Hunters Most Wanted
Forgotten Lore - Issue 4
By Travis Wilson
The following are examples of hunters alive today. Some are famous in their own right among Kindred. Others are new to the Hunt. These represent four rewrites of the six example hunters featured in the original The Hunters Hunted. They have been updated to make them V20 compatible as well as altered to better fit the gameline as it exists today. The other two hunters listed aren't actually human: Kanglor, a vengeful Lupine intent on slaying the Kindred who killed his mate, and Walker Grimes, a Nosferatu looking to end the Sire that cursed him with an eternity of disfigurement. It’s also worth noting that Arctos was conceptually designed as a Mage before Mage the Ascension’s release and his background and advantages are much closer to Ars Magica.
Caiaphas Smith
Hunters in New England have heard many stories of Caiaphas Smith, just ask them. One proclaims that Caiaphas destroyed his first vampire at fifteen. Another reads aloud the violent actions of a lone abolitionist, recounted in an 1832 article The Liberator and swears this is the first proof of Caiaphas at work. The last shakes his head and tells you he's as dangerous as the damned he's after. Of course the damned, they have different stories about Caiaphas.That he is God's own agent, as old as America, and no vampire can corrupt his pursuit to end the race of Caine. This is partially true.
Caiaphas began his hunt generations ago amid a tightly knit rural community sometime in the early 1800s. He stumbled upon a stranger in the house of his neighbor attempting to feed from the woman. Through luck (and according to Caiaphas the grace of God) he struck the attacker down. It was not until after the unnatural life ended that he realized it was a vampire. He found solace in the writings of Cotton Mather and other puritanical works on the subjects of demonic forces.
For a time all that mattered to him was his God given duty to destroy vampires. Cities were not kind places for men like Caiaphas and he believed he was tested like Job in that manmade inferno of industrial horror and exploitation. Although he does not speak often of it, he was greatly injured. The hunter's faith persevered when he managed to free a slave to the blood, who told him of the foul miracles the damned could offer a man. Caiaphas realized then the answer to his mortal frailty. He imbibed vampire blood believing that a man who holds moral purity and a places God's glory before himself could not be tempted into damnation.
Caiaphas knows he has sinned in this act and risks his soul for decades to prolong his life long enough to complete his great task. It has not been a perfect solution and without a constant supply of blood he has reached the physical age of 76. The Sabbat have become the target of most of his ire, though this is largely by their lack of discretion, all Kindred are damned to Caiaphas.
He has worked with the Inquisition in the past, although he disapproves of their papal ties. He has acquired a large number and variety of allies which mostly help to keep him from running afoul of the authorities. The Camarilla for its part has a standing edict in regards to the legendary figure: Kindred are to avoid him at any cost. In this way the Justicars figure his drive and danger can be better set against the Camarilla's enemies.
Name: Caiaphas Smith
Age: 198 (appears to be in late 70s)
Nature: Fanatic
Demeanor: Fanatic
Concept: Puritan Hunter
Motive: Righteousness
Roleplaying Hints: You are focused on the job at hand all else is unimportant. God grants you the sight to see the damned for what they are. You speak with force and strong diction often staring intently. The long nights have drained your desire for small talk, you're a man uncomfortable with the speed of the modern world and you know your time is short. Lately your leg has begun to ache for the first time in over a century. Although your commitment to God is as strong as it has ever been it seems as though your own divine connection is growing more distant. You're just beginning to feel the gnawing of doubt and are at a tipping point one which may redeem or destroy you.
Attributes: Strength 4(Reserves of Strength), Dexterity 3, Stamina 4(Tireless), Charisma 3, Manipulation 1, Appearance 2, Perception 4(Insightful), Intelligence 3, Wits 4(Changes in Strategy)
Abilities: Alertness 4 (Forests), Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Intimidation 4 (Thousand Yard Stare), Leadership 2, Animal Ken 1, Brawl 3, Melee 4 (Staking), Firearms 2, Stealth 3, Survival 4 (Woodlands), Professional Skill Ride 2, Investigation 3, Medicine 2, Occult 4 (Kindred Lore)
Blood Pool: 2
Disciplines: Potence 1, Fortitude 1
Humanity: 9
Willpower: 9
Virtues: Conscience 2, Self Control 4, Courage 5
Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 3, Fame (only applicable to hunters and vampires) 3, Resources 2
Equipment: Well read bible, stake, crossbow, rifled musket springfield model 1855, hunting rifle
Merits & Flaws: True Faith 7, Addicted to Vampire Blood 3 (Should Caiaphas lose this flaw he immediately gains the Flaw Lame 3)
Notes: Caiaphas once had a True Faith rating of 4 but his ingesting of Vitae and the compromises involved have dwindled to a mere 2. Caiaphas almost never actively expends Blood Points on his disciplines but when he does he immediately loses the advantages of True Faith, meaning on any turn which he benefited from spending Blood or the passive effects of Fortitude he cannot gain the benefit of True Faith. Whether power drawn from the Curse of Caine cannot exist in tandem with the Light of God or corrupting influence of vampire blood has left Caiaphas' faith wanting, is up to the Storyteller to decide.
