Page 36 - Hunter - The Vigil

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other concerns, and some hunter groups are eager to take on set things straight. Unfortunately, once matters have been set
new recruits to replace those lost in the struggle. aright, these altruistic souls find themselves beholden to the

Of course, there lingers an obstacle to this: many of the compact that supported them, leading to conflicts of loyalty
hunter groups remain shrouded in mystery, existing in a big that can have tragic results. When found out, these “double

gray ocean of uncertainty. What they do goes beyond the law. agents” often find themselves frozen out by both groups and
It exists outside sane and rational experience. It does them left to fend for themselves.
little good to go advertising their actions and motives. Hunter In rare cases, a hunter cell will attempt to “freelance”
society, for all its supposed alliances, can also be alarmingly with a number of compacts or conspiracies in its area, per-
guarded, circling the wagons against one another as much as forming tasks in exchange for material support or information
against the monsters out there in the night. that will aid it in its own efforts. Typically, most compacts are
Still, as individual hunters aggregate into cells and, over unwilling to risk precious resources on a hunter cell to which
time, become aware of the larger hunter society in their area, they don’t enjoy any formal ties, but sometimes such “merce-
many seek the support of larger hunter compacts whose ide- nary” cells are useful for dangerous or risky operations that the
ology matches their own (or, at least, they hope that’s true). group doesn’t want traced back to it. Tragically, this typically
Given the constant dangers and the desperate nature of the involves the freelancers in operations against other hunter

Vigil, most groups are willing to add new members to their organizations, or used as stalking horses to flush out powerful
ranks, though many organizations subject new recruits to a and dangerous adversaries for the group’s member cells to deal
trial period to determine their suitability. Issues of trust re- with. Despite these risks, some hunter cells enjoy limited suc-
main a paramount factor: potential members could be under- cess with this approach, gaining friends and contacts within
cover cops or Federal agents, or even servants of a cunning multiple organizations that they can later use to benefit their

monster intending on subverting their compact from within. own pursuit of the Vigil.
They could even be from a rival group, hoping to plumb their
“new friends” for information. This attitude is especially prev- Downward Mobility
alent among larger hunter conspiracies; because of their size As easy as it is for hunters to “rise through the ranks”
and secret nature, they are particularly prone to infiltration by in hunter society, it is just as easy for individuals and cells

enemies and rival hunters. It’s not unknown for potential re- to fall from grace. Hunters who disagree with the leader-
cruits to operate for months with only minimal support before ship of an organization can quickly find themselves cast
they earn access to a conspiracy’s valuable resources. out if they threaten the group’s stability or show signs of
Even then, it’s not uncommon for a hunter cell to gain claiming the leadership for their own. Sometimes this leads
admission to a larger compact, only to part ways later when pre- to a schism within the group, as the cast-out members take
sented with a better offer. Conspiracies will ruthlessly recruit one or more cells with them, but in other cases, the af-
exceptional individuals or cells from smaller compacts, offer- fected hunters represent the lone voice of dissent, and are
ing money and stability (rarely making clear that the cost can thus easily pushed aside.
be an individual’s freedom of choice). In other cases, a hunter In other cases, a hunter cell might disagree so much with
cell might grow disillusioned with the practices of the group it its organization’s approach to the Vigil that it takes matters
belongs to, and will ally itself with another compact that bet- into its own hands, eliminating a monster that the group’s
ter reflects its ethics and beliefs. Some compacts take a philo- leadership refused to act against, for example, or spoiling a

sophical view when members choose to leave the fold; better much more violent plan that the organization was preparing
to part on good terms and remove a potential source of confl ict to set in motion. Few organizations are willing to ignore such
than to create discord among the ranks. Other groups take an insubordination, and if the rogue cell doesn’t quit the group
extremely dim view of members leaving the fold, particularly on its own volition, it is frequently blackballed by the organi-
esoteric compacts such as the Loyalists of Thule or the Malleus zation’s leadership.
Maleficarum. Operatives in the employ of Task Force: VALKY- Sometimes a hunter cell performs extreme or reckless

RIE are still members of the United States Government and actions that make it too much of a liability to its parent or-

face Federal charges if they “desert” their assigned post, and ganization. Cells that cause civilian deaths, traffic in illegal
agents of the Cheiron Group must sign punitive non-disclosure substances such as poison or explosives or otherwise threaten
and confl ict-of-interest agreements that make parting with the to expose the organization’s activities are cause for casting
conglomerate an extremely diffi cult process. these loose cannons out of the fold. Ironically, sometimes
Some ambitious or deeply conflicted individuals find these cells are quickly snapped up by other hunter groups who

themselves attempting to serve multiple masters, acting as a admire their resourcefulness and zeal, or want access to the
member of one hunter cell or compact while secretly working cell’s criminal contacts.

for another. Conspiracies will frequently attempt to recruit Most often, a hunter or a hunter cell can find itself iso-
disillusioned members of rival groups and keep them in place lated for the simplest of reasons: violating the trust placed in
for months or even years, using them as sources of informa- it by one or more organizations. Paranoia and secrecy are un-
tion on the group’s inner workings. Sometimes hunters will fortunate consequences of the Vigil, and betrayals of trust are
turn to other compacts for support if they disagree with the rarely, if ever, forgiven. The news of such a betrayal quickly
leadership of their current group and are looking for help to makes the rounds on Internet forums and by word of mouth,
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