Some hunters take up the Vigil out of fear, panicking at the thought

of beasts coming out of the night. Some face monsters out of responsi-
bility, determined that their loved ones should never fall to creatures
that place themselves above mankind. Some derive their hunt from
their need for knowledge, for the secret truths behind the world.
The Bear Lodge hunts and kills monsters for no
greater reason than to prove that they can.
In the face of ever-tighter restrictions on
big-game hunting and stringent laws against
killing endangered species, it’s getting hard-
er for hunters to really prove themselves, to
face animals that are their equals
and emerge victorious. The
Bear Lodge has always gone
after the most dangerous
prey, and they haven’t
really changed — but
instead of lions, tigers, and
wolves, they choose to face something
far more dangerous. Every lodge-house has
a spot for a werewolf’s head on their wall,
and every hunter dreams of putting the last
silver bullet into an inhuman beast.
)JTUPSZ
The Bear Lodge can draw a straight line
back through individual monster hunters to
the end of published records. Though their
assumed history impresses new
members, and in some
cases inspires indi-
vidual members
to go the extra
mile, they lived
in a time without a
Bear Lodge for them to
join. The first recorded meeting
of the big-game hunters that would found
the Lodge was back in 1901. Hunters from across
the United States met in the otherwise unremark-
able town of Glasgow, Montana, to discuss their
experiences hunting strange creatures.

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THE BEAR LODGE (COMPACT)

Though some hunters described their encounters experienced hunter accompany every group venturing
with civilized creatures living in cities and towns, into the wilds, and that their hunters use silver weapons.
their tales paled compared to those of Don Edwards, Unusual for a hunting lodge, members attached no shame
a local man. Edwards had set out with five compan- in running from a superior foe, especially given the high
ions to hunt elk in the woods. Instead of their prey, likelihood of death common around werewolves.
they encountered a scene of carnage — both elk and In 1946, four veteran hunters founded a second
mountain lions torn apart by some powerful beast Bear Lodge in Washington State, with the blessing of
that had consumed the hearts of its kill. Rather than the Montana lodge. Over the next ten years, five more
returning to town for supplies, Edwards and his com- Bear Lodges opened across the rural United States, in-
panions followed the bloody trail. After half a day’s cluding one in southern Alaska. The last established
tracking, they found their quarry — three beasts Lodge opened in 1959 near Candle Lake, Saskatch-
that in the poor light Edwards first mistook for giant ewan, and remains the only Bear Lodge outside of the
wolves. When one turned to face them, the hunters United States. Members of one Lodge are members of
recognized the light of intelligence in its eyes — and every Lodge, and can travel freely between sites. Even
it recognized them. They could see the razor-sharp when miles from an established Lodge, members must
teeth in its mouth as it leapt at them. Edwards was the look out for one another — though individuals may
only one who had the wherewithal to fire his rifle. A prefer to work alone, the upper echelons know that no
lucky shot caught the beast in the temple and brought hunter stands a chance against a werewolf on his own.
the other hunters to their senses. Concentrating their Time has changed the Bear Lodge. While once
fire, the beast fell. The rest of the pack descended on members connected through mail and telephone, the
the hunters, tearing them into bloody chunks. Giving organization now maintains a secure website for mem-
in to the primal fear stirring in his gut, Don Edwards bers — including forums where members can ask for
ran for his life. Somehow, he avoided the creatures help from other hunters without concern for physical lo-
and made it back to town. Returning with more peo- cation. Many hunters discuss tactics and equipment on
ple to look for survivors, he found nothing but blood the site, while others share their experiences in the field.
and bone — and the body of a strange man riddled Having the Bear Lodge present helps remind a mem-
with bullet holes. The others dismissed Don’s tale as ber of what she faces, even against the terrible fear that
the result of a hunting accident and too much whis- wracks her mind and warps her memories. Only mem-
key, but he knew the truth. The dead stranger had the bers of the Lodge can access the website, other visitors
same eyes as the feral beast he’d hunted. see nothing more than a page offering field journals and
Though many other hunters told their tale at equipment reviews by a team of experienced hunters.
that first meeting, Edwards’ story struck a chord in Despite their decentralized nature, a hunter still has
the assembled hunters. They all knew that something to prove himself as a member of the Bear Lodge, and
stalked the wilderness, something that scared even that involves a hunt. Most members have already had
them. Rather than admit it, they established the first some experiences of the supernatural world, though a
Bear Lodge, a hunting lodge half an hour’s ride from few come in cold and have to learn on the trail. Regard-
Glasgow. Though they didn’t advertise as such, word less, a group of hunters meets at one of the Lodges, arms
spread that hunters looking to track a werewolf or themselves for werewolf, and sets out into the night. The
other mysterious creature could find support at the new member must see a werewolf as what it is — a bes-
Lodge. Soon, hunters flocked to the area. Some had tial hybrid of wolf and man — and the party must then
grown tired of hunting game, others wanted to prove kill their foe. The new member then takes a trophy from
their manhood by facing the most dangerous prey. the body — usually a finger or an ear — that’s kept in
Those few members of the Lodge who survived the Lodge as a record of their membership. Those who
brought back tales of black magic and shapechanging don’t succeed in killing a werewolf often don’t survive,
beasts. Rather than running in fear, the hunters coated and those who do brush the whole event off as a bad
their knives with wolfsbane and loaded their guns with trip, or a particularly vicious bear attack.
silver. Over time, hunting parties from the Bear Lodge Less favorably, the original Bear Lodge in Mon-
grew better at killing werewolves. They insisted that an tana is all but gone. Constant werewolf attacks forced

