Page 45 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER TWO: ALL IS LOST

And, just to make things even more confusing, Change- It is easy to mistake the thin veneer of sanity for humanity, not
lings often have other sociopolitical affiliations called “entitle- realizing that any Lost pushed too far is capable of unthinkable
ments.” which are based on the duties they perform within Lost crimes to avoid “going back.” Many hunters assume Change-
society, their specific philosophical viewpoints, or their quasi- lings are tragic victims and don’t realize what they are capable
religious beliefs. of — and many have paid the price for those assumptions.
Navigating the intricate social web of Lost society can be
extremely perplexing to outsiders — including hunters. Add Beautiful Madness
other supernatural creatures, both fae and otherwise, and the The fae are all mad, every last one of them. The Lost’s
human connections Changelings often have to regain and re- existence is a constant and never-ending struggle to reconcile
tain whatever semblance of humanity they can, and it’s easy their distant past and their captivity with their present. This is
to see why even the most comprehensive intelligence files on the inherent conflict that wars within every Lost.
the Lost are likely to contain complications, duplications, and For monsters like bloodsuckers, hunters may believe how
contradictions. easy it is for them to set aside the details of their old lives to em-
brace their supernatural nature. After all, vampires, zombies,
Survivors and werewolves are monsters because they don’t have a trace
If there is a single uniting theme behind every Changeling, of humanity left in them. Changelings, on the other hand, are
it is desperation. The Lost are all, in one way or another, vic- tied to their former human existence. The memories of their for-
tims of supernatural forces that reign as gods in realms where mer lives are what motivated the Lost to return to the human
reality bends to their every whim. Whether the Lost were se- world. Those Changelings who aren’t bonded to their past, like
duced, tricked, blackmailed, or physically forced into that ser- small children who don’t remember what it was like to be hu-
vice, their very natures have been permanently altered by their man, will never return unless they are brought back.
experiences. While those changes may be apparent on the sur- Unfortunately, the Lost’s struggle to reconcile their fae
face, they also run soul-deep. and human natures never ends. Hunters will find that older
Changelings are created through two, separate events. and more supernaturally potent Changelings are also likely the
Though the details vary, each Lost shares these experiences. most insane. Some will pretend to be lucid and hide their in-
The first event is the Durance — the time in which they were human aspects, but hunters would do well to remember that
pulled out of their human lives, and held at the whim of their a mask is not reality. A hunter might believe a Changeling is
Keeper. utterly reasonable and firmly moral — right up until the point
The Durance is what defines the Lost. Kidnapped humans where the hunter says the wrong word and triggers his madness.
are stripped of everything — their identity, their grasp on reality, After that, all bets are off.
and all ties to the human world. Then, they are remade in an Hunters who believe that Changelings are more rational
image chosen by their Keeper; the alien fae they encounter and than they really are wind up bloodied, bruised, and betrayed.
horrors they endure defies human understanding. The major- Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how a Changeling became
ity of hunters would consider their Keepers, the True Fae, to part-fae; a Lost’s human façade is nothing more than an ephem-
be monsters. eral illusion. What’s worse, is the Lost are all dangerous be-
Many of the Lost are broken beyond repair by their Du- cause of it.
rance in Arcadia. These are the victims that hunters never en-
counter — the ones who never come back. The truly lost, rather Privateers and Loyalists
than Lost. Most Lost would do almost anything to avoid returning to
The second experience all Lost share is their return to hu- Arcadia. Some Changelings, however, would do truly anything
manity. Whether they made their daring escape through guile — including selling others to that fate — to avoid being subjugat-
or strength, through coincidental circumstances or fled after ed again. Privateers are much worse; they capture other humans
the end of their agreement with their Keepers, all Lost have and Changelings for profit and send them off to Arcadia. The
managed to sneak, talk, claw, or run their way out of an un- word “privateer” is a polite name other Changelings use to call
thinkable situation to reenter the “normal” world. these wretched traitors. Generally speaking, privateers are Lost
Like most prisoners who have broken free from their in- who use their fae-born abilities to capture, sell, and enslave hu-
humane captors, the Lost’s greatest desire is to retain their free- mans and Changelings. Privateers take their kidnapped victims
dom. Nothing else matters more to the collective Lost society through the Hedge and sell them to Goblin Market slave stall
than to avoid being recaptured. While opinions differ widely owners — or even to the True Fae themselves.
on how to best achieve this goal, the Lost are so desperate, Most Changelings believe that the only thing worse than
they’ll do almost anything — blackmail, murder, or work for a privateer is a loyalist — a Lost who continues to work for a
their former captors — to avoid being retaken. True Fae’s interests, even after her release back into the human
This air of desperation colors every choice a Changeling world. Some loyalists serve out of a misguided sense of duty;
makes. Even the most human-seeming Lost is capable of mon- others are bound by magical ties, supernatural oaths, or are be-
strous acts — if her only alternative is to return to captivity. ing coerced in other ways. The most unforgiveable loyalists sell
Hunters who are unaware of the Lost’s motivation and ex- out their fellow Lost because they can’t turn down the True
periences often underestimate the Changelings they encounter. Fae’s offer for power, wealth, or pleasure.

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