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Conspiracy - Section Nine

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Hunter the Vigil 1st ed fan suppliment, part of the Skin & Bones set
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Page 1: Conspiracy - Section Nine
Page 2: Conspiracy - Section Nine

CLEARANCE V-BLUE (censored) TIME STAMP 06/01/2009, 0400 UTC TRANSLATOR [REDACTED], Red Unit TRANSCRIBER [REDACTED], Red Unit

SUMMARY Yegor [REDACTED]’s handler supplies him with more injections. They exchange manila folders from bulletproof briefcases and discuss the members of Yegor’s cell. The purposes of this meeting appear to be (1) supplying Yegor with more of the unknown drug and (2) discussing which members of the cell are trustworthy. They quickly conclude Nikoloz [REDACTED] must be eliminated. 1LT Claire [REDACTED]’s infiltration has not been discovered by the Russian operative or the other members of the compromised cell.

TRANSCRIPT

[STATIC] [3 min, 18 sec]

[Red Unit’s A/V bug experiences technical difficulties, presumably the result of sweeping and jamming attempts by the handler (“H”). Bug adapts and begins recording partway into the conversation.

[1] The handler is in the

process of injecting the first syringe into Yegor’s (“Y”) chest.]

Y: [UNINTELLIGIBLE] still burns. I get these shots at least three times a year and it still burns every single time.

H: The pain is imaginary. [UNINTELLIGIBLE] your bloodstream. Except for a pinprick upon injection, it never enters [UNINTELLIGIBLE].

[STATIC] [42 sec]

Y: [UNINTELLIGIBLE] to suspect. All I do is report back to you, so what could they notice? I am not the one running background checks and other inquiries. They have no reason to question anything about me.

H: You expressed prior concerns about the Georgian, about Nikoloz

Y: I expressed concerns that he was a wild card, not that he discovered my role. He is not a threat but he is, Nikoloz is a poor recruit. He continues making disparaging comments about last year’s war in South Ossetia and considers it to be Russia-occupied territory and not a legitimate country. He’s already going against Russian decree so how can we be assured he’d take orders from the Russian government?

[2]

H: Have you taken peer pressure into consideration? If the rest of his cell accepts our offer, would he really be the odd man out?

Y: I’m more concerned that he may convince the others not to join. He is an unacceptable variable.

H: You do not have the authority to terminate him.

Y: I’m not suggesting that he needs to die, merely be removed from the equation.

H: The offer remains on the table. I’ll present it to the higher-ups as an addendum on your report.

Y: I’m not sure I could kill him. I have the skills, do not doubt me, but it is [UNINTELLIGIBLE].

H: Another operative will perform the deed. There cannot be any evidence of our involvement. An accident or chance encounter would work best. Your normal tactic of casually shooting [UNINTELLIGIBLE].

Y: [UNINTELLIGIBLE]

H: [UNINTELLIGIBLE] his friend Andrei?

Y: [UNINTELLIGIBLE] sense of humor. [UNINTELLIGIBLE] shelled Chechens in 2000.

H: Sounds promising. Very promising.

Y: Svetlana will follow Andrei. There is no question about that. [3]

H: But will her loyalty be with him or us?

Y: Does loyalty matter as much as unquestioningly following orders?

H: It certainly does not hurt.

[CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE]

[1] Transcriber [REDACTED] notes: “TAKOMA came through with this one.” [2] While neither Yegor nor his handler have said their organization’s name, this is the first definitive proof they are employed by the Russian

government. This supports the theory they serve the FSB. [3] Transcriber [REDACTED] notes: “1LT Claire [REDACTED]’s field reports do not indicate romantic or sexual involvement with any

members of the cell. There is no reason to suspect otherwise. This is merely Yegor’s own opinions and speculation. The lieutenant’s loyalties remain with TF:V and America.”

CLEARANCE V-BLUE

Page 01 of 09

Page 3: Conspiracy - Section Nine

Back in the USSRBack in the USSRBack in the USSRBack in the USSR It is common knowledge among government-

sponsored counter-occult and counter-supernatural programs that Section Nine began as part of SMERSH (СМЕРШ), the World War II era Soviet counter-intelligence departments. Section Nine was the counter-occult department tasked with fighting and capturing Nazi occultists and their inhuman allies. The contemporary Task Force: VALKYRIE generally dismissed Section Nine as inept and understaffed, which was largely true during the 1940s.

That would not be the case for long. A chance discovery and raid in Nazi-occupied Poland changed all that.

In the mid-1950s, the Loyalists of Thule uncovered incomplete documents from 1945 and 1946 describing a metallic, bell-shaped device measuring 9 feet wide by 15 feet high. The device contained two counter-rotating led-lined cylinders containing an unknown substance. The schematics are labeled entirely in Russian but the device is curiously named in German: Die Glocke, “the Bell.” Other documents later acquired

by the Loyalists in the 1950s and 1960s independently

verify that the Bell was moved to an undisclosed part of Siberia following an unexplained accident in 1956.

Task Force: VALKYRIE began reencountering their Soviet counterparts in the 1970s. Field reports distressingly and consistently noted that the Soviets’ hunters were better equipped than TF:V. Stories filtered in about Soviets with lightning guns powered by cylindrical containers with unknown liquid contents. The Soviets wore suits made of metal mesh that allowed them to physically interact with ghosts and spirits. The indignity of being behind the Soviets

drove Task Force: VALKYRIE to develop the Mjolnir Cannon … thirty years later.