88
 THE BEAR LODGE (COMPACT)

the last hunters to abandon the building in 1987. others against the primal terror that even the weakest
Only members of the Lodge know of the building’s werewolf can bring forth. If possible, the hunters bring
existence, and every time they’ve mounted an expe- the werewolf into a killing field — an area that they’ve
dition to reclaim the original Lodge, they’ve become had a chance to prepare with snares, pits, and other
the victims in a werewolf’s hunt. Some members be- means of holding the werewolf in place. Using range to
lieve that any expedition achieves little more than their advantage, they can strike the werewolf down in
goading the werewolves to attack, while others be- a hail of silver bullets. Even when they haven’t had a
lieve that the archived transcripts of early hunts and chance to prepare the ground, Bear Lodge hunters use
images of man-beasts are worth the risk. range to their advantage, along with modern transport
5IF
&OFNZ that can outpace even the fastest werewolf.
Some members of the Lodge have discovered
Hunters who belong to the Bear Lodge dedicate werewolves inhabiting urban areas along with the
themselves to hunting werewolves above everything else. wilderness. Much as they do in the wild, they follow
While some hunters encounter vampires and yet stranger their prey and attempt to isolate the weakest, but
things over the course of urban hunts, those creatures they don’t have to worry so much about stealth. A
don’t really count. In the mind of the Bear Lodge, the human can follow a werewolf all day in the city with-
prey’s the thing. They’re out to prove themselves better out taking any special measures — any good crowd
than anything that nature can create, with only human is perfect for hiding in plain sight. Cells who operate
ingenuity — and human engineering — on their side. in cities often maintain a stronghold used exclusively
Despite their reliance on human conveniences, for drawing werewolves, where sensory overload can
hunters belonging to the Bear Lodge have picked up help them bring down the greatest prey of all.
a lot of tricks from werewolves over the years. Some Away from werewolves, the Bear Lodge turns a
members spend years studying wolf packs in the wild blind eye. While some members will go after vam-
to get a better idea of how they can hunt success- pires, seeing them as a different challenge, others
fully — and how their prey might think when animal would rather avoid the creatures of the night — or
instinct suppresses human thought. Like a wolf pack, even work with them.
a cell of hunters belonging to the Lodge first observes A few hunters choose dangerous human prey in
their prey from a safe distance. Almost like an ani- addition to supernatural beasts, but they’ve got to be
mal, each hunter uses the terrain, daubing mud and careful. When he does, the hunter’s got to choose his
animal shit on his body to mask his scent. From there, targets carefully. He selects his prey based on dem-
he watches and waits, studying the pack for days or onstrated acts of brutality and inhumanity — the
even weeks. Though following a pack of werewolves same as if he were hunting a vampire. A child mo-
is incredibly dangerous, he needs to isolate the weak- lester who snatches children off the streets and con-
est member, the focal point in the pack. Once he’s structs deathtraps for parents who try to follow him
done that, he can strike. Initiations into the Lodge is a greater threat than a serial killer who strikes only
take place with an experienced hunter who has al- when his targets are drugged or asleep or a vampire
ready identified a weak werewolf. who never kills. The majority of Lodge members still
Once he has selected his target, the hunter needs look on the practice with suspicion. Once a hunter
to strike when it’s alone. Sometimes, the rest of the starts killing things that might as well be people, it’s
pack will depart on a strange errand — or even vanish a small step to losing respect for his prey. Losing that
entirely — leaving the weakest behind. Other times respect is the hallmark of a slasher, not a hunter.
it’s up to the hunter to manufacture a distraction,
whether by destroying some of the pack’s territory or )VOUFST
even sending in a cell of unaffiliated hunters for the You’d been hunting in the same woods for nearly
rest to play with. Though this last tactic is more than 20 years when you first saw it. At first, it looked like
a little cold, it’s also incredibly pragmatic: if the other another group of hunters, but then they brought out
cell is lucky, there’s another dead werewolf. Even if what looked like old elk-skins and put them on like a
they’re not, the attack on the weakest member gets new jacket. They were eight feet tall when they stood
traced back to the other cell, drawing suspicion from up, with hideous horns growing from their heads. You
the Bear Lodge. got a shot off, but they didn’t notice even if you hit.
When the weakest werewolf is alone, the hunt- They chased you, and you ran like hell. Only later did
ers strike. At least one member captures the hunt on you find that you weren’t the only one to see some-
video, and the most experienced hunter reassures the thing weird while hunting.

