Page 103 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER FOUR: THE UNDYING ONES

but they’re going to find out. In the meantime, they’ll try to mummies as “those who return.” More colloquially in recent
beat the damn thing into sand as many times as it takes before decades, the Aegis Kai Doru also calls them “the competition.”
they come up with a better solution. These classifications help downplay the fear these hunters feel
Conspiracies when they realize a mummy is after the same thing they are.
In the Aegis Kai Doru’s experience thus far, it’s impos-
sible to destroy a mummy permanently. Removing power from
Much of the information provided in this section about
the conspiracies, their interactions, and their history with them and stopping them from gaining more are key to weaken-
ing them. Even the most bloodthirsty member of The Sword
Mummies is very top-down, with high level secrecy built into sees the wisdom in this tactic, for this allows the conspiracy to
each description. These details shouldn’t limit players or Story- thwart a mummy without directly confronting it.
tellers because mummies tend to be the exceptional characters, When a new relic is discovered in the possession of a super-
the antagonists who are on the ground floor for important, natural creature like a mummy, members of The Sword and The
historical events throughout human history. Temple are dispatched to claim it as soon as humanly possible.
While the true motivations and purposes behind a mum-
my’s actions should remain a mystery, what they are doing in The Sword serves as a distraction, to become the focus of the
mummy’s attention, and, if possible, to put it down. In most cases,
the modern era, and what the conspiracies have witnessed of The Sword present at that location may be strangers to the area.
their deeds in the past, should not be impossible to discover.
These hunters may have little compunction about cutting their
Aegis Kai Doru way through the mummy’s human servants when the need arises.
Conflict between the Aegis Kai Doru and mummies is in- Should the hunters survive the encounter, they may quickly retreat
evitable. before the police can get a firm lock on them.
A number of Guardians have originated from the ranks The Sword knows mummies will return eventually. Much
of tomb robbers and morally flexible archeologists. Some have as this thought rankles them, that knowledge focuses their ef-
barely survived their discovery of a tomb that’s still very much forts on crippling a mummy to force it back into its tomb, and
in use. That’s the core problem for Guardians and mummies: damaging its power base as much as possible. These tactics serve
what the conspiracy wants is what a mummy wants — or already a dual purpose. It makes an excellent tool for distraction. These
has. Relics are a mummy’s obsession and the Aegis Kai Doru’s hunters realize that when a mummy is torn between protecting
raison d’être; the two groups have been dancing for possession of itself, protecting its cult, or winning a relic, it becomes brutal
powerful objects throughout history. and unhinged. That chaos forces the mummy to swiftly return
Since its inception, clashes between Guardians, mummies, to its tomb. “Keep it busy, but keep out of its way” is the rule of
and cultists have been fierce, bloody, and unavoidable. Both thumb these hunters use. When it reawakens, the hunter has
groups seek ancient relics — rare objects filled with magical fewer resources — cultists — to command, making it easier to
power. They are not so common in the world as to allow one put down again if it’s spotted early on.
side or the other to whisk them away uncontested. When the Temple is present, it’s there to retrieve relics as
The race to acquire relics has led to repeated clashes be- soon as possible. The Temple’s methods for bringing contested
tween the two factions, but with asymmetric results. There is no relics back to Athens have been heavily modified over the cen-
corporate body of knowledge amongst the mummies and their turies. These protocols have been compromised by cultists — of-
cultists about the Guardians. They are aware that mortals hunt ten not by the same servants a relic may have been stolen from
valuable relics, too. The Aegis Kai Doru, on the other hand, has — on more than one occasion. Risking life and limb to deliver
recorded several characteristics about their enemy. a relic into the hands of another enemy is one of the greatest
They know: shames a member of The Temple can endure. New members
are slowly inducted into the process which requires multiple,
Mummies can be reborn at unpredictable intervals. over-lapping Guardians tracking their progress, without ever
being aware of the other, and even then they are watched with
They usually work through proxies and minions.
particular care. It’s an invisible chain of custody.
Once angered or frustrated, the undying become fierce The Temple is a lot better at the retrieval of magical arti-
and implacable foes. facts than they used to be. The internet, mobile telecoms, and
other forms of high technology have developed within the past
However, if a hunter survives or hides long enough, the fifty years — a short period of time as far as most mummies are
threat passes. concerned. This fact has led some hunters to become compla-
This doesn’t mean that Guardians have any real understand- cent, and to forget that the mummy’s most loyal cultists are
ing of what mummies actually are. The working theory, such as not hampered by their servitor’s unusual view of time. That,
it is, is that they’re either ancient humans who have found a way coupled with a cult’s oft extensive financial resources, may turn
to cheat death by harvesting the power of relics, or their bodies a hunter’s escape with a relic into an international game of cat
form a quasi-living collection tool for some greater power. and mouse. And, if the hunter is moving too slowly, will even-
The Aegis Kai Doru’s theories have yet to be verified. tually force the mummy out of hiding.
The majority of hunter interactions with mummies and their The two groups do not coordinate once they arrive in a
cultists are brutally practical. Traditionally, Guardians refer to contested location, and they do not interact. The only link be-

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