Page 99 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER FOUR: THE UNDYING ONES

hind the scenes, or as the climax of a tale.
Remember, though, mummies may be a
power in their own right, but they are not MUMMIES, CULTISTS, AND MAGICAL RELICS
autonomous and are, themselves, slaves to
their missions. Mummies, like other long-lived creatures, have obsessions. One of
Mummies are creatures of great
power, more than vampires, werewolves, them is to collect magical artifacts. The undying and their cults are
sorcerers, and other supernatural entities ruthless in their pursuit and acquisition of these imbued relics. Most
that stalk the night in the World of Dark- will try acquiring them legally first. If that doesn’t work, they’ll escalate
ness. They’re also the most restrained, and their attempts to seize a magical item through more nefarious
hesitate to use that power because of their approaches, culminating in the release of the mummy’s full power.
long experiences and the consequences
of doing so. If a mummy cuts loose with Once a magical artifact is acquired, the mummy — or its cult —
the most powerful of its abilities, it can destroys it and neutralizes its power.
take decades for a mummy’s cultists to
do a thorough cover-up job. That doesn’t Why? If the mummies themselves know, they have yet to reveal
mean hunters can’t back a mummy into a their motives. Certainly no hunter, living or dead, has ever managed
corner and force it to unleash all its power to establish a clear line of reasoning. Rumors are whispered
in a fight; just that it’ll only do so as a last among the oldest conspiracies as to why a being of such power
resort. would destroy a relic that might serve its purposes.
Though the undying aren’t undead
like vampires or zombies are, they exist Members of the Aegis Kai Doru and the Faithful of Shulpae
closer to the world of the dead than most. have taken a special interest in this behavior. As a result, they
That’s reflected in their magical abili- have formed several theories to explain what’s happening. What if
ties. A mummy may wield magic to sum- the mummies are capturing the power of these objects? What if
mon, command, and manipulate ghosts. the undying are collecting magic to send it back to their masters?
Indeed, many mummies will happily let
their cultists sacrifice themselves — or Why else would they stockpile power in this way? Is it food? Or
will viscerally assist in that sacrifice — in are mummies storing that magic to fuel a great ritual that will tear
order to have the immediate advantage of the boundary between death and life forever?
a newborn ghost in combat. The powers
of mummies can also wither, age, and de-
stroy people, property, and land.
The more damage that’s done to a mummy, the more their Returning
true nature is revealed. The human facade slips a little further
with each wound that their form sustains. Mummies can undo Through The
this damage with a little time, concentration, and energy, and
Otherwise, mummies will fight until their opponents are dead, Curtain Of Death

will do so swiftly if combat is brought to an end in their favor.
or they are safely returned to their temporary death. Mummies briefly return to the world for a specific purpose
Hunters may be surprised to learn that mummies tend to and can stay active and alive for as long as they pursue that goal.
behave in a predetermined fashion when confronted. Mum- From the undying’s point of view, they’re reawakened to fulfill
mies may have power, but their free will is non-existent. If a their mission and, once its complete, they’ll heed the call of
mummy has been forced into combat, it’s on the verge of not their tomb, where they’ll rest until they’re needed once again.
completing the mission it was reawakened to fulfill. These are A mummy’s cycle of death and rebirth may be interrupted
not elaborate schemes or goals that a compact or conspiracy if it doesn’t complete what it was summoned to accomplish.
may have; these missions are the only reason why the mummy Should they deviate from that plan, their strength and ability to
exists in the living world. The undying are incapable of resist- stay in the living world rapidly ebbs away. The undying’s com-
ing their agendas without significant mental effort. Should mitment to their mission, be it one they come back to life with
they abandon their cause, they are all but guaranteed an early or one they were summoned for, is not an option or a decision
return to the grave. to follow; it’s inherent in their state of being.
Thus, a mummy avoids violent confrontations whenever The undying may also be forced back into the grave early
possible. During lesser moments of crisis, the undying typically if they are frustrated or sufficiently damaged, i.e. “dead” in hu-
concentrate on evading hunters and, instead, send their cultists man terms. Mummies believe the state in which they return
to deal with or remove them entirely. To a mummy, a hunter is to the grave impacts their next reawakening. If they retreat
almost always a distraction, unless they were specifically raised into their tomb in a terrible state, they’ll likely reawaken as an
to deal with them, or accidentally awakened by them....
animalistic and forgetful creature. Conversely, if a mummy ac-

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