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THE BEAR LODGE (COMPACT)

STEREOTYPES
Ashwood Abbey: I led a hunt for a group of these guys a couple of months back. They wanted a
werewolf, obviously knew their shit but didn’t have the first idea about the wilderness. They helped
out, not like most fair-weather hunters, but they just wanted to trap the beast, so they could kill it
slowly. Now, I’ve never tortured an animal before. But they asked me to join in and, well, I’m taking
them out again next week.
Null Mysteriis: I used to hunt with a group of scientists a while back.They gave me a real challenge:
could I help them watch a werewolf in the wild? They thought there was some big difference
between wolves in the cities and in the forest. I got them in close, and they just watched. One of
them had a video camera. Three hours we were there and nothing happened. They even paid me a
bonus to leave the thing alive.
Malleus Maleficarum: I’ve seen one of these guys in action, actually out in the wild. He had this
idea that werewolves were men with the souls of beasts, damned things, and he was hunting a whole
pack at once.The freakish thing is, when he stopped to pray, things really started going our way. Until
he let his urge to be a martyr get the better of him. One of the beasts tore his head clean off, and
I ran like hell.
The Cheiron Group: A guy from a medical company gave me a call last month. Didn’t beat around
the bush, he wanted me to get him a werewolf. One thousand bucks for the body of a confirmed
werewolf, and I shot enough film to prove my kill to them. I’ve no problem with freelancing for them,
and I know that a few others do the same, but I don’t want to know what they use the bodies for.
And I know I’m not going to take them up on the ten thousand for a live capture. I’m not stupid.

