Page 124 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

THE ENEmy

tips. Regardless, a greater demon is a thing
that should not be. And yet, if any hunter COVER ABILITIES QUICK REFERENCE
were to believe the demons, their true
form was created by God Himself. A greater demon can spend one Willpower for any of the following
A greater demon can enter Apoc-
alyptic Form at will. Usually, it will effects:
demonstrate a variety of new Dread • Produce equipment related to Cover
Powers in this form. When it does, it • Form an acquaintance-level connection
also becomes unable to disguise itself • Allay suspicion and appear human
among humans until it reverts back to
its other guise. That change requires a
Willpower point.
Lying Cover
Greater demons are perfect liars: absolutely perfect. While The greatest of a demon’s lies is its Cover, the tapestry of
lesser demons will fib to feed on a Vice, a greater demon will stolen lives it uses to infiltrate entire villages, towns, and cities.
tell untruths with the utmost sincerity. The only way to know if As such, demons possess the trappings of an earthly life: the
a greater demon is being honest is to be suspect of every word nice apartment or the broken down shack, the wallet full of
it says. Perhaps a scientist knows a fact that contradicts the de- cash or the scratched off lottery ticket, the valid passport or the
mon’s story, or perhaps a hunter guesses what a demon might monthly bus pass.
get out of telling a lie. Cover is more than physical; these lies extend to human re-
Moreover, greater demons has complete control over their lationships, too. A demon doesn’t just wreck a marriage, he takes
emotional expressions. Maybe they possess the same emotions it outright, as if the husband had always been his. Suddenly, the
as any other human — or maybe they don’t. They never show demon’s a long-lost cousin, and the broken-hearted daughter re-
their true feelings unless they choose to, and will pretend they members him perfectly. Worse, so does everyone else.
feel opposite to what they actually do. The truth of greater demonic possession is Cover. When a
Perfect Memory demon bargains for a mortal soul, she’s not negotiating to take
possession of the body, but an entire life. To the people around
Greater demons always possess the Eidetic Memory Merit, her victim, the difference between physical possession and out-
and take advantage of it frequently. They can remember the right replacement is academic.
keystrokes of computer passwords, latch onto the slightest de- A demon can spend a Willpower point to tie any small object
tail they might be able to hook a hunter with later, and most on his person to who he seems to be. A cop has a badge and a gun. A
importantly, they never forget a grudge. war photographer has press identification, a camera, and a passport.
Tongues of Babel Human connections are a little more complex. When a
Long ago, or so some demons say, all humans spoke the demon assumes a full Cover, she can spend a Willpower point
to create a vague, acquaintance-level connection to someone
same language — perhaps even one divine language. The humans she “knew before.” Meanwhile, people who knew the demon’s
of the past were too ambitious, though. They raised a grand victim intimately will believe that, for all intents and purposes,
tower to the stars, broadcasting a signal of hope and freedom. the demon is her Cover.
And so, the demiurge sent one of its servants to infect these an- A demon can also spend a Willpower point to counter any
cient people with an idea that splintered and fragmented as it effect that would reveal her as a supernatural creature. This ap-
spread, spawning thousands and thousands of variations. The plies especially to supernatural effects. She can’t pretend to be
languages spoken today are evidence of that idea; of that insidi- a vampire or a ghostwalker, but she’ll appear as fully human.
ous creativity the demiurge planted millennia ago.
Demons, as former servants of the demiurge, are immune Partial Cover
to that idea. They can speak any living language, and quite a few A demon with Partial Cover can only steal certain aspects
dead or arcane tongues. of a person’s life: a spouse, a job, an apartment. In these cases,
How does the demon know? When asked, he’ll say it was the people immediately concerned will recognize the demon as
his idea. “always having been there.” The spouse will remember getting
Strange Luck married, coworkers will recall the demon flipping burgers, and
Greater demons seem to possess an uncanny sense of tim- the landlord will believe the demon was there when he fixed
the leaky roof.
ing that always grants them good fortune. The right person dies People beyond those immediate relationships will see dis-
to bequeath a demon’s stolen identity an inheritance. The se- crepancies. If the demon’s aware of this suspicion, she can
curity guard has to go to the bathroom at the same moment a spend a Willpower point to allay it or produce documents prov-
demon wants to enter the building. A hunter’s motor sputters ing that she always was the person she claims to be. To do so
and dies as he attempts to run the demon down. requires awareness, though, and a demon can be investigated
The Dread Power Glitch can model many of these occurrences.

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