The Hook is a True Fae who began hunting in the mortal world during the Red Scare.
Biography
Overview
| “ | *Wet, ragged breathing and the scraping of sharp metal on the trunk of a car* | ” |
This Other was drawn to the combination of sexual longing and the moralistic pushback against it so common in 1950s America. Seeking out those who tried to hide their trysts in dark and lonely places, the Hook disemboweled its victims, scattering their torn innards and mangled limbs about the scene. An even unluckier few found themselves dragged back to Arcadia.
Though the origin of its legends is in the States, scattered stories are told of grisly murders in Canada, Europe, and even farther afield that fit the Hook's modus operandi.
Appearance
Reports by rare survivors don’t quite agree on the specifics of the Hook’s appearance. Some say it is a looming figure in a voluminous black trench coat and fedora, always illuminated from behind and, thus, without any visible features. Others recount a hulking shadow, surmounted by a burlap sack with two eyeholes cut into it, revealing only twin pools of darkness. Still others tell of a dirty set of dark brown, blue or gray coveralls, and some sort of covering for the unseen face. In no case can a face of any sort be discerned; often, no skin at all is visible. All of the stories, however, agree upon the presence of the hook, usually at the end of the Other’s right arm. The specific nature of the hook itself is a subject of some contention: some of the few survivors offer panicked whispers of a weapon gleaming and barbed, while others stammer on about a simple, battered, rusted implement. In some rare few cases, the hook has two or more prongs, though most stories agree that it has only one.
His Changelings
The Hook does not find any interest in interaction with others; as such, those it takes are quickly abandoned, left to the whims of whichever True Fae finds them. A disproportionate number of those taken become Ogres or Darklings. It is unknown why this is — perhaps the Hook chooses to take mostly those with a predisposition for those Seemings; perhaps it usually abandons its catches in the hunting grounds of Others known for turning changelings to those Seemings.
Character Sheet
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 6, Resolve 4
Physical Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 6, Stamina
5
Social Attributes: Presence 5, Manipulation 2, Composure 6
Mental Skills: Crafts (Weapon Maintenance) 5
Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Stealth (Shadows) 6, Survival (Tracking) 6, Weaponry (Hook) 6
Social Skills: Empathy (Fear) 4, Intimidation 6
Merits: Disarm, Fast Reflexes 2, Fighting Finesse (Hook), Fleet of Foot 3, Iron Stamina 3
Willpower: 10
Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Wrath
Initiative: 14
Defense: 6
Speed: 18
Health: 15–17 (see below)
Wyrd: 7
Contracts: Darkness •••••; Dream •; Smoke •••; Stone ••
Glamour/per Turn: 20/7
Armor: 4/4 (bulletproof; guns are effectively useless against the Hook)
Weapons/Attacks:
| Type | Damage | Range | Dice Pool | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hook | 2(L) | — | 15 | see below |
| Fist | 0(B) | — | 8 | — |
Fae Aspects
• Harvester’s Hook: Whenever inflicting points of lethal or aggravated damage upon a sentient being with its claw, the Hook may divide the points of damage dealt between its Glamour, Willpower and/or Health (healing either bashing or lethal damage, though not aggravated damage), recuperating points in the appropriate category or categories, up to its normal maximum.
• Immortal Flesh: As one of the True Fae manifested in the mortal world, the Hook can shrug off some of the lesser slings and arrows of the mundane. Bashing damage does not affect the Hook at all, unless delivered by a cold iron bludgeon. Cold-forged iron causes aggravated damage, should someone be skilled enough to strike the Hook with such.
• Mutable Form: With an instant action and the expenditure of three points of Glamour, the Hook can change its Size to be anywhere between 5 and 7, inclusive. Rarely will it alter its Size in the course of a single encounter, however, even when doing so would be to its benefit. A secondary side effect of this Aspect is the ability to alter its features at a whim, so as to present the particular face of fear that strikes its fancy on any given night. Invariably, the Hook’s “face” is a mask of some sort, or shadows so deep (likely under a hood) that they cannot be penetrated. No force, Contract or otherwise, can remove the Hook’s mask or dispel the darkness veiling its features.
• Ruled by Passion: The Hook regains one Willpower point from indulging its Virtue, but refreshes its whole pool when satiating its Vice.
• Unearthly Fortitude: The Hook has five additional points of Health, irrespective of its present Size; this True Fae is virtually impossible to bring down.
References
- CTL: Night Horrors: Grim Fears, p. 72-76