Mga Hari ng Ilog ni Magwayen

Mga Hari ng Ilog ni Magwayen (Tagalog for "the Kings of Magwayen's River", commonly shortened to just the Hari) are a vampiric blood cult with significant influence among the societal elite of the Philippines.

History

Origin

Before the Spanish took over the Philippine archipelago, leaders and shamans believed that marrying spirits of the land gave them power. It was common practice for an authority figure, such as the local datu or the babaylan of the polity, to have a mortal spouse to continue their bloodline, and to name themselves as the lover of a spiritual patron. The marriages were grabs for social and political influence just as much as they were a means of worship: The pre-Colonial Filipino believed that the best way to appease the land and take part in its bounty was to offer themselves as sacrifices. It was also understood that the union between human and spirit had no tangible product in the form of offspring.

As with all things colonizer, things got shaky once Christianity and conquest entered the picture. Spanish exorcists could not reconcile the idea that a marriage, even if it was one between an otherworldly force and a mortal, would have not produced children. Surely the sons and daughters from these bloodlines possessed some sort of power, or were at least nominally favored by the spiritual patron of their family? One particular priest, Padre Alejandro Raura, made it his life's work to test this theory.

Many a grisly experiment took place by Padre Raura's hand, all under the guise of a holy inquisition. What Raura's peers were unaware of was the fact that Raura was a Spanish vampire who had established a lair in the Philippines. Raura's experiments were a way for him to consolidate power over his mortal flock, and also a means for him to have a steady supply of human blood to sustain himself. He convinced his human minions that the flesh of spirit children was imbued with power, and the only way to take that power for one's self was to cannibalize them.

Spread

Thus, the Hari ng Ilog ni Magwayen — the Hari — were born, although back then they were known by another, far more Spanish name. Raura's influence became a cult following among the illustrados, the powerful local clergy, and the Spanish elite on the archipelago. While the humans hunted down and kidnapped people with "the blood" for their next meal, the vampires stole away the most desirable ones among the picking to glut themselves as they pleased. Occasionally, these morsels proved to be interesting enough to be turned into vampires themselves, thus growing Raura's cabal in the country.

The Katipunan Revolution and the Philippines gaining its independence from Spain posed a notable threat to the Hari but did not stamp them out. Raura and his minions merely moved their operations further underground and hid behind the financial shields provided by the rich patrons they had under their thrall. Of course, playing nice with the Americans only helped them further, and was the main reason why the cult survived World War II.

Modern Nights

At present, the Hari's cannibals have taken on a life of their own away from their vampiric masters. The practice of eating spirit children tends to be a family affair, as members of the cult indoctrinate their loved ones, and seek out like-minded folk within their social strata to marry as a means of protecting the power they devoured for themselves. Most of these cannibals aren't even aware of the fact that their cult started because of vampires, much less know that vampires exist. There are whispers among the upper echelons about a biannual Selection, which the vampire Hari arranges for in order to feast and to see if there are viable mortals to Embrace.

Raura's fate is unknown. It is likely that the old vampire was either killed years ago (or immolated himself in sunlight during a fugue) or is sleeping the strange, timeless sleep of the undead. His successors are happy to lead the cult for themselves.

Mortal Members

Leadership

Wesley Essex-Guanzon is the current "Ang Dakilang Hari (The Great King)", the human head of the cult. He is aware of the vampiric masters of the Hari and seeks to become one.

Members

The bulk of the human Hari consist of old-money elites and successful businessfolk, funding the operations of the wings of the cult that tend to get their hands dirty more often in exchange for being able to partake in the flesh of those with "the blood", which most attribute their success to. Human Hari really believe that the mortals they consume are the source of all their good fortune and vitality.

No member of the Hari is average. Raura and his vampiric cabal have always preferred to take the brightest, most beautiful stars among their human thralls, a practice his contemporaries see fit to continue. The human members of the cult come from the elite echelons of human society, and often have generations of money at their disposal. Whatever physical defects or pre-existing conditions they have as a result of strange marriages or the practice of cannibalism themselves is always swept away by expensive plastic surgery. Money also buys great food, comfortable air-conditioned homes, and access to luxurious fitness facilities.

Some of the human Hari are catching on to the possibility that there is a cult within their cult, and that those secret ones hold the true power. This faction wants to uncover this secret group, and either join them or dethrone them. They aren't aware that they're dealing with vampires, however.

Enforcers

The Hari's operations require significant time and manpower to sustain, resulting in a large proportion of the cult being dedicated to kidnapping desirable individuals. Kaitlin Fajardo spearheads most of these kidnapping operations and takes pride in providing chattel for the cult. She, like the rest of the snatchers, are unaware of the true history of the Hari, including the fact that vampires are real.

The network that the cult has at its disposal is the kind that’s so expansive that their own assets often operate to protect the interests of the Hari without knowing that they’re doing it. The 1 percent in the Philippines, most especially the ones in Manila, come from a small and insular world that takes care of its own even if they happen to be human-eating religious freaks. From government officials to crooked cops to amoral journalists, anyone that the Hari perceive to be too inquisitive, together with anyone they love, may be threatened.

Hounds

So far, Hunters who have a run-in with the Hari haven’t survived to tell the tale. The cult handles all threats to its survival with impunity, and has little love for Hunters. Its members are the sort who would pull all the stops and relentlessly pursue any person who could be a potential threat before trouble starts.

Occasionally, particularly cunning members of the cult kidnap Hunters who have tried to go after them, starve them, and break them into the practices of the Hari by feeding them nothing but spirit children remains. The "hounds" they create from this process are vicious things and are the cult’s weapon of choice against Hunters who try to target them.

Hounds are wretched individuals, barely able to get along in society, but they retain their Hunter skills, now pressed into hunting a new quarry: other Hunters.

Vampiric Members

While the specific clan or bloodline that Raura (and therefore vampiric Hari descended from him) belongs to is never made explicit, the cult's members' aptitude for Auspex and Dominate, their common ability to rip the blood out of a body from a distance, and their penchant for strict and authoritarian hierarchy, strongly implies that they are an offshoot of clan Tremere. If this is the case, what connections or knowledge they have regarding their clan's wider structure, if any, is unclear.

Structure

Marissa Inojosa is the alpha vampire in the cabal. The oldest in the lot, she rules over the rest with an iron fist. She claims that the vampire who made her was one of Raura's original lieutenants. She is also Wesley Essex-Guanzon's current lover.

Some of the vampire Hari feel that Marissa has controlled the cult for too long, and relies over much on her unverified ties to Padre Alejandro Raura. They are willing to use human meat-shields and mortal minions to oust her. One of these dissidents, Richard Tupaz, is sycophantic toward Marissa's face, but schemes to overthrow her as the new head of the cabal.

Gallery

References

• HTR: 5th Edition Core Rulebook, p. 175-179