InsaneJournal

You think you know London, its streets and alleys like the creases of your palm. You don't know all its secrets. In its depths are places to buy amulets and tarot readings, a talisman that permits the wearer to manipulate luck hangs alongside bottles of herbs and demon's blood. Books so ancient the pages are tissue-thin jostle against postcards of buses and telephone boxes. There are bars where the clientele don't just find the dim light flattering, but downright necessary, and the smell of brimstone lingers in the nostrils. There are corners and recesses where magic isn't trickery or sleight of hand, but blood and bone and flesh and you might -- you might -- catch sight of feathers pure as snow and light, if you know where to go. If you know how to see. There's a pitched battle being fought for this other London and your London besides -- one in which every human in existence is being counted in a gamble for souls, Heaven and Hell trying to tip the scales and grave-faced Librarians holding them steady. And all the time, people go about their lives with a little pinch of something extra in a London you'll never see.

At The Gates is an original character, noir, preternatural world RPG; with elements of Hellblazer, Sandman, and Lucifer, amongst other pop-culture elements. It focuses on the magic-users that inhabit a shadowy other-London, and the ongoing chess-match for humanity's souls between Heaven and Hell along with the mundanes who are aware of the potential fall-out. This is a place where love is rarely requited, where the twisted side of humanity runs rampant. Magic is harsh, horror is common, character realism is encouraged.

Angie: I'm into [magic] meself. I can probably help you.
John: Okay. So who are the big players locally? If I want my wife's toy boy to start shitting razorblades, who do I go to?
Angie: Oh, for fuck's sake!
John: What about zombies? Say I want to shag one, or rent a few to work someone over. Or I'm desperate to score a pint or so of baby blood. Where's the best place to buy?
Angie: Is that the lot, or is there more after the adverts?
John: I'm just making a point, love. Magic's a nasty game. Go and play with your dad's chainsaw instead.

- Hellblazer #175