Page 31 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER ONE: PIECES OF FLESH

this, the Vitriol Pump can only help with Skill rolls that have a or creatures akin to the Nephilim mentioned in the Bible. Ei-
physical component and a rating of three dots or more. (Usually ther way, the Lucifuge is unsure of what to do with them.
these rolls related to Physical Skills, but there are some excep-
tions to this.) If the target roll fails, the Vitriol Pump’s successes New Castigation Rite: Gulf of Hades
have no effect; the Pump cannot turn a failure into a success. Underground in a cavern, with no source of light, the
A Vitriol Pump holds enough liquid for three doses before blackness is almost palpable. That unyielding darkness can
it needs to be refilled; this takes at least a week to allow for ship- cause hallucinations, as the human mind creates visual input to
ping and remixing the cocktail. busy itself and remain anchored in reality. The Gulf of Hades,
the stretch of spiritual blackness leading to Hell, is dark beyond
The Lucifuge that word’s ability to convey meaning — it’s not just the absence
The inevitable happened eventually. I was pursued by a crowd of light, it’s the absence of the concept of light.
of people, brandishing weapons, all wishing to dismember me. And I The hunter using this rite can call up that blackness to sap
thought, at the time, of all the delicate work they would undo — those the energy out of a target. When used on an electronic device,
stitches and sutures, losing them would be the real tragedy! the Gulf of Hades shuts it off completely — cars roll to a halt,
I came to a farmhouse, and I pounded frantically for assistance. computers shut down instantly, and doors with electronic locks
The man inside opened the door, and I stumbled in, just as the mob pop open. When used on a person, however, the rite induces
came through the cornfield. They surrounded the house, and I heard hypothermia within seconds as the victim suffers the effects of
one yell, “Send the murdering bitch out!” extreme cold.
And the man said, “No! You’re not going to kill a stranger on my When the Gulf of Hades is used on a Promethean, it weak-
doorstep! I’ll send out my daughter to you instead!” ens it by feeding off the Divine Fire that animates it.
I turned and stared at him, and then at his daughter. She couldn’t Cost: None
have been much more than 21, and she looked a bit out of place on a Action: Instant
farm. She looked glamorous, almost predatory, really, and her dad opened Dice Pool: Presence + Occult
the door, and she walked out, willingly, with a little smile on her face.
Roll Results
And I heard her say something, just before the fires started. I
heard the word “father,” but I got the distinct impression she was talk- Dramatic Failure: The Gulf of Hades turns itself on the
ing to someone other than my host. hunter. The character immediately loses all Willpower points,
and gains the Shaken Condition.
— a letter from Imp to “Dr. Brine”
Failure: No effect.
Satan’s descendants work tirelessly to fight his forces on
Earth, but are well aware that just because someone has a less- Success: The character calls up a tiny fraction of the void.
than-saintly pedigree, they aren’t always evil. The area grows noticeably darker, and witnesses might hear
faint, mournful howls.
To some degree, Prometheans confound the Lucifuge.
Though they aren’t evil, or necessarily demonic, they receive The hunter must target a person or object within 20 feet. If
visitations from beings that might be properly described as an- the target is human, the person immediately suffers lethal dam-
gels. Are these so-called qashmallim actually members of the Di- age equal to the hunter’s successes. These wounds manifest as
vine Host? And if so, what do they want with the Created? The blistering on exposed flesh, similar to frostbite. The target also
Lucifuge has its theories, but a qashmal’s agenda, appearance, suffers the effects of the Extreme Cold Tilt, if in combat.
and methods are impossible to predict. Therefore, this conspir- If the target is a device that runs on electricity, it immedi-
acy treats Prometheans on a case-by-case basis and avoids mak- ately shuts off and cannot be reactivated for a number of hours
ing a blanket assumption about them. Unfortunately, even the equal to the Lucifuge’s successes.
Lucifuge understands they must find a way to control Disquiet. If the target is a Promethean, the target loses the ability to
These hunters may not know exactly how it works, but they’re heal using electricity for one hour, and loses Willpower equal
familiar with the principle of instinctive distrust. to the Lucifuge’s successes.
Unlike other hunters, the Lucifuge tends to find a Pro- Exceptional Success: The Lucifuge absorbs a small amount
methean either when it’s being assembled or when it is patch- of the energy the Gulf takes. The character regains all spent Will-
ing itself up. Human dismemberment, which is required to power or may heal up to three points of bashing or lethal damage.
create a Promethean, occasionally gets confused with demonic
sacrifices. As such, it’s usually in the creation stages that the Malleus Maleficarum
Lucifuge finds the Created. Then, the question is whether the I let them capture me. Masquerading as a vampire was difficult. I
hunters immediately recognize the Promethean for what it is, had to remember to be terrified of sunlight, but they were kind enough
take the time to do their research, or go in with guns blazing. to threaten me with fire, so I could conjure up some convincing screams.
Lucifuge hunters have occasionally attacked Prometheans, They cut off several of the fingers on my right hand trying to torture me,
only to be confronted with beings composed of pure light, with so I gave them some information about other vampires in the area — all
crystalline wings and the heads of lions. Theories either paint nonsense, as far as I know, but they didn’t seem to know any better.
the Created as Satanic — though not necessarily evil — beings, And then they dragged me to a cell.

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