Page 53 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER TWO: ALL IS LOST

the Aegis Kai Doru. What begins as an attempt to recover
a single relic might end in an all-out war between the con-
spiracy and an entire freehold of Lost.
When hunters discover that not only do many Change-
lings possess supernatural relics, but that several can actually
create said items, the entire equation changes. While kid-
napping and slavery is certainly not the standard operating
policy of the Shield and Spear, some hunters are tempted by
the idea of “owning” a personal relic-maker. Such “involun-
tary employment offers” would certainly be made without
the tacit knowledge, let alone approval, of the conspiracy’s
Inner Circle. However, in a global organization the size of the
Aegis Kai Doru, such contracts are difficult to police.
Unfortunately for the Lost, some members of the Shield
and Spear take their vow more literally than others. While
fae magics are not the supernatural powers that the conspir-
acy’s vow originally targeted, some hunters believe the ma-
nipulation of reality applies to the tenets of their vow. By this
accounting, fae powers certainly qualify them for destruction
— especially if the end result is recovery of a relic possessed by
the now-late Changeling.
By the same token, the Lost’s human Mask may also
make her a target. Whether she’s shapeshifting or using mag-
ic, the Mask also falls under the broadest interpretation of
this vow. If the Shield and Spear becomes fanatical, there’s
no way a Changeling can win.
Should the Lost try to escape into the Hedge, they’ll re-
veal a new mystery to the Aegis Kai Doru. Labyrinths are
sacred to the conspiracy, and there is no maze greater than
the Hedge itself. While most hunters within the conspiracy
remain unaware of the wondrous and deadly borderland,
keys to the Hedge are relics. As such, a good number of them
are under the protection of the Temple at any given time.
From the Archives:
Relic Title: Unidentifed Plant Thorn
Acquisitions Agent: J. Landstrom
Acquisition Location: 7 km. SW of Lebanon, OR 12/11/1967
Relic Description: This 58mm organic spine of an unidentified
plant species appears to have been broken from its stem, rather than
cut. It narrows from a 13mm base to a pinpoint, and a single cotton
thread (still intact) was discovered snagged on a rough spot near the
thorn’s base, perhaps indicating the spine had been worn pinned
through an item of clothing. The thorn is dark brown in color, with
an ivory interior wood.
Acquisitions Agent reports that upon the item’s recovery its
appearance was “bright green but covered in a thin layer of ice”, and
that the item gradually took on its current appearance over a period
of several hours.
Relic Properties: Unknown. Acquisition Subject reportedly
showed great dexterity during initial confrontation, but is unavail-
able for interrogation.
— From the curatorial card designated FAE121167
New Relic: The Silver Key ( )
Legends say that if, at sunset on midsummer’s eve, a
young boy places a warm, stolen hen’s egg into a hole in a
stone wall, the fae cannot resist the purloined treat. By dawn

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