Page 100 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

A STRIvING OF MISSIvES

complishes its mission and is safely entombed unharmed, the Mummies do not understand, or at least remember, their
likelier it’ll be calm and self-possessed when it rises again. This true agenda dictated to them by masters they barely recall.
is one of the reasons why a mummy goes to great lengths to Hunters may guess otherwise, but the undying’s agenda is not
protect itself; it’s not just this cycle they’re concerned about, a plan or a set of objectives; it’s a force that burns at the core of
it’s the next, too. their being, driving them forwards, forcing them to act. Mum-
Mummies can return to life one of three ways. mies are the embodiment of intent.
Broadly speaking, a mummy’s mission can be grouped into
Cyclical Return these categories:

The undying come back to life. That’s the definition of a Acquisition of objects of power. When it comes to
mummy. At certain points throughout history, for reasons even artifacts and other mystical objects, mummies are
they’re not aware of, mummies arise from their tomb with a ruthless magpies. They’ll collect every relic they can.
mission that vibrates through the core of their being. They do When mummies learn of the existence of an object, they
so naturally, on their own, without any outside interference or will stop at nothing to acquire it, and will use whatever
assistance from others. resources they have at their disposal.
Mummies don’t always have a conscious understanding of
what that agenda is; just that their actions are defined by it. Molding cities. In the World of Darkness, hunters
They do, however, have a strong internal sense of whether or know the arrangement of buildings and cities can have
not they’re acting in the best interests of their goal. a profound influence on the environment around
everyday mortals. They are aware that other creatures
Summoning lurk in dark alleyways or find havens in spooky city parks.
The mummies know this to be true as well. Detailed
An ancient ritual may be performed to reawaken the mum- management of humankind’s cityscapes is often on their
my for a single purpose. The undying’s cultists — who know the agenda. Mummies desire to create urban environments
required ritual — can summon a mummy back from the dead to that match their ideas of what a city should be.
serve a specific purpose. Typically, the cultists who perform the
ritual are not unwitting dupes. Shaping human cultures. Just as the forms of cities are
As with the cyclical return, mummies will do their best of great interest to mummies, so is the shape of human
to fulfill the reason they were reawakened and, when finished, cultures — especially those facets that lead to conflict,
return to their state of deathless rest. sacrifice, and death. Mummies aren’t dead, but they are
creatures close to the dead, and can easily manipulate
Accidental Awakening humans who have died. Those who cannot die shape
humanity by focusing on the deaths of mortals, but in a
Mummies’ tombs are filled with artifacts, magical items, controlled, strategic fashion.
and the arcane of long-forgotten history. They’re tempting tar-
gets; the phrase “tomb robber” exists for a reason. Pity the thief Self-preservation. Mummies devote a substantial
that tries to open an interesting sarcophagus within a tomb, amount of time to the preservation of their own
though. In the World of Darkness, the tomb’s curse is no spell. support structures, principally their tombs and their
It contains a raging, memory-free supernatural force that will cults. Anyone or anything that threatens either of
tear through intruders in seconds, before slowly recovering those is dealt with swiftly and ruthlessly — this includes
some sense of who and what they are. individual hunters or an entire compact or conspiracy.
Hunters may enter a tomb believing they’re cleansing it of
demonic or other forms of possession, to find a specific magi- Internecine conflict. A grudge can outlast the memory
cal relic, or in search of answers to troubling questions. Their of the incident that triggered it. Amongst the undying
activities, however, may accidentally reawaken the mummy just that’s doubly true. Even if they have no rational reason
as easily as a careless tomb robber might. Should a cell survive for going on the offensive, mummies may be driven
this encounter, then the hunters face an implacable and deadly into a confrontation with others of their kind upon
enemy focused on exacting its revenge on them. reawakening. The undying typically doesn’t remember
why they hold a grudge against another mummy; they

A String simply feel its effects and know a fight is on the horizon.
Nothing else matters.
of Missives ing what the mummies were doing, they may never be satisfied.
Ultimately, however close the hunters come to understand-

After all, how can a mortal discern the motives of those eternal
What do mummies want? It’s a good question, and one
hunters will never stop asking. They’re clearly following an beings who don’t even know what they’re doing themselves?
However, there are times when a hunter comes dangerously
agenda, but the nature of their mission is obscure. To a hunter, close to the truth. An interesting aspect for Storytellers to ex-
that makes them look purposeful, as if the undying are carrying plore would be those rare cases when a cell, compact, or con-
out an ancient plan. Hunters may be right.

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