The Loyalists and TF:V both reported incidents with Soviet “super-hunters” throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Reports of a Soviet cell taking down an entire werewolf pack or witch cabal without suffering a single casualty were not unheard of. The Soviets also had little problem with hiding evidence as their infamous lightning guns completely eradicated the enemy and left no identifiable remains.

The Ascending Ones first discovered Section Nine during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The

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Jagged Crescent faction was heavily involved in the Afghani opium market and rightfully feared the mujahedeen insurgency would negatively impact or even halt opium production. This led to the unorthodox and unprecedented alliance between the Jagged Crescent and Section Nine in combating the insurgency. The eventual withdrawal of Soviet forces spoiled what could have become a productive, long term partnership between the two organizations.

The glory days of Section Nine ended with the Cold War. Task Force: VALKYRIE believes Section Nine was absorbed by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation following the Soviet Union’s collapse. Stories of indestructible Russian hunters disappeared around that time, probably because funding for super-weapons quickly dried up. TF:V’s information about Section Nine is going on two decades out-of-date.

Missing LinksMissing LinksMissing LinksMissing Links Contrary to what Task Force: VALKYRIE believed

and still tells its agents, the story of Section Nine does

not end there. The story just becomes increasingly fragmented and confusing.

The Silver Cross clinic in Chicago treats a man for blood loss, presumably from a vampire attack, in 1992. A nurse recognizes the man as a resident of Highland Park, an area with a relatively large percent of Russian-Americans. This is the first of many visits the man makes over the next four years. The man makes a final visit in 1996 to thank the clinic’s staff for all their help. He cryptically tells them that he no longer needs their services and is never seen again.

In 1997, Cheiron field operatives in the Ukraine reported a Russian man with the ability to mutate his and others’ bodies. Early observations suggested he had thaumatechnology comparable to Cherion’s innovations. Extensive database research confirms the man belonged to the KGB and later the Federal Security Service.

Terra Incognita secured leaked files about a chemical spill in a remote part of Siberia in 2000. The memos describe a purple, mercury-like substance spilling from a damaged truck in a much larger convoy of identical, unmarked vehicles with Russian military escorts. The memos do not state who or what the convoy served. Terra Incognita believes the people who wrote the memos are as out of the loop as the memos’ recipients.

A Carver cell in Turkmenistan disappeared without a trace in 2001. The cell was last reported tracking down a serial killer with a Russian accent. There is no evidence that the hunters were killed, nor is there any evidence that they’re still alive.

A video uploaded to Network Zero in 2002 shows a Russian sailor pursued by Russian soldiers through the streets of Magaden in Kolyma. The sailor hysterically warns anyone in hearing range about a zombie invasion coming from the north. No such invasion occurred. The sailor was reportedly last seen being forced onto an Ilyushin II-14 transport at the Magadan-13 airport.

Other videos from Russia on Network Zero, many filmed without the interviewees’ knowledge or consent, feature Russian soldiers reporting sightings of the undead in 1994 and 2002, almost as if migrating through the Russian taiga. The longest such video is of a clearly inebriated soldier and this adds little credibility to the already wild story. Nevertheless, the zombie-hunting Dirge has taken an interest in these videos but has not yet mounted an expedition to Siberia due to the finances required.

A Russian member of the Obsidian Brotherhood posted on the Burnouts forum that he found a new direction in life. He finally discovered the motivation to keep on fighting. That is his last post but another Brother claims to have seen him “running with a new crowd” in Saint Petersburg in 2005.

In 2007, a hunter within the Promethean Brotherhood writes a detailed report about a witch he sacrificed using the Rite of Hectate and forwards it as an encrypted PDF to his closest colleagues. While the Rite has worked half-a-dozen times before, he reports that it inexplicably failed on this particular witch and he offers several theories as to why. He claims he witnessed the witch hurl lightning and burn symbols with a mere touch; he knows there was magic to steal

but cannot confirm why said magic remained out of reach. The hunter and his house are destroyed by a gas explosion two days later.

In 2008, an Ascending One in Kyrgyzstan alerted the rest of the Jagged Crescent about alchemists working for the Russian military. A few cryptic and paranoid e-mails and text messages are all the evidence the Ascending One left behind. He died from undiagnosed cancer before making face-to-face contact with more senior Ascending Ones. No one is stupid enough to believe his death was a natural one.

You get your orders You get your orders You get your orders You get your orders and you follow them.and you follow them.and you follow them.and you follow them.

It’s thIt’s thIt’s thIt’s that simple.at simple.at simple.at simple.

Play by the rules and Play by the rules and Play by the rules and Play by the rules and no one but the enemy no one but the enemy no one but the enemy no one but the enemy

gets hurt.gets hurt.gets hurt.gets hurt.

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Party LinesParty LinesParty LinesParty Lines No one inside Section Nine will ever know the

organization’s entire history. All currently-active operatives served in Section Nine after the Soviet Union collapsed.

Operatives are told the organization has existed since World War II and once answered directly to Stalin. They are briefed about the supernatural world and the threat it poses on modern civilization. The Russian Federation is vast and there are plenty of dark corners for blood-thirsty beasts to wait and watch the unsuspecting masses. Section Nine is the protective, thankless big brother of the Russian people.

There are no tales of stolen Nazi wonder-technology, lightning guns or ghost-proof armor. These are neither confirmed nor denied and it is best to never discuss the topic with one’s superiors. Too many questions annoy the higher-ups.

