Background: In the 1970s, the Beasts of Orkney began to be hunted as prey. One of their number was slain in his Lair, his skin flayed off while his Horror had vanished without a trace. Most of the local Children blamed his death on a Hero, and they were content to leave it at that. Unfortunately, the being that would come to be called the Flayer would strike again over the following decades. Each time he did so, the number of years between the killings was halved, and the Orcadian Begotten now struggle to catch their assailant before he wipes them all out.
Despite calling on their siblings from Scotland and the rest of Europe, and even enlisting the aid of a cabal of mages, the local Beasts are still not close to determining his identity. They know that the Flayer's hunts have taken place over a hundred years, but they do not know what exactly he is. Most suspect him to be a Hero (or even a collection of Heroes), though a few whisper that he is a Child of the Dark Mother who has turned his Hunger upon his siblings.
None have yet to realize that he is something much worse.
The creature known as the Flayer is an Insatiable of the Primordial Seas. He has been around since the late 19th Century, and developed an extensive repertoire of abilities which make him so menacing to Orkney's Beasts in the present. In addition to the Lair he has built up, this has cemented his newfound position as Apex, leading to the Darkness that has begun to spread throughout the Hive.
Description: The Flayer's human identity is a mystery, and those that encounter him in his Horrible Form have thus far not lived to tell the tale. When he stikes at his victims, it is as a dark and vast tidal wave. Its waters strike with enough force to crush the Beasts' souls and flay their skins, and they consume whatever is left as they recede into the depths. The sea foam often looks like a cloud of knives, but it can just as easily appear as a jumble of hungry mouths.
Storytelling Hints: While most Insatiables who wish to claim a Lair must steal those of the Begotten, the Flayer has built up and maintained his own through centuries of pursuing his Hunger. Orkney is but a part of his vast hunting ground, and the years where he did not kill any of its Begotten were spent preying on mortals, Beasts, and other supernaturals elsewhere. Why he keeps returning to the archipelago (and less discrete with his killings there) may hint at his agendas there, but the frequency in his appearances may be attributed to globalization. As people around the world become increasingly connected through technology, the Flayer is forced to shorten the range of his predations to avoid drawing attention. This leaves him visiting certain locales more often, and the Insatiable may need to establish his claim over permanent territory. Should he choose to settle down in Orkney, it may very well spell the end for the Beasts there.
How the Flayer has managed to gain a permanent Lair and allow it to persist for so long is another compelling reason to seek him out. Those Beasts who discover he is an Insatiable may come to wonder how he has managed to achieve it. Is it the result of a unique power that he developed on his own? Or did he accomplish it with the help of someone or something? The answers to these questions may not be easy to accept, but they may prove crucial to ending the threat he poses.
Legend: Unexpected
Life: Cautious
Moment: Primordial Seas
Hunger: Prey
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 5, Resolve 5
Physical Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5
Social Attributes: Presence 5, Manipulation 3, Composure 5
Mental Skills: Crafts 3 [Skinning], Investigation 5 [Beasts], Medicine 3, Occult 4
Physical Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 3 [Grappling], Stealth 5, Survival 4, Weaponry 3 [Knives]
Social Skills: Empathy 3, Intimidation 4 [Hunger], Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 4 [Lure]
Merits: Danger Sense, Danger Sense [Advanced], Epic Potential [Strength], Fist of Nightmares, Killer Instinct 3, Killer Instinct [Advanced] 3, Trained Observer 3
Esurients: Body of Mouths, Intruder, Subversion of Satiety, Terrible Form, Veiled Presence, Your Power is Mine
Nightmares: All Your Teeth Are Falling Out, You Are Not Alone, You Cannot Run
Atavisms: Endless Depths, Eye of Heaven, From the Shadows, Heart of the Ocean, Needs Must
Lair: 5
Health: 10
Willpower: 10
Satiety: 6
Size: 5
Speed: 15
Initiative: 9
Defense: 8
Lair Traits: Crushing, Currents, Darkness, Downpour,
Notes:
* The Flayer's Lair rating can never fall below one dot, and he therefore has a single Chamber at his weakest. This Chamber possesses the Darkness Trait, and is analogous to a Beast's Heart.
