her on the back end. He did so, paying her in several thousand dollars of cash and one of the silver dollars in Vicente Ventura's money pit.

Marcos Lopez: Music director of the Harmony Fellowship Church the last ten years. Proud American Citizen. Has been hearing songs in a language he doesn't recognize for the last month. Feverishly working with the church band to write versions of those songs and perform them with the entire congregation. Brain tumor. Thinks the government tracks his credit card transactions and prefers cash.

Mary Hoyle: Church secretary. Almost always present at the Harmony Fellowship church. Kind, gentle, honest. Truly wants the best for everyone. Counts the donations at the end of every service. Has started filling cans in the church foodbank with rich red clay and isn't sure why exactly. 

Phillip "Fig" Flavin: Local farmer and lover of Sydney Richardson. Former friend of Lucian's. Old school Harmonist, with a collection of perverse religious icons he has attempted to use to attract the Harmony Entity's blessing. So far a failure in that effort. Visits a prostitute in a motel outside town once a week. Pays in cash. Good tipper.

Sydney Richardson: Owner of the Jewel Hotel, downtown, now shut down and decaying. Old school Harmonist. Fig Flavin's lover. Determined to fix things herself with a half remembered harmonist ritual that is almost certainly doomed to fail and turn her body into a living tar seep in the basement beneath the hotel. Keeps two sets of books.

Vicente Ventura: A good man in a bad spot. Accidentally cursed by his friend to a tormented existence. Has spent the last month vomiting up silver coins into a pit in the basement beneath Lucian Timothy's house. Lives in the pit. Limbs and jaws distended and eyes a sickly yellow leaking pus. 

Zero Wye: Local biker and bookie. White. Entirely ignorant of the occult nature of the situation in town. Sells cocain, weed, opiods and meth when the gambling isn't enough. Knows that black folks used to disappear here. Keeps an eye on his bikers to make sure it doesn't happen to him. Cash only business, you understand. 

Useful Locations

The Christian Charity Clinic: Not a charity organization. A for profit clinic run by Dr. Michael Semp. Hired Dr. Lilly Daniels straight out of med school a year ago. Concealing the existence of the Contagion as long as possible. Corkboard with local fliers, including one for the first cookout. Received 50,000 dollars from Lucian Timothy five years ago for repairs. 

The Harmony Fellowship Church: Glossy megachurch. Southern baptist-ish. Baptismal font in the building. New carpet and roof. New soundsystem. Food kitchen. Closed circuit TVs. All made possible by a two million dollar donation from Lucian Timothy.

The Jewel Hotel: Downtown, at the junction of Poet and Painter street. Owned by Sydney Richardson. Closed. Decaying. Tunnel in the basement into the raw clay. Five foot tall sloping down to a hollow chamber in the clay, being prepared by Fig Flavin and Sydney Richardson for an ill-considered ritual.

The Timothy Ranch: In unicorporated Harmony Texas. House emptied of any possible value. Small basement. Lucian Timothy living in a tiny room on a cot. A hole broken into the foundation and dug into the clay below, filled with defaced silver dollars. The nest of the creature that used to be Vicente Ventura. In the barn the strung up corpses of a dog, cow, deer and goat. Strangely preserved. Ritual Penthic Script drawn into the dry claw below, beseeching "The Watcher Beyond" to "set right the hearts and bodies of the wicked". 

The Nature of the Harmony Entity

It does not hate humanity as a whole. To it they are like the characters on a television show. It understands symbolism, relationships, musical harmony, rhyme and repetition very well. It likes these things. It dislikes when its gifts are spurned or its little neat patterns are broken. Petty and stupid outside of these areas. It's perception warps things, but unless it is invoked by method of Penthic Ritual Script, it cannot act in an area. Unfortunately several dozen places in North America have been privy to repeat invocations and in those places it can inflict it's particular direction.  

Sometimes served by "angels". Animate lines of life capable of severing one thing from another while leaving them unharmed.