The panic- and riot-prone public can never know about the existence of monsters. There is no question about that. Unlike Task Force: VALKYRIE with its memory-erasing drug cocktail, Section Nine takes a much more low-tech approach and kills or recruits any unauthorized person who learns too much. The threat of someone recalling the truth through dreams or therapy is too great. If possible, a subtle assassination is preferred; cancer is a wonderful weapon.

Another reason for secrecy is that Section Nine is not unique. Other governments know about the supernatural and actively combat and conceal it. Operatives for Section Nine know about TF:V, VASCU and MI-18; they are briefed on the psychic-assassins of Mossad; they watch video evidence of Taoist magic buried beneath layers of Chinese pseudo-science; they receive a crash course on the henna-tattooed sorceresses serving the Saudi royal family. No one knows how these diverse organizations would react if Russia showed its hand and revealed the existence of so many urban legends and nightmares. It is best to stay quiet, at least for now.

No, Section Nine is not unique: it’s just the best of its kind. No similar organization protects an area as vast as the Russian Federation, nor has any other so successfully expanded outside of its borders and official jurisdiction. Section Nine’s influence extends well beyond that of Task Force: VALKYRIE – and the best part is that no outsiders know.

OutOutOutOut----Patient ProcedurePatient ProcedurePatient ProcedurePatient Procedure Of course, to know this much, a person is already

in too deep. They are either an operative for Section Nine or on a hit list signed by a nameless Russian bureaucrat. Assuming the person is the former, then he was or soon will be subjected to the Zamyatin-Lagin Procedure and given access to the above-classified Serum 525.

The official story is that the purple liquid metal cryptically named Serum 525 was invented in the 1950s and perfected in the early 1980s. It was issued to Spetsnaz (special forces) operatives during the Cold War. Section Nine now has exclusive access to the Serum and any trace of its use in conventional military units was purged.

So what is Serum 525? Do not ask; you will get no answers and repeated inquiries will result in disciplinary action. What it is does not matter; what it does

matters. The Serum allows human subjects to, among other things, physically interact with intangible spirits, cause cancer with a touch and play with electricity and radiation.

The Zamyatin-Lagin Pro-cedure is a deeply guarded secret and even people who undergo it do not know the details. A canister and distribution system is installed in the subject’s chest and appears to

be a pacemaker upon casual examination. The procedure is preferably performed in a sterile setting but has been conducted in basements and hotel bathrooms before.

The implant dispenses Serum 525 into the subject’s system

in controlled doses. The implant must be periodically refilled and Section Nine uses this as an excuse to send envoys with

further instructions and syringes of the Serum. The implant also contains monitoring and tracking

devices. Section Nine always knows where its operatives are, if they are alive or if their implant needs refilling. This is no secret: Section Nine makes it very clear to its operatives that they will be terminated for disobeying orders. Play by the rules or suffer the consequences. Rumors about the implants containing poisons to kill rogue operatives are probably untrue.

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ConscriptionConscriptionConscriptionConscription

Russia maintains a mandatory 12-month draft for all male citizens age 18 to 27. It is relatively easy to draft dodge or get out on a technicality, such as studying at a university, being medically declared unfit for service or by having more than two children. Then, of course, a man could always bribe an official or never go to a draft station. Because of the draft, potentially

any Russian man could inadvertently end up in Section Nine. A chance encounter with a monster while serving in the Russian Army will likely result in either death or a transfer into Section Nine.

A less obvious function for the implant is to protect the operative and everyone around him. It does not exist for the Serum’s protection; it shields people from the Serum. Even while in transit, the Serum is stored in metal briefcases made of the same alloy as the implants. Humans cannot be exposed to it for prolonged periods of time. Why? If the rumors are true, then Serum 525 exposure caused several Soviet and ex-Nazi scientists to rip each other apart in an underground lab in 1956.

But that’s just a rumor, same as the rumors that Serum 525 is radioactive, carcinogenic and/or derived from the blood of aliens that crash-landed in Tunguska. Never discuss these rumors with other members of Section Nine. Big brother not only watches but listens; he does it for your protection; he does it for all of us.

TheTheTheThe EnemyEnemyEnemyEnemy Section Nine has always described its missions as

“counter-occult.” It neutralizes or eliminates any authorized supernatural presence in the Russian Federation. Unless it is government sanctioned, it needs to go. Now.

Because of this philosophy, Section Nine considers virtually the entire supernatural world to be a national security threat. The higher-ups occasionally allow a monster or witch to live if it pledges loyalty to the Russian government and accepts a tracking device implant. Section Nine never bothers telling these cooperative beings that each tracking device comes with a “contingency mechanism” hardwired into the subject’s central nervous system.

Magic cannot be trusted in the wrong hands. Shapeshifters and other descendents of spirits are prone to summoning otherworldly beings to Earth through bizarre rituals. Worst, most witches and spirit-spawn inherit their powers; how could this ever be harnessed for proper and state-approved use? Sorcerers and their ilk are uncontrollable variables that must be removed.

Spirits and “ghosts” are echoes from beyond the mortal world. These things should not be here; they should not exist. Certain operatives specialize with counter-spirit activities and are almost exclusively deployed to deal these creatures.

It goes without saying that vampires must be destroyed. Anything that feeds on human beings cannot and will not be tolerated.