His original sin has become a full blown addiction and it would take some extraordinary skill to convince him to give up the Blood and accept his mortality. Such an act might also save Caiaphas' soul and any hunters who did would find an extraordinarily knowledgeable ally for as long as he last.
Deborah Rose Keller
Before the death of her son Mrs. Keller lived an archetypical middle class existence happily married to a prominent plastic surgeon and enjoying the life a dilettante. After the police informed her of her son's accidental death in a hunting accident she spent weeks on a heavy cocktail of wine and antidepressants. Half a year passed before the questions of what exactly her son, a teenager on a fast track to Berkley University with no previous interest in hunting, had been doing alone in the woods. She contacted local law enforcement and hired a private investigator but found she was unable to secure anything concrete.
Eventually Deborah's obsession alienated her friends and distanced herself from her husband. He filed for divorce the following year. She walked away with a healthy settlement and invested the bulk of her finances in trying an unsuccessful lawsuit against the police department which investigated the accident. Again Mrs. Keller found legal measures useless, and it was at this time that she received an anonymous letter containing the original autopsy. Her son had been drained of blood when the police had found him.
Deborah has since managed to track a single vampire to his haven, the confrontation was brief the creature mistook her for law enforcement and fled. Her memories of that night are limited to waking up in a police patrol car and being told that the home she was trespassing on was empty. None the less Mrs. Keller still occasionally has nightmares about a man with two hideous fangs.
What she is unaware of is her quiet support by a member of the Society of Leopold who first delivered the autopsy report to her. The Cainite she encountered considers her a threat to his own standing as well as to the Masquerade and yet he is at a loss as to how to deal with her, so far Deborah has not managed to catch up to her prey.
She continues to be an extremely vocal member of her community despite her existent fall from social graces and has become paramount in spearheading outreach programs, citizens' groups, and student awareness campaigns aimed at keeping people safe from the predations of the damned.
Name: Deborah Rose Keller
Age: 42
Nature: Martyr
Demeanor: Caregiver
Concept: Crusading Housewife
Motive: Revenge
Roleplaying Hints: You are well mannered and polite but persistent in your demands. Your social circle, up until a few months ago consisted of a group of wealthy men and women whose greatest challenges were 'first world problems'. You cannot go back to that life although you occasionally long for a time when money was no object and gossip was your greatest vice you're starting to see the ugly underbelly of society for the first time. You won't allow anyone to burst the bubble your friends spend their lives in however and are intent on shouldering this burden alone.
Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 1, Stamina 2, Charisma 4 (scare tactics), Manipulation 3, Appearance 4 (plastic perfection), Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3
Abilities: Alertness 2, Intimidation 3, Leadership 3, Streetwise 1, Drive 2, Etiquette 2, Expression 1, Academics 2, Computer 2, Investigation 2, Occult 1
Humanity: 8
Willpower: 5
Virtues: Conscience 4, Self Control 4, Courage 2
Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 2, Resources 2
Equipment: Tablet computer, extensive wardrobe, hybrid car, high end cellphone
Dennis Quincy, "the Uncanny Danny"
Dennis to his friends and Uncanny Danny to his fans, Dennis Quincy was a man who enjoyed proving people wrong. It started with a blog about street magicians, followed by a very public libel lawsuit. Dennis won the lawsuit garnished a book deal and enough publicity to get his 15 minutes on the talk show circuit and a reality TV show starring professional skeptic "the Uncanny Danny". When that faded Dennis took his unique skillset on the road, offering explanations to anyone with a bizarre problem and the credit to meet his prices.
Timothy Barris changed everything. Timothy approached Dennis after a book signing and seemed at first to be more than a little disturbed. Timothy recounted that he had been in a relationship with a vampire until she tried to kill him. It struck Dennis that if Timothy some sort of stalker this might just be the thing that could catapult his brand back into the limelight. Dennis got his consulting fee and Timothy's rights to the story that night with only a single caveat; no cameras.
Danny wasn't surprised by the request but he kept his cell phone recording the audio when he followed Timothy to meet this 'vampire'. When he walked into the barely furnished brownstone Dennis wasn't prepared for the pale beauty of a woman lying languid across a deep moss green divan. She offered Dennis a proposition to die in ignominy or learn the truth of the world as one of her kind. Timothy intruded demanding the vampire reconsider, when she refused, he lashed out at her. What happened next still haunts Dennis, in a blur of violence the women left the man who called himself Timothy grasping his throat and bleeding out over a dark wooden floor. After all the years of hoax upon hoax he had finally seen something that the rational mind could not explain and so he ran.
