Page 293 - Hunter - The Vigil

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C CHAPTER FIVE: STORYTELLING
Background: Daddy rejected her when her second boy- on rare delicacies such as Beluga caviar, Fugu, Pacha, Balut and
friend turned out to be a girlfriend. Cynthia never cared Sardinian Casu Narzu, washed down with Tieguanyin tea and a
whether her partner was male or female, as long as she got foreign imported wine containing pickled baby mouse fetuses.
what she wanted. Her lovers, however, could never satis- And then there is the liver pâté dish, the highlight of the

fy her for long. College was a string of failed relationships, whole evening. And all who sample it agree; the flavor of fat-
each leaving Cynthia hungry and depressed. It’s what put her tened liver, served on tiny crackers, is exquisite almost beyond
grades into a failing state. When on-again off-again Michael comparison. The price of this rare liver is unbelievably expen-
came and showed her the book and a way to pull herself out of sive, and neither the recipe nor specimens of the pâté can be
this academic nosedive, she took it. She didn’t know what it released to members. They are not allowed to take the pâté
would summon. But now she does, and she has found a lover home in their handbags, and in fact, members are frisked and
— the demon, Licentia — who never grows dull. searched before leaving the premises.
Appearance: Cynthia’s been ridden hard and put away
wet, as the saying goes. She was once pretty, that much is The Inner Circle
clear. Still is, in a way. But she’s fraying at the edges, her eyes
The Inner Circle knows why it must keep the recipe a se-
belying a harrowed, thousand-mile stare.
cret. All the prized pâté comes from a small home farm out of
Storytelling Hints: Cynthia plays things cool, but in-
town, where it is made. The Inner Circle is composed of half-a-
wardly her connection to the demon has cost her dearly; for
dozen chefs of impeccable pedigree. Two of these chefs are TV
all her radiant looks, Cynthia has internally aged years (hence
celebrities in their own right, with endorsements and their own
her lower Health score). Worse, she can feel little pains inside,
TV series.
little signs of internal breakdown…all of which she ignores.
Most investigations surrounding this inner circle of pow-
For now. Thing is, she’s growing more and more scared about
erful chefs (be they performed through interviews or by fol-
it. If ever it’s revealed that she’s not only falling apart but that
lowing paper trails) lead to a place called Briarwood Farm.
she’s now barren and incapable of ever having children, her
attitude about this whole deal might just change. Briarwood Farm

DJ Centi (Greater Demon) Briarwood Farm occupies much of the floor of the valley in
which it sits. It’s quiet and seemingly deserted most nights, except
Quote: Pretty little thing. Let me make you happy.
when the occasional deliveries of meat arrive, in unmarked black
Background: The succubus remembers a time when she was

trucks that offload their cargoes around the back.
not what she is now, a creature of lust and nightmare. She remem-
Hunters who follow the trucks will discover three rows of
bers a time in a garden where things were pure, where the waters
eight sheds around the back. Inside each shed are four rows
tasted sweet and shame was not yet an idea. But she only remem-
of four cages, large enough to house a human being sitting
bers these things when she sleeps, and waking returns her to this
down. These cages are filthy and each shed stinks of human

nightmare that she loves so dearly. This is a world she can milk of
refuse and sweat.
its power, a place where sin lies before her like the reins of a horse:
Several cages hold a single human child, naked, bound
she merely needs to grab them, tug tight and take a ride.

and sitting in filth, with a tube rammed down his or her
Appearance: She’s…too perfect? No lines in her face.
throat. Hoppers above regularly disgorge food into those hop-
Eyes too big, too bright. Lips so lush, they’re almost impos-
pers, while IVs drip appetite stimulants into them.
sible. It’s her demon side, of course. And it’s terribly captivat-
Herein lies the secret of the exquisite livers: they come
ing.
from human children, force fed to bulk up those livers like
Storytelling Hints: Licentia is smart. She’s funny. And
geese being prepared for pâté de foie gras. At the Storyteller’s
she’s pretty. Of course, it’s all too good to be true, and soon as
behest, if any characters have eaten this pâté in the past, they
she catches a whiff of threat from anybody, she’ll do anything
might suffer a temporary derangement as a result (Depression,
in her power to prevent anyone from damaging her hold on
Phobia, Suspicion and Avoidance are likely illnesses).
this club or these people. She knows that some of her cultists
are quite expendable, thank you, and she’ll callously throw The Cultists
them into harm’s way to protect herself. (The exception to
The cult itself comprises a large number of “foodies,”
that rule is, of course, Cynthia.)
all of whom are gluttonously devoted to the Epicurean Club
movement. They are rabid. They are hungry. Many are snobs,
Sample Cult: though more than a few are quite eager to bring others into
Pâté de Foie Gras their “world of taste,” too.
It’s important to know that only the inner circle of chefs
These “epicurean clubs” have been springing up all over
actually know what goes on at Briarwood Farm. Most of the
town. A restaurant has to pay through the nose to get one of
cult’s “ground troops” are just wealthy or supercilious indi-
those little Epicurean Club stickers in the window. Epicurean
viduals who think they’re dining on the best of the best; were
Club memberships are for the very elite.
they to discover what they were truly eating, most could not
Once a month, an Epicurean Club-licensed restaurant has
in good conscience continue (and many would go mad). A
a closed session for its exclusive membership only. Billed as “the
few, though, might only become more ardent…
rarest food under the sun,” members can expect to dine heartily
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