Changelings and their courts are insufferable. The last thing a country needs is a shadowy cabal of half-fairy, half-human freaks waiting to overthrow the rightful government. The best thing changelings can

do is lay low and never bother mainstream humanity. Keep your heads down or lose them.

Section Nine actively redirects its operatives from confronting the living dead. Any operative reporting evidence of undead activity that cannot be confirmed as vampires or “conventional” zombies must report it

to his superiors. The operative is then ordered to disengage and not attempt further investigation. The higher-ups insist specialists are sent to deal with these special cases, although no operative ever seems to see these specialists in action.

The vague term “counter-occult” also means most self-declared monster hunters are fair game. Section Nine tolerates a few cells’ existences for information-gathering purposes. For example, while they destroyed the first Russian chapter of the Ashwood Abbey in 1949, Section Nine allowed a new one to be established in Saint Petersburg in 2000 just so it could be infiltrated. Hunter cells that are not worth infiltrating or outgrow their usefulness are “forcibly disbanded.” Several homegrown hunter cells have actually been recruited by Section Nine after thorough background searches and successful infiltration.

HuntersHuntersHuntersHunters The false conviction for sexual assault ruined your

life and career as a civilian police officer. The social stigma of being kicked out of the notoriously corrupt Militsiya is one thing, but everyone believing you’re a rapist is so much worse. Your time in the Russian prison system was nothing compared to your mother refusing to speak with you again. So when you were randomly offered a job in Yekaterinburg as a “security guard and night watchman,” you were shocked but smart enough to accept. The real shock came later when you discovered what the job really was.

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You discovered a witch cabal in Gori while the city was under Russian occupation during the South Ossetia War. Apparently including the word “witch” in your report got someone’s attention. As the occupation only lasted a week, the shadowy higher-ups didn’t have time to dispatch a properly-trained counter-occult unit to neutralize the cabal. They instead volunteered you and a handful of other soldiers to kill the witches on Section Nine’s behalf. Only you survived and since became part of a Section Nine unit specializing in “witch busting.”

You’re a spy who joined too late in the Cold War to meaningfully serve the KGB and grew too old to be useful in the FSB. You were unexpectedly transferred to Section Nine and never even got an implant before being sent on a suicide mission to spy on a werewolf pack in Belarus. To everyone’s surprise, you survived and successfully completed the assignment. You have since undergone the Zamyatin-Lagin Procedure and enjoy actually being of use to the Fatherland.

Life was boring but comfortable then you had to discover the goddamn vampire living in your apartment building. You just had to play hero, you just had to decapitate the bloodsucker while it slept. What

the hell were you thinking? An operative for the Russian government contacted you later that night. More accurately, he appeared in your bedroom with a silenced pistol. He informed you that his unit had monitored the vampire’s apartment for weeks. You ruined a long-term investigation that tried uncovering

the location(s) of an entire vampire clan preying on the city’s poor and destitute. The operative said you knew too much and had two options: (1) disappear forever or (2) join him and his organization. You had already proven surprisingly efficient at monster-killing, especially for a draft-dodging college student with no combat experience, and Section Nine was willing to overlook one compromised investigation.

DivisionsDivisionsDivisionsDivisions Section Nine places its field operatives into three,

possibly four, major divisions. Division E (Э) is organized in into OSNAZ

(special purpose) units. They are the descendants of the Soviet “super-soldiers” Task Force: VALKYRIE and other foreign hunters encountered decades ago. Division E operatives are fully armored soldiers with assault rifles and the latest military equipment. Some units are technically light motorized infantry. These OSNAZ may be deployed anywhere in the Russian Federation but are occasionally deployed to “near abroad” nations such as Ukraine and Belarus. Most members of Division E belong to the Internal Troops, the paramilitary national guard-like force subservient to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Division E units are most often deployed when either Division Yu or Ya (see below) operatives uncover a threat that they cannot

handle by themselves. As a result, Division E has become synonymous with “backup.”

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STEREOTYPESSTEREOTYPESSTEREOTYPESSTEREOTYPES

Division Six:Division Six:Division Six:Division Six: How do you fit into all of this? Who is the Panopticon and who really pulls your strings? And why can’t we find evidence of Divisions One through Five? MIMIMIMI----18: 18: 18: 18: Honestly, I expected more

from the British. We haven’t found any evidence of high-tech or pseudo-tech augmentation. They’re just spies and assassins. How 20th century of you, Britain. Cheiron GroupCheiron GroupCheiron GroupCheiron Group:::: You know the Cold

War is over when corporations have more resources for counter-occult activity than national governments. Early reports confused Cheiron’s field agents for French and German operatives. Turns out Cheiron’s agents are actually better equipped and trained than the French and Germans combined. Task Force: VALKYRIETask Force: VALKYRIETask Force: VALKYRIETask Force: VALKYRIE:::: Do you really

think we’re gone? What gave you that idea - American incompetence or American arrogance? The Soviet Union is dead but Section Nine lives on.

The HigherThe HigherThe HigherThe Higher----UpsUpsUpsUps

Section Nine’s administration is continually referred to as the “higher-ups” and no additional information is provided. Even operatives for Section Nine have no idea who exactly issues the orders. The only major clue is that Section

Nine’s administrative center, at or least where many phone numbers and paper trails lead, is in the Siberian city Novosibirsk. Divisions E and Yu has many

operatives in the Internal Troops and Militsiya, implying the Ministry of Internal Affairs is in charge. However, Division Ya’s operations are certainly not internal as many are based outside of Russia. It is possible that Section Nine

falls under several different groups’ jurisdictions depending on where an operative or unit is assignment. Section Nine may not be a true organization and is simply an umbrella term for counter-occult operatives throughout the Russian military and police forces. Regardless, key members of the

Ministry of Defense are fully aware of Section Nine’s existence and activities. The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is at least vaguely aware of what Section Nine does - and the Supreme Commander is the President of the Russian Federation.

