CONTRASTACIÓN DE HIPÓTESIS

Big, splendid, boy. Oh, yes.

Unlike many Prometheans, Walter Wilde has no illusions about why he was created. The man that fashioned him — stitch-

ing him together out of the parts of men pilfered from funeral homes and hospitals — wanted a lover. He wanted someone to be his plaything, his confidante. He wanted what the men he’d been with all his adult life could never be. And in Walter, this lonely man found his dream lover.

The relationship lasted six months until Walter realized that his creator, his father and lover, was a terrible, boring, over- bearing monster. Walter packed his things and left a note, and made his way into the world. He learned later that his creator had been found with his throat slit, and that the authorities were looking for a man that fit his description.

Walter did not kill his creator, but he also knows that he’ll never convince anyone of that. He took what money he had, and used his supernatural charm to make more. He acts as a companion to men of means; he is a lover and a muse. And in return, the men pay him, until they start to remind him of his creator. Then, Walter leaves again.

What Walter has never quite realized is that his “patrons” don’t change. They get clingy, jealous, and overbearing because that is the response his Disquiet elicits from them. If he ever figures that out, he’s likely to break from the guilt of knowing that he drove his cre- ator to madness and suicide. What happens then is anyone’s guess. Virtue: Hopeful

Vice: Lazy Lineage: Galatea

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Re- solve 2

Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2

Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 5, Composure 2

Mental Skills: Academics (Poetry) 2, Computer 1, Occult 2, Politics 1

Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Drive 1, Larceny 2, Stealth (Sneaking) 3

Social Skills: Empathy 2, Expression 2, Intimi- dation 1, Persuasion (Seduction) 4, Socialize 3, Streetwise (Clandestine Hookup Locations) 2, Subterfuge 4

Merits: Barfly, Fast Reflexes 2, Fast-Talking 3, Potency 2, Pusher, Resources 2, Striking Looks 2, Sympathetic

Health: 7

Dread Powers: Absorb Energy (Electricity) 5, Curse of Failings 2, Dead Flesh 3, Embolden the Mob 4, Eye for Desire 4, Revelation 3, Revivify 2 Potency: 2

Aspirations: Inspire greatness, Find someone to love him, Find riches

Willpower: 4 Size: 5 Speed: 10 Defense: 5 Initiative: 7

WILDE

WANdERINg mONSTERS

35 Description: Walter is beautiful. He has a sleek swimmer’s

body, chestnut-brown hair and mirthful brown eyes. His hands are delicate, and his teeth are perfect and white. A tattoo in blue script, beginning on his left wrist and running up his arm, across his back, and down his right arm, reads, “The armies of those I love engirth me, and I engirth them.”

When Walter’s disfigurements show, all the perfection goes away. His teeth are ill-fitting and wiggle noticeably when he speaks. The tattoo on his arms and back distorts, becoming a random col- lection of squiggles. His hands and feet seem too small for his body, and his left eye becomes noticeably larger and darker than his right. Storytelling Hints: Walter wants to be loved. He truly loved his creator, and it was this love that allowed him to learn much more about the human world than most Prometheans manage in a very short time. Perhaps ironically, though, he doesn’t know much about how to be a Promethean — he re- mains unaware of the harsh reality of Disquiet, simply assum- ing that all relationships are doomed.

If one of the characters is of suitable temperament, Walter might approach him as a lover or a muse. Walter has expensive tastes, however.

Alternately, the hunters might run across Walter after he has learned the unfortunate truth about Disquiet. When that happens, Walter might try to accrue wealth and comfort at the expense of his lovers’ sanity or lives; the characters might en- counter him after following a string of high-profile men who’ve either committed suicide or have been reported missing.

Imp

Not right. Not right. I think it’s my foot. Right one bigger. Not right. Yours are same size. Hold still.

