Page 98 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

THE MUMMY'S POwER

of commitment. They know they serve a power that’s older and The word “tomb” can be misleading to hunters, because it
stranger than them. They understand that carrying out their servi- suggests an ancient place, dug into the earth, or formed out of
tor’s wishes benefits them, and they enjoy reaping the rewards. Few a cave. While a few might fit that description, many tombs have
cultists ever get past this stage — but that doesn’t matter. Initiates survived the millennia, because of their durability and mobil-
have significant power within the organization they can bring to ity. Some mummies have been adept at moving their “tombs”
bear for their own purposes as well as their undying servitor’s. every few dozen generations or so, to suit both their own pur-
Though the morality of an initiate’s actions may be in poses, and to adapt to the possibilities new eras bring. Some
question, hunters shouldn’t automatically characterize them as significantly-sized cults will have a program in place to help a
evil. They are committed to a particular cause and are given mummy build or work towards the next generational tomb, so
boons for following orders. The initiates may or may not be their patron can relocate during a short burst of activity.
aware what it is they’re serving or if their servitor is supernat- Hunters who are familiar with the activities of bloodsuck-
ural. Mortals like these will often blind themselves from the ers might guess that a tomb may be located in a basement or
truth simply because they’re addicted to power. other light-free place. That’s a dangerous assumption to make,

Intimates but one Storytellers can cue off of. A mummy’s tomb in the

modern era is just as likely to be an apartment block with a
curious, old (and inaccessible) core, a country house, or the
The very closest ranks surrounding any mummy know ex-
actly what it is they’re doing. They may not understand the true closed wing of an art gallery in a refurbished building. Tombs
can range in size from a handful of rooms to an area as large
and complete nature of the creature they’re serving, but they as a public monument whose hidden side has been carefully
understand that it’s an ageless, ancient force that makes a hu- obscured from view and public records for some time.
man’s lifespan seem irrelevant. In most cases, a tomb is a literal deathtrap. If a hunter enters
A few cultists in this tier are initiates who have risen
through the ranks through “good service.” Others are in a as an unwelcome visitor, or as a welcome but overly inquisitive
one, the building is designed so that intruders won’t reach the
hereditary position; their family has served the same mummy inner sanctum alive without the mummy’s express permission.
for centuries, and they have been indoctrinated into their role As with the decor, some tombs are truly ancient, with traps to
since birth. In either case, few hunters would recognize cultists match. Others are significantly more modern and were con-
of this level from either background as “good.” From a hunter’s structed in recent years using cutting-edge security measures.
perspective, intimates are amoral at best and, at worst, active Survive those traps, though, and hunters stand in front of a
forces for evil. greater threat: the mummy itself. The mummy’s powers are at their
An intimate has the ability to raise a mummy from its rest;
this takes a toll on the cultist’s sanity. No mortal can possess strongest when the undying creature is in its own tomb. That area
acts as a nexus for the energies they’re shaping and for the objects
such power without it having some effect on the human psyche. of power they’re collecting. Hunters who risk their lives to enter a
Along with this power and knowledge, the intimates also gain mummy’s tomb will notice that they seem to have a deep mystical
access to a mummy’s most prized location: its tomb.
connection with their resting place, one that is difficult to sever.
Entombed The Mummy’s

Mummies, strange though it might seem, are homebodies. Power
Or, at least, they’re inclined to have a home to rest their bod-
ies in when they’re not active. Because these undying creatures
are cast adrift from both the world and their own memories so Conflict with any mummy is a terrifying experience for
much of the time, they need to find a way to be anchored in hunters. The harder the creature fights, the more monstrous
reality. One of those focal points is through their human cults; it becomes. As each minute ticks by, all pretense of human-
the other is through their personal tomb. ity slowly erodes as the mummy becomes more single-minded
The remains that a mummy leaves behind, however small and increasingly murderous. Once the fight is well underway,
or insignificant they might be, need to rest until the mummy there’s no negotiation, no retreat. When the violence escalates,
rises again. As with any other mortal, the mummy’s possessions mummies either kill or be killed. How does a hunter murder a
cannot make the journey to the afterlife, with one notable ex- being that clearly isn’t just a zombie or a vampire? What does a
ception, and need somewhere to rest safely between their own- cell do when they cross paths with an enraged mummy?
er’s voyages into the land of the living. Many humans anchor An encounter with a mummy is likely to leave experienced
their identities in their possessions, and that can be true of the hunters doubting themselves, once they realize what it is they’ve
undying as well, for mummies often look to those objects as a faced. Storytellers who present chronicles that revolve around a
way to create a narrative that replaces their own faltering and mummy as an antagonist are likely to spend more time focusing
unpredictable memories. To a mummy, a tomb isn’t a resting on the cult than the mummy itself, at least in the early stages.
place for their bodies — for those will always rise again — but The mummy makes a good “walk on” threat, perhaps deployed
for their identities. Is it any wonder mummies will fight so very strategically in its most human aspect to continually reinforce
hard to protect them? the sense of someone more powerful and sinister at play be-

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