Page 116 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

INSPIRATION & SOURCES

Background: Jess’s history is one
that’s shrouded in mystery, even from PRONOUN USAGE
zher. As far as zhe can tell, zhe was a
serving person in an Egyptian royal
household, mummified to continue zher You may notice that Doctor Jess Jones's description uses
service after death. Upon waking, zhe’s non-standard pronouns, like zhe and zher. Jess chooses to
found a purpose in collecting antiqui- present as neither male nor female. This isn't a statement that
ties, missing links between the present
and some unknown facts about zher past. anyone eschewing traditional gender presentation requires
Zhe quickly found a role as a profes- those pronouns. It's a statement that Jess chooses to use those
sor of anthropology at a local university, pronouns. So in essence, it's a bit of setting information tied into
and zhe’s used zher gifts to force zher way the description. Zher choice may come off a bit jarring. Then again,
into a consultation role with the local cus- the World of Darkness is full of murder, monsters, and terrifying
toms office. Zhe’s the first point of con- things. After a while, we get used to those things, and they stop
tact when strange, ancient artifacts enter being jarring. Which is to say, many things a person might find
the country. This could pose a point of jarring. If you find a character's gender presentation jarring, but
contention for the Aegis Kai Doru, and not the horrors of the World of Darkness, that might be a thing
indeed has piqued their interest more worth taking a look at.
than once already.
Appearance: Androgynous. Very
well-dressed for whatever occasion. Zhe
favors showy, business-savvy attire. Zher hair is in a short pixie Bram Stoker has a go at mummies, too, in The Jewel of the
cut, and zher hard, angular face betrays none of zher secrets. Seven Stars, which combines gothic horror with the Victorian
Jess’s demeanor shows confidence and poise, no matter the era’s Egypt-mania to odd effect. If nothing else, the story creates
topic, zhe seems inherently knowledgeable of it. an interesting example of the unsettling effect when an ancient
Roleplaying Tips: Jess is an excellent rival, or an excellent figure is cast against an unfamiliar era.
mentor, depending on how the hunters handle zher. Zhe’s well- The modern generation of mummy movies that starts with
connected and knowledgeable, and could point the hunters in the The Mummy (1991), and progresses through a few sequels. It has
direction of many worse threats. But if they threaten zher supply a lot of elements to draw from, including the use of cultists.
chain, zhe’ll invest zher significant resources into stifling the cell’s Although, the cultists who appear in the World of Darkness are
every effort. As a mentor, zhe’ll require quid pro quo payment, but rarely as overt as the ones shown in these movies. The mummy
zhe has enough go fetch missions and rivals out there, zhe has no character’s switch between a seemingly normal human and a
trouble pointing an enterprising cell in a direction. decaying engine of destruction represents the sort of situation
that conflict with a mummy in Hunter should create.
Inspiration & mummy-related movies. 1993’s The Firm, starring Tom Cruise,
Many conspiracy movies can also be recast as possible
Sources has a good feel to it, as the character gets caught between two
worlds: the secret of his employers, and the outside forces look-
ing to expose it. It’s a nice look at how a life can be affected by
The original 1932 film The Mummy has some nice examples of pervasive corruption.
how manipulative mummies can be once they’re human-looking, There are several great movies about cults that may help
and how they deploy others to do what needs to be done. Digging flesh out that aspect of a chronicle. The Wicker Man (1973) is a
backwards to original sources, note The Mummy!: Or a Tale of the classic “film” and the modern remake offers a different take on
Twenty-Second Century, an 1827 novel written by Jane C. Loudon. the same idea. The Italian movie, Suspiria (1977), features a cult
This book mixes early horror with early sci-fi to describe a mummy in a dance school — though the monsters at the heart of it are
awakening in the 22nd century — while dishing out political ad- witches, not mummies.
vice. It wears its Frankenstein (1818) influences pretty clearly.... Iron Man 3 is a particularly useful example to explore the tone
The origin of the modern idea of the mummy can be of a good mummy story. The confusion and lack of clarity about
found in a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — the Sher- who the real monster at the heart of the story is, isn’t resolved un-
lock Holmes creator — called Lot No. 249. It introduces key til the climatic finale. It also focuses on the Mandarin’s “cultists”
ideas like the interrelationship between mummies and cultists throughout the film and presents them as major antagonists in
and the mummy’s predatory behavior. It’s worth the few min- their own right. Of course, Iron Man 3 fits into a different genre,
utes it takes to read and may provide some inspiration. but it’s one movie that can be drawn upon for Hunter.

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