Page 308 - Hunter - The Vigil

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KIRKESTEDE’S LENSES|FALLEN HUNTERS|SERENA THE SIREN
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will to brush away any concerns or contradictions that might home with the kids while she set up her private practice. Ev-
pop up in his mind about her. He goes about his work for the erything was going great until the day Billy showed up on her
Aegis Kai Doru, and in his spare time, helps her with “home- appointment list.
work” projects (he assumed she was a college student looking Billy’s family had been horrifically slaughtered by an

for tutoring when they first met, and she has fostered that unknown assailant who, miraculously, left the seven-year-

misconception since). Although he is, in his heart, entirely old unharmed. As Serena questioned the child, he became
loyal to the organization and his cell, he is acting as an un- irritated and began answering her in a voice that was much
witting mole for Lisebethe, providing whatever information older than his own. Deep scratch marks appeared on his skin
she desires about his activities. Lisebethe has allowed him to without any tangible cause, and when Serena called for as-
retain the Relic glasses, knowing that in his hands they are a sistance, the boy leapt at her, sinking nails and teeth into her
more useful tool than if she reclaimed them. shoulder before falling to the ground, unconscious. Shaken,
she remanded the boy back into child protective services cus-
Relic: Kirkestede’s Lenses (•) tody, and recommended that he be committed to a mental
Looking more like a pair of monocles attached together facility for observation.
with a hinge that bridges the nose, Kirkestede’s Lenses is an That night, as Serena watched the video tapes of the coun-
example of the integration of early technology in eyewear with seling session in her home offi ce, something attacked her from
supernatural enhancement. Credited to Henry of Kirkestede, behind, knocking her unconscious. She awoke to the sounds of
th
a 14 -century English librarian, the bronze and quartz glasses arcane chanting and furniture being overturned. As she crawled
do nothing to aid the wearer’s ocular ability (in fact, they ob- from her office to the sounds of the fight, a hunter cell was trap-

scure it slightly beyond reading distance). They do, however, ping the evil entity that had possessed Billy into a glowing orb.
aid dramatically in a researcher’s duties. Unfortunately for Serena, the Loyalists of Thule squad arrived
Benefi t: Anyone donning the glasses and spending a too late. The creature had killed her entire family — her hus-
point of Willpower in concentration gains +2 on all research band, two children, even the family pets — in their sleep.
related rolls for that scene. Likewise, their reading (and com- Serena was brought to the Loyalist facilities, where she was
prehension) speed is doubled for the scene, effectively halv- indoctrinated into the organization and given the opportunity
ing the time period required for any extended research action. to protect others from fates such as the one that had befallen
(See “Research,” pp. 55–56 of the World of Darkness Rule- her (and Billy’s) family. Any cell Serena joined, however, seemed
book). And fi nally, any challenges to memorize material read cursed with bad luck, losing twice as many members as the aver-
during a scene where the glasses are worn and activated are age cell. She grew to believe that she had been tainted by the
made at a +2 bonus. (See “Memorizing and Remembering,” creature possessing Billy’s bite, and that she drew bad fortune to
pp. 44–45 of the World of Darkness Rulebook.) the group. Each loss bore heavier on her psyche until the day
Unfortunately for aspiring scholars, using the Lenses has when the entire rest of her cell was killed on a mission that Ser-
drawbacks as well. A character wearing the glasses, whether ena herself escaped without a scratch. The death of her cellmates
activated or not, is at a -2 penalty for all actions requiring broke the last threads of sanity Serena possessed, and she lost all
sight at anything other than close reading distance. As well, grasp of reality. She has turned from hunter to monster, believing
he is at a -4 penalty to refl exive rolls against being surprised. herself to be a living omen of doom. She haunts the dark alleys
and dangerous places of the city, doling out death as she sees fi t,
Fallen Hunters often with no discernible rhyme or reason to outsiders.
Appearance: Serena is lithe and slim to the point of
The Vigil often calls hunters to jobs no human was meant
gauntness. Always athletic, after her family’s death she began
to do. Mentally, emotionally, physically and morally, the du-
exercising constantly as a means of dealing with the guilt of
ties of a hunt take a heavy toll on every hunter. Some weather
being a survivor. She has honed her body to an incredible
it better than others. One of the benefits of belonging to a

degree, and this, coupled with her absolute lack of a sense of
cell is having others who understand the downward spiral and
self-preservation, makes her a formidable foe in hand-to-hand
can help buoy a hunter before he slips entirely beneath the
confl icts.
suffocating surface of moral degeneration. Unfortunately, not
Serena dresses all in black, wearing her hair cropped short
every hunter has the camaraderie of her cell when the fateful
and no makeup. She chooses utilitarian clothing designed not
moment arrives, and the line between hunter and monster is
to interfere with her self-perceived duties.
crossed without the benefit of her fellow hunters to urge her

Storytelling Hints: Serena is quite mad. She no longer
back from the darkness.
thinks of herself as a person, but rather a walking embodi-
Serena, the Siren ment of fate, as undeniable as death itself. She goes about her
Quote: “Hush, now…Don’t worry, this won’t hurt.” work with a sense of pride and duty, taking pleasure in making
Background: Serena’s first 30 years were right out of a the end as swift and merciful as possible for her victims. The

storybook. She married her high school sweetheart and stud- method she uses for choosing them, however, is a mystery that
ied to become a child psychologist. After graduation, they she alone knows the answer to.
purchased a house in the suburbs, bought a dog and had a During her time in the Loyalists, she learned a variety of
couple of beautiful children. Her husband even retired to stay martial skills, but she also makes strong use of her psychologi-
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