Prometheans can’t have children, but that doesn’t mean they can’t reproduce. One can create another. Sometimes they get it wrong and the body breaks apart into monsters. Sometimes they get it right, but they still get it wrong — and get something like Imp. Imp — short for “Imperfect,” but she doesn’t know that — was created by a Promethean on his way to achieving humanity. At least, he thought so. Figuring that all he had left to do was make a new monster, he slapped together some body parts, performed the alchemical working, and was delighted to see his creation rise. He even stayed around to help her through her first few awkward days,

IMP

Virtue: Patient Vice: Selfish

Lineage: Frankenstein

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 4 Physical Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4

Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 3, Composure 3

Mental Skills: Academics 3, Crafts (Body Parts) 4, Investigation 1, Medicine (Anatomy) 2, Occult 4, Science 3

Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Larceny 2, Stealth 2, Weaponry (Machete) 3

Social Skills: Intimidation (Creepy) 3, Streetwise 2

Merits: Ambidextrous, Double-Jointed, Potency 3 Health: 9

Dread Powers: Absorb Energy (Electricity) 5, Dead Flesh 5, Degradation 3, Revelation 3, Revivify 1, Spare Parts, Titan’s Strength 2 Potency: 2

Aspirations: Find a better body part, Suc- cessfully add a part to her brain, Avoid de- tection Willpower: 7 Size: 5 Speed: 13 Defense: 6 Initiative: 6 Armor:

Notes: Imp has a Dread Power called Spare Parts, which allows her to take fresh, non- decayed human body parts and use them to replace parts of her own body. By doing so, she can rearrange her Physical Attributes. She needs a supply of body parts, some means of attaching them, and two hours of work per dot she wishes to shift. Heavy duty thread and a needle work — the alchemical magic holding her together does the rest.

and then patted her on the hand and said, “You have a long way to go. When you get to the end, you’ll be perfect.”

And his creation, unable to speak properly, said, “I’m imp? Imp? Imp—” She probably would have been able to say “imperfect” eventually, but her creator nodded and left her there in the park, surrounded by people who were already starting to hate her.

Imp’s story might have been tragic and sympathetic, but it swiftly took a turn for the grotesque. She discovered that she could replace her own body parts with new ones. All she needed was the raw material and a way to affix them; she uses needle and heavy thread when she can, but she also carries an industrial sta- ple gun for quick or awkward jobs. She started by replacing her right arm — she felt hers was weak. The arm she used was from the body of a man who’d attacked her, so she felt justified in cutting it off and recycling it. From there, she’d steal body parts whenever she could, replacing fingers, toes, eyes, lips, patches of skin, or whatever else struck her fancy. Imp’s changed her face so many times that she doesn’t even remember what she initially looked like, and she’s still no closer to perfection.

Imp started killing people for their parts eight months ago. She stays on the move, but she’s always searching for new mate- rial. She maintains correspondence with occult scholars of various stripes, but those that disclose their real names and locations tend to vanish — Imp is always interested in adding the frontal lobes of new people to her own brain, though she hasn’t quite managed to make it work yet. If she can find enough perfect parts, and take them, then maybe she can reach the end once she’s perfect herself. Description: Imp is of medium height, with a stocky build and a serious, quizzical expression. Her facial features change frequently; she’s gotten extremely deft at replacing her own lips and eyes, and has even managed to switch out her jawbone. She speaks haltingly, and stutters when she gets upset. She is much more intelligent than her speech would indicate, though, and her writing is verbose and fluid.

When her disfigurements flare, Imp’s constant reworking of her body becomes evident. Her flesh is criss-crossed with stitches, staples, glue, thread, and other adhesives, and she looks like a human jigsaw puzzle. Her flesh hangs loosely on her bones, and her lips on thin string.

Storytelling Hints: Imp is a monster. Her origins may be somewhat tragic, but she kills without a hint of remorse. She is utterly failing at her Pilgrimage; she has almost no under- standing of humanity, and sees people as walking sources of parts. Hunters might stumble onto her trail while looking for a serial killer that removes body parts, or they might recognize a tattoo or birthmark from someone they know on a new body. They could also be investigating the murder of a known occult scholar and go searching for the villain that he was correspond- ing with. Once they run across the stuttering, simple-looking Imp, they could assume she’s a henchman.