Division Yu (Ю) units are stationed in set locations but may be ordered or temporarily relocate elsewhere at a moment’s notice. Every Russian city has a least one resident Division Yu unit monitoring the area for supernatural threats. Unlike Division E, Division Yu operates much more covertly and most members do not officially work in the Russian military. Instead, Division Yu operatives have day jobs and cover stories for their presence. A common cover is to belong to the corrupt and feared Militsiya (civilian police).

Division Ya (Я) consists of foreign operatives, many serving alone and with only limited contact with Section Nine. Some have infiltrated foreign militaries and intelligence agencies. While Division Ya has not yet breached Task Force: VALKYRIE, they have at least one operative in VASCU. Division Ya is not just interested in government-sponsored hunter organizations: any cell, compact or conspiracy will do. Any potential source of information must be tapped.

There are rumors of a Division Yet (Ѣ), named after a letter dropped from the Russian Alphabet in 1918. The symbol found its way onto various documents but the field operatives in the three official Divisions do not know the details. Division Yet is commonly assumed to be the specialists sent to deal with undead activity.

StatusStatusStatusStatus Status is gained by successfully completing

assignments and following the higher-ups regardless of how suicidal their orders may sound. Remember that Section Nine’s faceless administration always knows where its operatives are and easily recognizes disobedience.

• You have joined Section Nine, hopefully willingly, and are expected to unquestioningly follow orders from the higher-ups. You gain an implant and may purchase dots in the Tolling Merit. ••• The higher-ups are willing to pull some strings for you as a reward for your continuing service. This may involve some less-than-legal help from the Militsiya. You gain a free dot of Resources and either a free dot of Professional Training or Status in your line

of work. None of these may exceed five dots. ••••• One of the higher-ups noticed your exceptional work and has taken an interest in your activities. This does not mean you know who, or what, this person is nor do you gain any earth-shattering revelations about Section Nine’s administration. He or she supplies information, weapons and other resources to assist you with your increasingly dangerous assignments. Your mysterious benefactor is considered a free four-dot Mentor.

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EvolutionEvolutionEvolutionEvolution

While the character has no control over what its new abilities are or when they manifest, the player obviously does. Alternatively, the player could let the Storyteller decide what the new ability is and be as surprised as the character when the power first manifests.

TollingTollingTollingTolling The terms “Tolling” and “the Tolls” are used to

describe the abilities Serum 525 grants. There is no official reason for these terms nor is there any point in looking for an underlying meaning.

The American demonologists of Dies Iræ unknowingly hold the answer in a notebook they obtained in 1993. It includes a diagram of a trefoil with Russian labels Dies Iræ translated as “Bell of Bone,” “Bell of Flesh” and “Bell of the Soul.” The rest of the notebook includes labeled sketches of human anatomy and confusing technical schematics. The notebook is too water-damaged for reliable translation.

The only official terms for the Tolls are letter-number combinations. The few official documents anyone but the higher-ups have seen designate the Tolls K1, K2 and K3 which are further divided into five subsections (K1.1 through K1.5, for example).

The only known way to gain access to Serum 525 and the Tolls is to undergo the Zamyatin-Lagin Procedure. Directly injecting the Serum into a person’s system does not grant supernatural abilities and usually results in blood clots and strokes.

Even after the Zamyatin-Lagin Procedure, the Section Nine operative needs to routinely receive injections of Serum 525 to refill the implant. A man or woman in either military battledress or business attire will arrive with a metal briefcase containing three syringes of the Serum. There rarely seems to be a pattern of when this nameless figure makes his or her rounds. Colloquially called a “handler,” this person usually also brings instructions and material pertaining to the operative’s next assignment. The Serum is injected directly into the implant through the operative’s chest.

While new abilities appear to manifest spontaneously, the process leading to their development takes weeks, months or even years. The operative’s body gradually becomes better at processing Serum 525 and finds new uses (“Tolls”) for the drug cocktail. At least that’s the party line.

Similar to Teleinformatics and the Goetic Gospels, the Tolling Merit is broken into three categories or “Bells” – the Bells of Bone, Flesh and Spirit. When purchasing a new dot of the Tolling Merit, the character gains one power of that rating or below from any Bell. A character purchasing a four-dot power must already have one power from the same Bell. A character purchasing a five-dot power must possess at least two powers from the same Bell.

BellBellBellBell of of of of BoneBoneBoneBone The Tolls in the Bell of Bone make a person less

human to efficiently neutralize or eliminate her opponents. Most of these Tolls lack the subtlety of the other Bells and are seen the least in the field.

● CestuCestuCestuCestussss The operative’s hand warps and enlarges. Muscle

and skin stretch over expanding bones as her hand appears more like a cancerous gauntlet or boxing glove. It as if she grew subdermal brass knuckles.

Cost: 1 point of bashing damage per hand. Action: Instant. Duration: Scene. Range: Self. Dice Pool: None.