You’re not yet 18 years old, but you feel much before it was cool, and prowled the streets. Then you
older. Your father and your granddaddy took you out saw it: a huge black dog, some kind of wolf throwback,
hunting as a birthday present, pressed a gun into your tearing the throat out of some city businessman. You
hands, and showed you how to track animals. You ran that time, but you weren’t stupid. The very next
found the wolf-tracks on your own and thought it’d day you bought a gun and went online. Some guy you
be a good idea to follow them. You never wanted to met on an “urban hunting” forum turned out to know
pull the trigger, but then the wolf gave you no choice. the guy you watched die, and he put you on to a hunt-
It grew almost as big as a pony, with great jaws ready ing lodge that could help you out.
to crack your bones. You pulled the trigger once, and .PUJWBUJPOT
then ran. The others had silver bullets. When they’d
put the beast down, they had you take a trophy and Hunters of the Bear Lodge have no problem agree-
welcomed you into the family secret. ing on how they should hunt their prey. The real di-
Other people might not realize it, but you know viding point is the reasons that a hunter has for con-
which way the wind’s blowing. When the United Na- tinuing. After all, most people who face a werewolf
tions takes control of the glorious U. S. of A. you’ve wouldn’t go out looking to repeat the experience.
got a whole family who’ll be waiting for them. You’ve Sportsmen hunt werewolves to prove that they’re
seen their shock-troops, the infiltrators they’ve sent the best at what they do. The challenge, the burning
in to ruin the country. Holdovers from Nazi experi- fear running through their veins when they first see
ments, you wouldn’t wonder, men who can turn into the monstrous creature, the strange memory blackouts
beasts. One tried getting into your compound. He after the hunt — all these things are badges of honor,
made it past the razor-wire, but tripped an alarm. You a mark that the hunter has gone up against something
got in touch with some people, who recommended truly unnatural. Some seek out werewolves and other
that you join the Bear Lodge. They don’t know the supernatural creatures, hoping to bag the big trophies,
truth, but they have some good tactics. while others see the hunt as the apex of their personal
You barely set foot outside the city limits all your development.
life, but you’re still a hunter. You graduated from Trappers don’t believe in needless danger. They
picking on kids with a slingshot to sniping bums with may hunt other animals for sport, but they hunt were-
an air-rifle from your fire-escape. You learned parkour wolves to keep people safe. As such, they’re mostly
interested in recording the best ways to defeat a were-

90
 THE BEAR LODGE (COMPACT)

wolf, and some make all kinds of strange deals to get andd your name’s
e’ in the
he Lodge’s
Lod ’s records
ds as a full
more information. Others fall back on experiments, member.
mber. If nothing else, you can get in touch
memb
luring werewolves into areas full of traps designed to with
th other members and share stories of what
test different methods. Most of the hunters hoping to works
rks and what doesn’t. You gain a dot of Con-
work
retake the Montana Lodge belong to this group. tacts
cts among the werewolf-hunting experts of the
tact
Vigilantes hunt werewolves out of a sense of Lodge.
Lodg
dge.
justice. Werewolves kill people, and vigilantes kill
UUUÊ 9œÕ½ÛiÊ Lii˜Ê œ˜Ê ÃiÛiÀ>Ê …Õ˜ÌÃÊ >˜`Ê …>ÛiÊ
werewolves. Maybe they’ve caught a glimpse of the
seen things that you’ll never forget — no mat-
uncaring, monstrous world and need to fight back, or
ter how much you want to. The Lodge believes
maybe they’re out for vengeance. Some vigilantes pa-
that you’re ready to lead the hunts that initiate
trol urban areas, taking on all manner of killers — in-
new members. Your exposure to the supernatural
cluding crazed slashers and bloodthirsty vampires. A
fear of werewolves has dulled your reaction to it
few even refuse to kill werewolves who haven’t mur-
slightly. You’re affected by Lunacy (p. 163) as if
dered people, but those hunters (and the prey they let
your Willpower were one dot greater than it actu-
go) are very rare.
ally is.
4UBUVT UUUUUUUÊ9œÕ½Ûiʅ՘Ìi`ʈ“«œÃÈLiÊVÀi>ÌÕÀiÃÊ>˜`Ê
UUUUUÊ9œÕ½Ûiʅ՘Ìi`ʈ“«œÃÈLiÊVÀi>ÌÕÀiÃÊ>˜`Ê
Standing in the Bear Lodge is based purely on me close to death more times than you can
come
how many werewolf hunts a member has survived. imag
agine. Only now can you really admit to what
imagine.
While some would prefer a ranking based on kills, the youu have seen, only now do you know that you
Lodge as a whole hold to the idea that any encounter face
ced a beast put on this world purely to hunt
faced
with a werewolf is enough — providing the hunter an you know what it really means to be its
— and
didn’t just shit himself and leave his fellows to die. prey
ey. Your study of your foe gives you the Unseen
prey.
UÊ 9œÕ½ÛiÊ Lii˜Ê œ˜Ê >Ê …Õ˜ÌÊ >˜`Ê Ãii˜Ê >Ê Ài>]Ê ˆÛiÊ Sens
nse Merit applied to werewolves. If you already
Sense
werewolf. While you probably didn’t do much by ve the Merit applied to werewolves, you can
have
way of helping to kill it, you did take a trophy appl
ply it to any one other kind of tangible super-
apply
natu
tural creature.
natural

91