* The Insatiable expands his Lair through Satiety expenditure, and it takes longer for his Lair to dissipate. After a number of days equal to his Satiety, the Lair degrades by one dot.
Despite calling on their siblings from Scotland and the rest of Europe, and even enlisting the aid of a cabal of mages, the local Beasts are still not close to determining his identity. They know that the Flayer's hunts have taken place over a hundred years, but they do not know what exactly he is. Most suspect him to be a Hero (or even a collection of Heroes), though a few whisper that he is a Child of the Dark Mother who has turned his Hunger upon his siblings.
None have yet to realize that he is something much worse.
The creature known as the Flayer is an Insatiable of the Primordial Seas. He has been around since the late 19th Century, and developed an extensive repertoire of abilities which make him so menacing to Orkney's Beasts in the present. In addition to the Lair he has built up, this has cemented his newfound position as Apex, leading to the Darkness that has begun to spread throughout the Hive.
Description: The Flayer's human identity is a mystery, and those that encounter him in his Horrible Form have thus far not lived to tell the tale. When he stikes at his victims, it is as a dark and vast tidal wave. Its waters strike with enough force to crush the Beasts' souls and flay their skins, and they consume whatever is left as they recede into the depths. The sea foam often looks like a cloud of knives, but it can just as easily appear as a jumble of hungry mouths.
Storytelling Hints: While most Insatiables who wish to claim a Lair must steal those of the Begotten, the Flayer has built up and maintained his own through centuries of pursuing his Hunger. Orkney is but a part of his vast hunting ground, and the years where he did not kill any of its Begotten were spent preying on mortals, Beasts, and other supernaturals elsewhere. Why he keeps returning to the archipelago (and less discrete with his killings there) may hint at his agendas there, but the frequency in his appearances may be attributed to globalization. As people around the world become increasingly connected through technology, the Flayer is forced to shorten the range of his predations to avoid drawing attention. This leaves him visiting certain locales more often, and the Insatiable may need to establish his claim over permanent territory. Should he choose to settle down in Orkney, it may very well spell the end for the Beasts there.
How the Flayer has managed to gain a permanent Lair and allow it to persist for so long is another compelling reason to seek him out. Those Beasts who discover he is an Insatiable may come to wonder how he has managed to achieve it. Is it the result of a unique power that he developed on his own? Or did he accomplish it with the help of someone or something? The answers to these questions may not be easy to accept, but they may prove crucial to ending the threat he poses.
Legend: Unexpected
Life: Cautious
Moment: Primordial Seas
Hunger: Prey
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 5, Resolve 5
Physical Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5
Social Attributes: Presence 5, Manipulation 3, Composure 5
Mental Skills: Crafts 3 [Skinning], Investigation 5 [Beasts], Medicine 3, Occult 4
Physical Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 3 [Grappling], Stealth 5, Survival 4, Weaponry 3 [Knives]
Social Skills: Empathy 3, Intimidation 4 [Hunger], Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 4 [Lure]
Merits: Danger Sense, Danger Sense [Advanced], Epic Potential [Strength], Fist of Nightmares, Killer Instinct 3, Killer Instinct [Advanced] 3, Trained Observer 3
Esurients: Body of Mouths, Intruder, Subversion of Satiety, Terrible Form, Veiled Presence, Your Power is Mine
Nightmares: All Your Teeth Are Falling Out, You Are Not Alone, You Cannot Run
Atavisms: Endless Depths, Eye of Heaven, From the Shadows, Heart of the Ocean, Needs Must
Lair: 5
Health: 10
Willpower: 10
Satiety: 6
Size: 5
Speed: 15
Initiative: 9
Defense: 8
Lair Traits: Crushing, Currents, Darkness, Downpour,
Notes:
* The Flayer's Lair rating can never fall below one dot, and he therefore has a single Chamber at his weakest. This Chamber possesses the Darkness Trait, and is analogous to a Beast's Heart.
* The Insatiable expands his Lair through Satiety expenditure, and it takes longer for his Lair to dissipate. After a number of days equal to his Satiety, the Lair degrades by one dot.
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