A bony gauntlet grows in the operative’s hand or hands. This adds (Tolling) points of automatic bashing damage to all Brawl-based attacks using that hand. This also translates into a (Tolling) penalty on all rolls involving that hand for more delicate work. She can no longer properly use tools or firearms with the enlarged hand.

The hand’s size is increased enough that it can no longer fit into an average-sized pocket and, as a result, is somewhat difficult to conceal.

●● Natural BladNatural BladNatural BladNatural Bladeeee A sharp blade of reinforced bone grows out of the

operative’s wrist. The rest of her forearm swells and develops boney, almost armor-like growths.

This is one of the rarest Tolls displayed in the field. It is generally reserved as a weapon of last resort.

Cost: 1 point of lethal damage per hand. Action: Instant. Duration: Scene. Range: Self. Dice Pool: None.

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Where Are All Where Are All Where Are All Where Are All The Psychics?The Psychics?The Psychics?The Psychics?

As someone will inevitably mention, HtV: Night StalkersHtV: Night StalkersHtV: Night StalkersHtV: Night Stalkers states:

“In the 1970s, rumors abounded that the Soviets had managed to train up their agents with psychic powers. If a Russian conspiracy existed, it stands to reason that its endowment probably includes some sort of psychic powers. On the other hand, it might be massively corrupt and more or less run by oligarchs or mobsters, or it might be desperately honest but operating under a crippling budget.”

It would not be surprising if another, VASCU-style conspiracy exists in Russia. Perhaps operatives in Division Yet have access to a previously undisclosed Endowment. Maybe such an organization did

exist and folded with the Soviet Union. The Russian military then cut its losses and focused on the restructured Section Nine. Either way, the past or present

existence of psychic Russian agents is not hard to believe, especially considering the number of canonical monster-hunting groups in the American military and intelligence communities. There’s Task Force: VALKYRIE, VASCU, Zero Company (WoD: WoD: WoD: WoD: Dogs of WarDogs of WarDogs of WarDogs of War).... Alternatively, the rumors are just

that - rumors - and the Soviets never developed a successful psychic program. Division Yet is no more psychic than the other divisions.

Demonologists and YouDemonologists and YouDemonologists and YouDemonologists and You

Is Serum 525 the holy grail of Dies Irae? The demonologists, who are all based in the United States, are willing to kidnap and torture for information about the occult tome Ars Moriendi. Many of the abilities Serum 525 grants are similar if not identical to those Ars Moriendi are rumored to teach. Does this mean Section Nine has

information about Ars Moriendi? Might Section Nine even possess a copy of the book? What, if anything, does this have to do with Die Glocke (the Bell)? More importantly, does Dies Irae

have even the slightest chance of learning that Section Nine exists? What if the opposite occurs and Section Nine learns of Dies Irae?

A machete-like sword of bone grows from the operative’s forearm or forearms. Attacks made with this natural sword are made by rolling Strength + Weaponry + (Tolling/2, rounded up) and inflict lethal damage.

The sword gives the operative +1 Defense against close combat attacks. Her forearms are also considered to have Armor 1/0.

The Storyteller may grant a +1 or +2 bonus to Crafts, Larceny and Survival rolls where using a knife or sword would help.

This cannot be used in conjunction with Exoskeleton (see below).

●●● CalcificationCalcificationCalcificationCalcification The operative gains the ability to affect her entire

skeleton and not just sections. This is a major step towards mastering a full-body metamorphosis.

Cost: Special. Action: Reflexive. Duration: (Tolling) hours. Range: Self. Dice Pool: None.

The operative’s skeleton is strengthened and her body becomes more resistant to injury. She gains a temporary dot of Stamina and Health box for each point of Willpower spent, to a maximum of Stamina 7. This temporary Stamina does not offer any benefits to resisting disease or poison. The Storyteller may rule that this does not offer extra protection against certain attacks, such as a witch’s spell that only affects the operative’s skin or blood.

As the character cannot spend more than one point of Willpower per turn, the Stamina bonus gradually appears over several turns as more Willpower is spent. Likewise, it will fade gradually when the duration expires.

This cannot be used in conjunction with Exoskeleton (see below).

●●●● OsteoOsteoOsteoOsteokinesiskinesiskinesiskinesis Unlike the other Tolls in the Bell of Bone,

Osteokinesis is a useful tool for assassinations and covert operations. Targets of osteokinetic attacks shudder as if undergoing a seizure.

Cost: 1 Willpower. Action: Instant. Duration: Lasting. Range: (Wits + Composure) yards. Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Tolling –

target’s Stamina. The attack bypasses Defense and Armor as it focuses on the target’s skeleton.

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Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The operative suffers the

attack’s effects and takes a point of lethal damage. Failure: The target is unaffected. Success: The target’s bones rattle within her body,

causing internal bruising and bleeding. The attack inflicts (successes) points of lethal damage.

Exceptional Success: The extra damage inflicted is its own reward.

●●●●● ExoskeletonExoskeletonExoskeletonExoskeleton This is the rarest and one of the most blatantly

supernatural Tolls. The operative quite literally grows a bullet-resistant exoskeleton, a “suit of bone armor.”

There are persistent rumors about an elite Division E unit comprised of soldiers with this Toll that easily plow through any and all opposition.

Cost: 2 Willpower and 1 point of lethal damage. The second point of Willpower is spent when the operative reverts back to her normal form.

Action: Instant. Duration: (Stamina + Tolling) turns. Range: Self. Dice Pool: Stamina + Tolling.

Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The operative fails to transform

and is weakened from her efforts. She reduces her Defense by 1 and Speed by 2 for the rest of the scene.

Failure: The transformation fails. Success: An exoskeleton appears on her body and

likely destroys any clothes or armor she is wearing at the time. The exact appearance of the exoskeleton varies per person but generally resembles some form of conventional armor such as riot gear or plate mail.

The exoskeleton provides Armor 2/3 and negates the armor-piercing quality on enemy weapons and projectiles. She gains a +3 Intimidation bonus.

She also grows the equivalent of a Cestus (see above) on each hand and gains all the appropriate

benefits and drawbacks thereof. The bulky bone plates reduce the operative’s

Defense by 1 and Speed by 2. She automatically fails all nonthreatening Social rolls.

Exceptional Success: Same as the above. The duration is increased to the rest of the current scene.

BellBellBellBell ofofofof Flesh Flesh Flesh Flesh The title of this Bell is a bit of a misnomer. There is

evidence that most of the Tolls in the Bell of Flesh actually deal with radiation and not explicitly skin. Tolls range from healing to inducing radiation sickness to creating undead minions.

● Lesser MendingLesser MendingLesser MendingLesser Mending The most basic manipulation of flesh is enough to

repair contusions and other minor damage. These small injuries would heal on their own in time, usually without medical attention.

Cost: 1 Willpower. Action: Instant. Duration: Lasting. Range: Self or touch. Dice Pool: Resolve + Medicine + Tolling

Roll Results Dramatic Failure: Instead of remedying the

situation, the operative makes it worse. She inflicts (Tolling) points of bashing damage on her subject.

Failure: No damage is healed. Success: The operative heals (successes) points of

bashing damage. Exceptional Success: The extra damage healed is

its own reward.

●● SickenSickenSickenSicken This Toll leaves its victims nauseated and

bleeding. All the operative needs to do is touch her target and stand back before it begins spewing blood.

Cost: 1 Willpower. Action: Reflexive. Duration: Lasting. Range: Touch. Dice Pool: None. The operative only needs to first

touch her target as an instant action.

The attack inflicts (Tolling) points of lethal damage and the victim loses the 10-again effect on all rolls for (Tolling) turns. The damage manifests as either bloody vomiting or spontaneous cuts and sores.

Sicken has no effect on creatures without physical bodies or who are mechanical/artificial like Unfleshed Prometheans.

●●● Greater MendingGreater MendingGreater MendingGreater Mending The operative learns how to undo the effects of

gunshots, bites, stabs and other would-be fatal attacks.

Cost: 1 Willpower. Action: Instant. Duration: Lasting. Range: Self or touch. Dice Pool: Resolve + Medicine + Tolling

Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The wounds cut deeper and

burn more fiercely. Up to (Tolling) points of lethal damage are upgraded to aggravated damage.

Failure: No damage is healed.

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Success: The operative heals (successes) points of lethal damage. This does not heal bashing damage.

Exceptional Success: The extra damage healed is its own reward.

●●●● MalignancyMalignancyMalignancyMalignancy

The operative gains the ability to manipulate a living target on a cellular level – she can literally give her victim cancer.

Cost: 1 or 3 Willpower. Action: Instant and contested. Duration: Special. Range: Touch. Dice Pool: Presence + Science + Tolling – target’s

Stamina.

Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The operative’s body develops

painful lesions and she suffers a –1 penalty to all rolls for the next 24 hours.

Failure: The intended victim is unaffected. Success: The victim suffers from vomiting, nausea

and skin lesions. If the operative spent 1 Willpower point, the

victim immediately takes (successes) points of bashing damage. The victim reflexively rolls (Stamina + Resolve) once a day until accumulating a total of 15 successes. Until then, she suffers the same amount of bashing damage each and every day.

If the operative spent 3 Willpower, the victim

instead suffers from a virulent cancer. The victim immediately takes (successes) points of lethal damage. The victim rolls (Stamina + Resolve) once a month until accumulating 30 successes. Until then, the victim suffers the same amount of damage once a month. This assumes the victim is also receiving appropriate

treatment to combat the cancer such as chemo- or radiotherapy. Otherwise, the victim continues taking damage indefinitely.

This power, in either form, has no affect on vampires and other undead/dead creatures.

Exceptional Success: The damage inflicted on the victim by the first roll is upgraded to lethal (1 Willpower) or aggravated (3 Willpower). All subsequent damage is inflicted as normal.

●●●●● NecromancyNecromancyNecromancyNecromancy The Bell of Flesh cannot resurrect the dead but it

can revive the corpse. With this Toll, the operative can create zombie servants from fresh corpses.

Operatives are known to use bodies of the recently deceased, usually people they killed, as lookouts, spies and guards while on assignment. These are a wonderful asset to foreign-based operatives with little or no chance of receiving back-up during a crisis.

Cost: 3 Willpower. Action: Instant. Duration: Lasting. Range: Touch.

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Dice Pool: Intelligence + Medicine + Tolling – number of days the target has been dead.

Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The corpse is engulfed in

tumors and becomes completely unusable. Further-more, the operative is unable to create any additional zombies for the rest of the scene.

Failure: The corpse stays just that, a corpse. Success: Benign tumors appear on the corpse and

restore it to some semblance of life. The zombie will obey its creators’ orders to the best of its ability. The soulless undead have no Willpower or Morality.

