Page 121 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER FIVE: TO HELL AND BACK

Imps Gluttony is the universal Vice of devourers with few excep-

Imps lurk in an invisible state, trying to influence the tions. These demons search for sensation — the more intense, the
World of Darkness much as voyeurs do. To hunters who ana- better. Devourers do terrible things, almost impulsively. Their
lyze them, it’s as if imps were originally created to bring about memories seem non-existent; they are eternally curious about
one specific change, but got disconnected from whatever high- simple sensations of the flesh. They’re prone to crimes of bizarre
passion. They tend to retain small, ritualistic behaviors, though,
er power created them. Now they try and carry out the same
task over and over again. indicative of an original purpose they haven’t fully abandoned.
Much like other lesser demons, an imp doesn’t really have Devourers have another nasty trait that hunters will want
wants; it has a routine. An imp stalks its victim from an unseen to take note of. They can devour human blood and flesh to
state, pushing a mortal to act when she’s most vulnerable. Some- strengthen themselves. For each point of lethal damage they
times, imps develop obsessions with specific mortals. However, deal by consuming a victim, they regain one Willpower point.
While most lesser demons may require abjuration or spe-
their cold, consistent behavior doesn’t seem emotional to the cific rituals to dislodge, devourers can be removed by mortifica-
outside observer. It’s more like they’re stuck in a rut. There’s no
need for it to cajole and terrorize; the creature just does. tion of its flesh. Due to its unique nature, the demon enjoys
Imps can possess human bodies, like some of their fellow pain, yes, but overloading it with sensation will drive it into
lesser demons, but they often don’t. Why? Because their Vices throes of ecstasy, and it won’t be able to contain itself any lon-
are centered on imperatives. An imp doesn’t have a Vice of ger. The devourer will rip free of its host as it peaks, and will
“Cowardice,” it has a Vice of “Cause Fear.” Rather than “Ar- pour out of the mouth and nostrils into its original form. The
mist retains its choking, stinging properties, but the demon is
rogant,” an imp has a Vice of “Incite Hubris.” The net effect rarely able to pull itself together to invade another host.
is similar to lesser demons of their ilk — imps push humans to-
ward acts of vice. Most of the time, their influence on mortals A vacated host is left unconscious and dying, but can be
is through the physical, rather than the mental. stabilized with a Wits + Medicine roll.
Imps take forms appropriate to their Vice. An imp with a Greater Demons
Vice of “Cause Lust” might be a little black book that smells
like an ex-lover. An imp with a Vice of “Create Terror” is more Greater demons are the beings that tempt humankind into
likely to slip into the form of a child with black eyes like twin signing away careers, spouses, and identities. Where lesser de-
pools of oil and limbs that bend the wrong way, barely revealing mons possess a body here and there, greater demons offer sweet
the pistons beneath. Imps who resemble people are often tied bargains and then exploit the catch to repossess their victims’
to a victim’s individual terror. Whoever that person was is long lives. Greater demons can be found throughout the World of
gone, replaced by a lesser demon. Darkness. They are everywhere, from Skid Row to Maple Street,
Since imps often use their Vices to push rather than tempt, from Brazil to Singapore. Their agendas are varied and often
they aren’t deep cover infiltrators. It would be difficult to find confusing. Sometimes, greater demons even claim to be work-
an imp embedded deep within a compact or conspiracy. In- ing for the greater good. Though they may profess otherwise,
stead, imps appear briefly to fulfill their imperative, and then greater demons rarely care about who gets hurt along the way.
vanish back into the space between worlds. They’re guerilla cor-
ruptors, performing hit-and-fade missions on human morality. Answers in Genesis
Being near-perfect liars, greater demons’ accounts of their
Devourers origins are not to be trusted. Yet their stories do have a com-

Devourers crave it all. They hunger for the thrills, the mon thread. The human world serves the will of the demiurge,
highs, the lows, and the suffering they can only experience in a machine that has made Earth part of its mechanisms. Many
a mortal body. Those with occult senses perceive the demon as mortals serve it, never realizing that they do.
a phosphorescent lattice of circuits lurking beneath the host’s Demons did not serve unknowingly. They exulted in their
skin, and see a strange golden fire in the poor victim’s eyes. divine purpose. Some of these demons say they carried the will
Devourers don’t push. They don’t tempt. They just do. of the demiurge throughout creation, moving humanity ever
Perhaps they were Heaven or Hell’s blunt instruments, heavy closer to an apotheosis through concrete and steel: a world of
hitters dispatched when a whisper or a push just wouldn’t do. circuits and gears, of belching smoke and factories fueled by
Hunters may never know the truth, and those who cross paths blood.
with a devourer may not survive the encounter. Others proclaim that the great work is already complete,
Unlike voyeurs, who tend to be invisible, devourers exist that this earthly realm is a prison the demiurge constructed,
more in the physical, carnal world. Outside a host, they appear and human flesh is the machine that trap mortals here. They
as a fine black mist. A human caught in this mist chokes, their ask humanity to join them in searching for a Hell free of God’s
eyes water, and intense nausea sets in. After only a few seconds, influence. Once that Hell is found? There’s little doubt who
the victim hits the ground, unconscious. An intricate lattice will reign.
spreads beneath his skin, infiltrating his muscles and nerves. If the service of the Machine was so glorious, the purpose
When he wakes, the victim is now the puppet of a creature that all-consuming, why do demons no longer serve it? The answers
wants only to indulge. are varied. Some speak of a glorious war, incited by a strange

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