Page 107 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER FOUR: THE UNDYING ONES

than the Lord could possibly do this? Why would He allow such Should the unit act within protocol, any creature identi-
a thing to happen? fied as a possible “returner” is targeted for immediate execu-
Many within the Malleus Maleficarum are troubled by the tion. The remains may be captured by a forensic science team.
fact that the mysteries at the heart of a hunter’s faith are remi- In the meantime, however, hunters are required to eliminate
niscent of what mummies represent. Those hunters who read the threat the best way they know how. Those methods vary
widely can trace such tales back to the Roman god Mithras, wildly and aren’t coordinated neatly — especially since mum-
through Odin hanging on the World Tree, to the resurrection mies are rare and mortals may be involved.
of Osiris in Egyptian lore. Are these variations of the same The undying, when they are recognized, are considered
story? And, if so, what does that mean for these hunters when too dangerous for routine R&D. Project: TWILIGHT may
their faith begins to shake? be happy to hand over a mummy, whether it’s awake or in a
Doubt is a terrible thing in the Vigil — worse, when it forc- state of repose, to Project: FORT for analysis before its body
es a hunter to closely examine what he believes. is transported to Containment for storage and neutralization.
Task Force: VALKYRIE Construction may be underway on a new form of combined
Containment and R&D facility that can go into complete lock-
Containment Room 153/74 down in under three seconds.
Mandated hourly checks. Any change in the corpse’s state, With mummy encounters happening so infrequently,
composition, or position in the facility is to be relayed to the base members don’t engage in standard protocol. However, there
commander immediately. They are under orders to put the base on are rules members of Project: ADAMSKI are ordered to follow
condition Red; a complete lockdown. Nothing gets in or — more when they are forced to deal with a “beheaded” cult. It seems
importantly — out until that condition is reversed. Project: VALKYRIE wishes to cover its tracks as well as the crea-
ture’s, but not before members try to pry information out of a
For further background, cross-reference with file 762-342/74
about the partial destruction of the PS/ENE remains storage and captured cultist.
investigation facility five years ago. When Project: VALKRIE does encounter a mummy, it’s
Task Force: VALKYRIE is aware that, in the World of typically through the conspiracy’s work to infiltrate and dis-
Darkness, there are creatures that can resist death. A handful of mantle a cult. Hunters tend to make good use of their depro-
gramming facilities to contain suspects who may (or may not)
unpleasant incidents has made it clear that dead doesn’t always have ties to the supernatural. After all, cults are filled with
mean dead. As a result, there are standing protocols in place human members who can be studied and interrogated much
to contain any beings that match a loose set of criteria. The easier than any supernatural being in the World of Darkness.
Task Force’s understanding of their prey is so low, however, Still, some argue that the practice of locking up civilians to
that their guidelines are vague and often ignored in practice. question them about the occult or a magical being isn’t prac-
When they are employed, like the need to timestamp activities, tical, given the overwhelming number of cults in the United
they’re often used on the wrong kind of being.
States alone. This is part of the reason why members don’t
chase after rumors about mummies; due to their rarity, it’s not
financially worth the effort.

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