Page 30 - Hunter - The Vigil

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ter feuds have been known to occur as the goals and agendas network develops that has its own set of unwritten rules and
of the different groups intersect and sometimes clash. methods of operation. Eventually, this network grows until
Hunter compacts have the numbers, resources and knowl- it reaches a critical mass — perhaps it’s three or four cells,
edge base to operate on a much broader level than an indi- perhaps more — and someone steps up and begins to formally
vidual cell. Individual chapters or teams work in accordance organize things. Even then, some compacts prefer to operate
with the compact’s overall goals, and sometimes are given spe- as a loose fraternity, while others are strictly regulated and
cific tasks to perform that support the group’s broader agenda. have clear chains of command.

A cell might be tasked with gathering weapons, equipment Before long, each compact develops its own modus operandi
or other resources, or establishing safehouses for use by other with regard to the Vigil. Some focus their efforts on a specifi c
members of the compact, or it might be called in to help out form of supernatural threat, such as sorcerers or vampires. Other
a cell in a nearby town that’s found itself in over its head. groups capitalize on the skills and perspectives of their members
Many of these compacts are very secretive about their opera- to specialize in particular aspects of the Vigil: some are pure in-
tions and their goals, for reasons of security, but such measures formation-gatherers, such as Null Mysteriis, while others special-
leave them open to accusations of hidden agendas and abuses ize in tracking werewolves or dealing with ghosts.
of power. In some cases, these suspicions are justifi ed. Ultimately, every hunter compact develops its own ideol-
The lifespan of a hunter compact can be quite long, depend- ogy with respect to monsters and the Vigil itself. Sometimes,
ing on the quality of the group’s leadership and its core resources. as in the case of the Ashwood Abbey, an ideology drives
The Ashwood Abbey, with its well-heeled membership, claims the growth of the organization, rather than the other way
to have been in operation since 1850, while the Union, with around. This ideology ultimately affects how the group se-
its broad base and volunteer leadership, has gone through many lects new members and interacts with other hunter compacts
different iterations since the early 20 century. When a compact they encounter. It also forms the basis for the organization’s
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fails, it is usually the result of a schism within the ranks, inter- long-term agenda, which may or may not be shared with the
vention by law enforcement or, worst of all, from infi ltration by group’s rank and fi le.
monsters. The Union itself suffered this fate in the mid-1990s, A typical hunter compact might number between 50 and
when monsters or their agents managed to access the organiza- 200 members overall, though there are rarely more than 20
tion’s Usenet forums and used them to hunt down and kill many or 30 members (anywhere from four to six cells) in any given
of the group’s members. When a compact splinters or is too deci- city. Some compacts have strict limits to their membership,
mated to survive, its remaining cells sometimes seek to join with determined by arcane formulae or other esoterica. Others,
other groups in their area or try to rebuild upon the foundations like the Union, fluctuate in size from month to month as new

of what went before. In rare cases, the survivors go their separate chapters are added and others break apart.
ways, perhaps scarred by the betrayal of their former comrades.
Such a case happened in the late 1990s to a small compact in Strengths and Weaknesses
Philadelphia known as the Order of the Broken Bell. Though The main strengths of a hunter compact lie in its num-
the group enjoyed some initial successes, its founder, a former bers and the resources it can bring to bear against a supernatu-

steelworker named Caleb Malone, apparently suffered a mental ral threat. Most compacts are able to provide financial and
breakdown after the destruction of a powerful nest of vampires material assistance to a cell, especially if it is performing work
in the city. In the course of a single night, he hunted down and for the compact itself. A cell can also count on the support

murdered more than half of the organization’s members before of other members of the group if they find themselves in need
he was shot and killed by city police. The surviving members of backup. Compacts can provide medical assistance at times;

scattered in the days that followed, amid accusations that Ma- they may have members who are doctors, or have a financial
lone and his cell were communicating secretly with another arrangement with doctors who are willing to treat injuries
group of vampires. Though some of the compact’s cells are still with no questions asked. If a cell needs to lie low in order to
active in Philadelphia, none of them has attempted to resurrect avoid the authorities, it can take refuge with other members

the brotherhood. Rumors persist that members of the organiza- in another city, or even flee to another country. This kind of
tion had sold out to a powerful vampire, and suspicion still runs support often means the difference between life and death for
deep among those that remain. hunter cells all across the globe.
Hunter compacts also provide something arguably more
Forming a Compact important than money, guns and warm bodies: a store of
Most hunter compacts are born of sheer, bloody-minded knowledge gained from arduous research and hard-fought
pragmatism: multiple cells, working together and pooling confrontations with supernatural foes. Some of this informa-
their resources stand a better chance of survival than a bunch tion may be erroneous, based on faulty observations or misap-
of isolated cells. As cells become aware of one another, they prehensions, but these “occult databases” are works in prog-

build informal ties together, even if it’s just sitting down for a ress, constantly added to and refined by the members of the
drink every so often to compare notes and offer ideas on how group. Groups like the Union and the underground broad-
to deal with a particular threat. Over time, bonds of trust form casters of Network Zero make their databases freely available
and the cells begin to work together against the monsters in over the Internet, while groups such as Null Mysteriis hoard
their city. As more cells are brought into the fold, a crude their knowledge jealously.

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