Bestiary

The fomarch codenamed Unicorn is a deliberate insult to the Children of Gaia. In many ways, it is more limited than other fomarchs, though Pentex scientists hope to generate arms and legs in the next iteration of the horror. For now, Unicorn remains of use only in aquatic deployments. Having the body of a great white shark with a huge proboscis from the top of its head, and four pectoral fins rather than two, Unicorn is so-named for the gigantic conical chitin spike that juts from its proboscis. This appendage pushes down at the monstrosity’s skull so forcefully that its eyes are sunken beneath their sockets, leaving bloody, ragged holes where they should be.

This headspike is not just a weapon, but also a beacon that makes the Unicorn receptive to sensations

generated by Wyrm-based Gifts. As a result, the Black Spiral Dancers can use their Gifts to both lead and track Unicorn. Its horn also leads it to nature spirits, which it can strike from the physical world. Unicorn’s horn contains so much tainted Gnosis that it can strike both physical and Umbral targets with equal facility. Finally, the creature’s horn allows it to hear the prayers and rituals used by the warriors of Gaia. Though limited by where it can swim, it has led Pentex-crewed ships right to the shores of remote islands and hidden coasts sporting the cairns and holdfasts of the Garou and their allies on half a dozen occasions.

Kinfolk whom Unicorn hunts dream of a great glowing-eyed single-horned beast pursuing them through the shadows. Other times, their nightmares feature a great shark-shadow passing under the clouds.

Possessing Banes twist human flesh and human minds into a mockery of Gaia’s design, but what happens when a person has already become something other than human? What happens when a Bane tries to possess an already-supernatural beings?

In short: nothing good.

Most Banes simply can’t do it. Supernatural beings tend to have some built-in protection against possession, meaning that only the strongest or most specialized of Banes have a shot at possessing a vampire, mage, or — Gaia forbid — a werewolf. Still, it happens occasionally, and the results can be among the most gruesome things a pack of Garou may ever have to face.

Vampires are hard to possess. Perhaps the Curse of Caine is such a potent form of damnation that any lesser affliction has trouble taking root; perhaps it has something to do with vampires already being dead. Whatever the reason, very few Banes can find any purchase in a vampire’s pale and withered soul. Those that do tend to be Banes of blood and madness, and they can make a vampire’s unlife very short and very unpleasant indeed. Detailed below are two examples of the kind of fomori possible when a Bane manages to curl up in the black and empty pit that was once a vampire’s soul.