Page 70 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

A SHROudEd PAST

God help me, for that was the first and only time in my life I felt Sometimes, however, the compact traveled to strange places
sorry for the Commies. in search of the haunted. They understood that a war doesn’t
— From the papers of Nigel Zimmer, now in the Loyalists necessary start after the exchange of bullets, but may follow a
of Thule’s archives. battle of wills. For this reason, European Loyalists monitored
By all accounts, hunters believe that ghostwalkers have the political landscape closely, to ensure that no supernatural
become more active, and more noticeable, beginning in the forces were operating in the shadows.
19 century. Evidence of ghostwalkers is tied to mediums, During the Cold War, reports of Fog Men active in
th
spiritualists, and spectral photography which became popular the Soviet Union began to escape from beneath the Iron
in the latter half of the century, going hand in hand with the Curtain. The most extreme cases involved rumors of Fog Men
rise of secret societies and the dawn of the twentieth century. ruling entire towns, but more than likely these were grossly
Though they remained hidden for centuries, some believe exaggerated stories. Still, chilling reports of strong ghostwalker
ghostwalkers capitalized on the public’s interest and flirted with activity in the Soviet Bloc was noted throughout the Cold War,
becoming known; while they did not reveal their full powers, according to many Romanian and Soviet hunters. East German
these people were quick to claim their connection to ghosts. At Loyalists collected first-hand accounts describing the Vodyanoy,
least one clipping speaks of a pair of haunted who had a ghostly ghostwalkers who were spotted near rivers and lakes, but were
ally that would step in as whatever ghost they were supposed to unable to find any proof verifying these stories.
be contacting if they couldn’t find the real one. As time went on, On the North American continent, however, ghostwalker
the haunted cared less and less about trying. Eventually, some activity has traditionally been more subdued. There are
cunning hunters (and quite a few magicians) revealed that most exceptions to this; the Age of Spiritualism boosted the public’s
spiritualists were frauds. belief in ghosts, and some accounts cannot possibly be the work
Not all stories are benign. One hunter cell believes Jack of charlatans after all. Following the decline of mediums and
the Ripper is a ghostwalker, urged on by the “demon” over his the rise of technology, many ghostwalkers have been sighted
shoulder. Rumors of hellfire clubs and orgies with the dead, in older parts of the United States. For whatever reason,
urban legends known to many Ashwood Abbey members, also ghostwalkers may do more than just congregate or deal with
originate from this era. Still, even though ghostwalker activity ghosts; some hunters believe that they celebrate holidays like
increased, the veneer of civility remained. However, in terms Mardi Gras.
of numbers, there were far more reports of haunted sight- Since the late 1970s, Louisiana cells have reported a notice-
ings amongst the poor than the wealthy. Theories as to why able spike in ghostwalker activities. Similarly, and perhaps more
the wealthy are absent from reports range from being better predictably, ghostwalkers also seem to become more active dur-
equipped to perform a secret cover up, to a simple matter of ing Dia de los Muertos, All Hallows’ Eve, and All Saint’s Day.
location. The lower classes may have more exposure to haunted As a result, Network Zero typically sends out hunters to contact
areas than the rich do. The Indebted, for example, often point and record the haunted during these holidays.
out poorer people are more likely to die violently, suddenly, or More often than not, ghostwalker culture always
young — three common characteristics of ghosts. incorporates an element of celebration. Hunters, so often
In the 20 century, both World Wars seemed to increase dedicating their lives to the Vigil, may feel a little envious at
th
the number of ghostwalkers, or at least news about their how the haunted seem inclined to live life to the fullest. But
activities. Several hunters in World War I encountered a type then, surrounded by death every day, perhaps ghostwalkers
of ghostwalker referred to as a “Sleeper.” Sleepers roamed war- have no choice: either they celebrate their state of being, or
torn battlefields to deal with crazed phantasms lingering on, they fall into despair.
to put them to sleep. A British compact worked closely with Present Day Sightings
ghostwalkers, but their allegiance didn’t last as casualties of war
ultimately put an end to the group. The high number of deaths While accounts vary on how active ghostwalkers have
spawned sightings of the haunted all across Europe, and it was been throughout history, today their numbers and activities
difficult for ghostwalkers and hunters to stay in the fight on seem to have stabilized. The spike in sightings after World
both a supernatural and human front. Worse, the second World War II ended decades ago, and the fall of the Iron Curtain
War had considerably more casualties, too. Though WWII was didn’t reveal any huge conspiracies of ghostwalkers secretly
a deadlier war, hunters have found that certain countries, like running Communist states. For most hunters, ghostwalkers
Poland according to the Indebted, are particularly notable for are either a curiosity or a deadly foe. But, first and foremost,
the large number of ghostwalkers present. ghostwalkers seem to be rare.
Hunters who believe ghostwalkers are a type of ghost point Scholarly hunter groups have figured out the reason why
back to this period and the mounting body of evidence that this might be the case. By comparing notes, interviews, and
ghosts may be sentient. An ever-increasing number of ghostly articles, they’ve determined that ghostwalkers are in flux. Their
sightings claimed that many soldiers returned to battle even society, general culture, terminology, and attitudes seem to
after death, their uniforms punctured with bullet holes, ripped shift more often than those of other supernaturals, evidence
from a blast, or stained with blood or chemical agents. that means ghostwalkers tend to be harder to track and catalog.
In the wake of World War II, the Loyalists of Thule paid Ultimately, what many hunters know about ghostwalkers
close attention to what happened on and off the battlefield. has yet to be proven. The vast majority of hunters don’t know

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