After dawn back in his hotel room Dennis began to assess what had happened to him believing that he had confronted something which science had not explained. Since that night he's been sued again and blacklisted from the major networks but he still has a dedicated core of believers. He has approximated some scientific theory about the nature and origin of vampirism one which is continually reinvented at each new discovery. His current theory involves a virus originating in the 'shadow biosphere', the area occupied by microorganisms that evolved in isolation from the rest of life on earth, which somehow passed into mankind.
Although Dennis has only seen one vampire in person his research, media support, and vocal online presence have put him on the radar. Local Kindred consider him one genuine dissemination away from a serious breach to the Masquerade and the Arcanum has toyed with the idea of bringing the Uncanny Danny into the fold. Dennis has a shrewd mind and has recently come to the conclusion he's being regularly followed although he's yet assessed the dangers or conspiracies behind it.
Name: Dennis Quincy
Age: 54
Nature: Curmudgeon
Demeanor: Director
Concept: Skeptic
Motive: Curiosity
Roleplaying Hints: You are gleeful and righteous when you discover a hoax. But when something is not immediately obvious as a trick you get incredibly serious and will not rest until you've unraveled the mystery. You are well-groomed and affect a scholar’s air but you've got a bit of showmanship in you.
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Charisma 3, Manipulation 5 (well - reasoned), Appearance 1, Perception 4(discerning), Intelligence 4 (problem solver), Wits 3 Abilities: Alertness 3, Subterfuge 4(hiding motives), Craft 1, Drive 2, Expression 2, Performance 2, Stealth 2, Professional Skill Street Magic 2, Computer 2, Investigation 3, Science 4 (biology), Technology 2
Humanity: 6
Willpower: 4
Virtues: Conscience 3, Self Control 3, Courage 2
Backgrounds: Contacts 4, Fame 2, Resources 4
Merits & Flaws: Combat Novice 2
Equipment: Digital recording equipment, laptop, a deck of cards, personal wifi hotspot
Arctos
In Greenwich Village, New York, there is a man who lives in a home taken brick by brick from the ancient world. He is a man who has studied the secret powers of the world. He is a powerful magi who has bound the souls of two damned forever into his services. He has befriended Lupines and once made love to a powerful Faerie. Yes there are many tales of Arctos most of which he invented himself.
What is true however is that he is a potent hedge magician and a skilled liar. He's not taken an apprentice and whatever method or mentor who taught him how to sort out the course of fate has passed out of this world. Arctos, if that is his true name is concerned with the here and now. He made millions when the bottom fell out of the real estate market and he's spent the last few years quietly gathering up even more land to add to his burgeoning empire. It was this that first brought him into competition with Kindred operating in the same circles. Arctos keeps himself surrounded himself with sycophants to run his financial affairs and steps in only for major undertakings.
However the last few years have been a slow sort of conflict with the damned, with "blows" being exchanged only once every few months when the opportunity presents itself. For the most Arctos acted out of defense of his interest until he was forced to end the career of one of his own investment advisors when it became clear that they had become a Ghoul. Since then he has become obsessed with the idea that he could mystically synthesize the Blood Bond, it has even led him to spare members of the Tremere from his machinations. Arctos believes himself a heroic figure capable of taking hold of the reins of the financial markets and find a means to bring the damned to heel he will be free to do just that.
Name: Christopher Barrow aka Arctos
Age: 57
Nature: Architect
Demeanor: Capitalist
Concept: Mystical Finance Tycoon
Motive: Power
Roleplaying Hints: You are use to having your every demands met before you've even uttered them. You're in love with your cult of personality and the persona you've created and try to actively deny anything that doesn't fit the mold of what you have become. You've convinced yourself that you understand reality better than anyone so you're twice as likely to become unhinged when proven incorrect. Day to day you're extremely superstitious often requiring elaborate rituals before under taking any activity of importance.
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4(tireless), Charisma 4 (Smooth Talker), Manipulation 4(Persuasive), Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 4(Analytical), Wits 3
Abilities: Alertness 3, Awareness 3, Empathy 2, Leadership 4 (compelling), Etiquette 4(business world), Melee 2,Performance 2, Academics 3, Finance 3, Law 2, Occult 4(haruspicy)
Numina: Divination 4, Cursing 3
Humanity: 6
Willpower: 7
Virtues: Conscience 2, Self Control 4, Courage 4
Backgrounds: Allies 4, Alternate Identity 4, Base of Operations 9(Luxury 4, Size 2, Security 3), Contacts 3, Influence 1, Resources 5, Retainers 4
Merits & Flaws: Occult Library 4
Equipment: Arctos carries with him three daggers one with an Etruscan design primarily for sacrifices, another made entirely of silver, and the third made of cold iron, he also is often found with a bronze model of a sheep liver, effigies of bound men and women, and a worn copy of Atlas Shrugged.
