Page 145 - Hunter - The Vigil

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C C CHAPTER THREE: HUNTER ORGA N I Z A T I O N S
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U UT MERCY.
this restriction relaxed as monks became rarer. Now they even On the other hand, while they know a vampire’s blood
accept lay members, and have high-ranking contacts within can be addictive and that to drink from a vampire’s blood
many world governments and police forces, meaning that makes the drinker in danger of losing her will to the vampire,
even though they don’t technically have any jurisdiction, of- they don’t know that under certain circumstances, a human

ten police officers and medical professionals find themselves who drinks from a vampire’s blood can become immortal.

seconded to groups of Malleus Malefi carum witch-hunters. Baudolino knew that all too well, which is why he kept
Even so, the methods haven’t changed much. The Mal- the fact from his followers and excised it from the records. His
leus’ witch-hunters live hard, ascetic lifestyles and devote secret was — is — this: he’s still around. Growing old, Padre
themselves to prayer and meditation. There really isn’t any- Ambrogio began to use his witch-hunters to procure vampire
thing else in their lives apart from the hunt, although they blood for himself.
make a point of supplementing their ranks with other hunters And so he remained alive, and is still alive today, not

from other organizations, particularly if these companions are looking one day over 60. Officially, Padre Ambrogio isn’t in
Catholics. charge of the Malleus Malefi carum: he died back in 1601, ac-
Grim-faced, they set themselves against the horrors of cording to the records. Unofficially, Ambrogio Baudolino still

the world, and use the most vicious methods they know of controls the witch-hunters, and tries to maintain a drink of
to defeat them. If, now and then, an innocent suffers or dies vampire blood every few days, each time from a different vam-
while a witch-hunter is about his business, it’s regrettable, but pire, shortly before it dies. A handful of members of the Shad-
the greater good must be served. ow Congregation know of the existence of Baudolino; even
fewer know about the Lucifuge. The handful who know about
The Enemy both try not to talk about the meetings this ancient man and
This conspiracy’s knowledge of the living dead is deep equally ancient woman have in Milan, once a decade.

and wide, but has some significant omissions. While the Mal- After the vampires, the next nearest thing to a preoc-
leus Maleficarum understands that vampires have a society cupation is the question of Satanic magic: the Malleus Ma-

of sorts, its details are of no importance to the organization, leficarum has a large, detailed and occasionally even accurate

since it doesn’t really help in destroying them, except in the bestiary of demons and devils. Warlocks earn some of the Mal-
most general terms. It’s useful to know that one faction is pa- leus Maleficarum’s attention. The witch-hunters don’t strictly

ternalistic and traditionalist, another is radical, a third has look for other monsters, but that doesn’t mean they don’t find

adopted some kind of heretical Christianity and a fourth wor- them and try to destroy them when they do fi nd them.
ships Belial, but that’s as far as it goes. They know that crosses Certainly, the miraculous powers that the witch-hunters
and holy water don’t usually work, and they know vampires exhibit work against anyone they see fi t to point them against.
fear sunlight and fi re.
STEREOTYPES
The Long Night:
The Long Night: It’s lamentable that so many who should be in the bosom of
Mother Church have fallen into such grievous heresy. They don’t trust us,
but sometimes, the enemy of our enemy is the best ally we can have.
The Union:
The Union: We’re well aware of groups of perfectly ordinary people who
band together for mutual defense. Some of them are good Catholics, who
willingly help us if called upon, and even bring their friends. They’re
foot soldiers for the Lord. Sometimes, they’re the best resource we have.
The Lucifuge:
The Lucifuge: Documents describe a fi gure called the Lucifuge being
active over the course of centuries. It’s a hereditary title, evidently.
She named herself after a Duke of Hell. But what puzzles me is why her
agents should be so effi cient at rooting out and destroying the very
demons they should be worshiping. I am really rather curious. Problem is,
the Cardinal has forbidden further investigation. It’s most vexing.
Task Force: VALKYRIE:
Task Force: VALKYRIE: They don’t think we know about them. But as long
as some of them keep coming to confession, we’ll know everything they do.
Of course, violating the sanctity of the confessional is not something
we do lightly. I hate doing it. Hate it. But...God demands it.
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