Page 114 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

STORY HOOkS

The Complication: Relics are a major source of power in
Story Hooks the World of Darkness. Why should this sort of struggle be con-
fined to the mummy’s cult and the hunters alone? The longer
Mummies can be useful antagonists in a long-running
chronicle when the cell is becoming complacent or a little the struggle between the two factions goes on, the more likely
that other forces within the city limits might notice — and de-
too familiar with the monsters of the world. The undying is cide to claim the artifact for their own.
an unsolvable riddle, whose very nature means that hunters This can significantly up the stakes for hunters in the
must stop their plans quickly. Characters may come away shak- story’s closing stages, as they suddenly find themselves waging
en, even after a successful hunt, aware of their own mortality. war on two fronts. It can also act as an efficient hand-off to
Mummies are forever beyond the reach of the Hunters, and the next story, which can revolve around the other competing
that knowledge should burn. faction. That group could be hunter-based, as one compact or
Conversely, a chronicle which focuses on rooting out a
mummy’s cult could be one where the cell’s early successes are conspiracy races to reach that item first, or it could be supernat-
urally-based, too. Either way, putting a time limit on this event
balanced against an ever-deepening understanding of just how will keep hunters on their toes.
widespread this monstrous influence is on the world — and The Twist: This story’s hidden agenda is that success is,
how little impact the hunters may have. in a way, worse for hunters than failure. Should the mummy
Fundamentally, a story involving mummies may take the
hunter’s core ideas, of hopeless stands against the darkness, of obtain the item, it simply vanishes and the cell feels and suffers
no further consequences. The hunters may be paranoid and
ignorance, fear, and paranoia — and dial them up to 11. This expect the other shoe to drop. But it doesn’t. They have failed,
version of the World of Darkness is an unknowable place for and they will never know what the consequences are. On the
humans; there may be few clear and satisfying explanations for other hand, if they succeed, they’re in for a world of hurt. The
the actions, agenda, and origins of mummies. Think of the mummy wants its item back. Or if the hunters have succeeded
mummies as forces of the supernatural, as destructive and ruth- in passing that relic on to someone else outside the city, it’ll
less as any storm, but with some hidden, deeper, and more ter- seek revenge. The cell may have achieved their goal, but they’ve
rifying agenda lurking behind that power.
now made a very serious enemy.
Power, Objectified Office Politics

The Story: Mummies are obsessed with artifacts. One of
The Story: Through bad luck, or some other force, one of the
the reborn creatures has gotten wind of the existence of a relic hunters is working at a company whose shareholders have a sleep-
that’s never been in the city before. For once, this magical ar- ing partner — a literal one. That mummy has awoken from its slum-
tifact isn’t in the hands of a supernatural faction. Instead, the ber and has need of the company in question. Everything is about
relic has been secured by oblivious humans, who merely think to change in that hunter’s workplace — but can she convince her
of it as a historical curio, but one that’s too significant to be fellow hunters that something serious is happening? Management
offered freely in the open market. To get it in the mummy’s is being reorganized, new directors are in place, and the company’s
ancient hands, intervention is required. operations are shifting around. Perhaps they’re in construction or
The mummy’s cultists are immediately put to work; they
inserting themselves into appropriate positions of authority to engineering and new projects don’t seem to be attached to specific
clients. Or maybe the business has suddenly become obsessed with
make it easy to “liberate” the object. That is, until the hunters purchasing and operating specific pieces of real estate.
come into play. The cell may be aware that they need to stop the Every now and again, that sleeping partner will come
acquisition of this object, even if they’re not clear what might to visit. There’s something unusual about this executive; her
happen if they fail. composure, her focus, the slightly old-fashioned way she talks.
The story should be one of escalation — some early con-
flict with cultists leading to fiercer and more direct action being Worse, she has a temper. Staff members are being fired and
aren’t seen again. Something’s clearly up — can the hunter
taken against the hunters — with the artifact changing hands a investigate without compromising her job and her family’s in-
few times. Finally, the mummy sees the need to take the matter come? Or is the threat so serious that getting to the bottom of
into its own hands, and a full-scale conflict begins; one that the mystery is the right decision?
won’t end until the mummy has the artifact, or is forced back The Hook: This story requires a slow-build up and makes
into its tomb. a great transitional narrative that introduces mummies to an
The Hook: A new artifact has surfaced in the city. Maybe it’s
being delivered to a local museum exhibition by messengers who existing chronicle. Ideally, Storytellers would want one of the
hunters to have family responsibilities and a job they’re cling-
are utterly oblivious to its significance. Perhaps it’s being shipped ing to. Over a period of time, introduce the characters who will
in by a supernatural faction; the hunters get wind of it after they’ve become the background pieces in this story; boss, colleagues,
taken down a monster. It could be the hunters themselves are re- and friends within the company. Show the gun in the first act,
sponsible for the relic’s accessibility; they may have killed or oth- and get ready to fire it in a later one.
erwise disabled its guardian in a previous story. Now, they have to Start dropping a few hints in a story beforehand. Introduce
deal with the consequences of their previous actions.
the boss in a distracted or worried state of mind. One way to

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