All zombies’ Mental Attributes are 1 and Social Attributes are 0. Physical Attributes start at 1 and the player adds (successes) dots to a maximum of 3 dots each. The player also adds (successes) dots to a zombie’s Physical Skills to a maximum of 2 each. All other skills are considered to be 0.

Fire and attacks directed at the head both inflict aggravated damage. The zombie continues functioning until its entire Health track is filled with aggravated damage. Zombies feel no pain and do not suffer wound penalties.

All zombies created in this manner have Dread Attack (Bite) 1 and Drain (Flesh). They only heal by eating the flesh of the living, repairing one point of damage for each point inflicted on a living victim.

The operative can have no more than (Resolve + Composure) zombies under her control at any time.

Exceptional Success: Same as the above. The zombies’ Physical stats are above-average and it could pose a serious threat.

BellBellBellBell ofofofof the Soulthe Soulthe Soulthe Soul Section Nine’s most inexplicably esoteric abilities

involve manipulating ghosts. The higher-ups claim that ghosts, spirits, demons and similar creatures are all alien beings. These are not the souls of the restless dead. These Tolls are based around energies and pan-dimensional frequencies. Religious interpretations of these Tolls lead nowhere and merely waste time.

● Twilight SensesTwilight SensesTwilight SensesTwilight Senses Before one can fight ghosts, one must actually be

able to see ghosts. This common Toll allows the operative to see, hear, smell and (hypothetically) taste beings in Twilight. Physical interaction is limited to vague impressions, typically feeling a chill when a ghost is nearby.

Cost: 1 Willpower. Action: Reflexive. Duration: Special. Range: Self.

Dice Pool: None.

The operative gains the ability to sense creatures in Twilight. She also sees Loci and similar “fractures” in the barrier separating the mortal world and other dimensions/planes/universes. Section Nine does not bother offering its operatives theories as to what these fractures are, just that nothing good comes from them.

This Toll’s duration increases with the operative’s dots in the Tolling Merit:

RatingRatingRatingRating DurationDurationDurationDuration 1 1 hour 2 6 hours 3 12 hours 4 24 hours 5 Permanent (no cost)

●● TwilightTwilightTwilightTwilight TouchTouchTouchTouch The next logical step after being able to sense

ghosts is discovering how to combat them. The higher-ups frown on using so-called “holy objects” and “relics” and prefer Section Nine’s operatives fighting ghosts with nothing but their fists.

Cost: 1 Willpower. Action: Instant. Duration: Scene. Range: Self. Dice Pool: None.

The operative is able to physically interact with beings in Twilight. This does not extend to items she is holding, meaning she cannot stab or shoot a ghost. The operative gains a (Tolling/2, rounded up) bonus to Brawl-based attacks and grapples made against beings in Twilight for the duration.

●●● BrandBrandBrandBrand Just because one operative sees an enemy ghost

does not mean the rest of her unit can. The original application of this Toll involved placing a burning, glowing mark on an otherwise invisible enemy. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that operatives discovered it also affected more tangible and mundane targets.

Cost: 1 Willpower. Action: Instant. Duration: Special. Range: Touch (close combat). Dice Pool: Brawl + Strength + Tolling – target’s

Defense. If used in conjunction with Twilight Touch, that Toll’s Brawl bonus does not apply.

Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The operative burns her own

hand and takes one point of lethal damage. She now has the brand she intended to inflict on her palm. It will remain there for (Tolling) hours.

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Failure: The attack misses and inflicts no damage. Success: The attack inflicts (successes) points of

lethal damage. If the target is armored, subtract (successes) from the armor’s Structure first; any remaining damage affects the target itself.

The attack also places a palm-sized, lightly glowing brand on the target. Even if the target becomes invisible or enters Twilight, the brand is still completely visible. The mark’s appearance varies per person and per attack and may be as simple as a handprint or as complicated as calligraphic Arabic.

The brand remains for (successes) hours and cannot be removed. The part that is branded, however, may be removed or covered up. Branding a person’s jacket is not a major disadvantage while marking his face certainly is.

As previously mentioned, the attack may be used in conjunction with Twilight Touch to brand a ghost or spirit so that other people may see it.

Exceptional Success: Same as the above. The attack is exceptionally damaging and has Armor Piercing 1.

●●●● ArcArcArcArc Section Nine has not yet duplicated the

devastating effects of its Soviet-era lightning guns by injecting Serum 525 into its operatives. It has, however, found a surefire way to neutralize its rivals in Task Force: VALKYRIE.

Cost: 1 Willpower or 1 Willpower and 1 point of bashing damage.

Action: Instant. Duration: Lasting. Range: (Dexterity x 20) yards. Dice Pool: Dexterity + Athletics + Tolling –

target’s Stamina. Most forms of armor do not protect against electrical damage. The target’s Defense only

applies if he is in close combat with his attacker.

Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The operative accidently

grounds the electrical charge to herself and suffers five points of bashing damage.

Failure: The operative fails to produce a damaging charge.

Success: The electrical attack inflicts (successes) points of bashing damage. This also short-circuits any electronic equipment the victim was holding at the time. Simple machines (tape recorders, cell phones, video cameras) are permanently fried while more complicated objects (like most of TF:V’s Advanced Armory) are shorted out for the rest of the scene.

This attack may be used against creatures in Twilight if the operative also takes a point of bashing

damage. Section Nine generally advises against this as some spirits have been documented drawing power from electricity and are strengthened by this attack.

Exceptional Success: Same as the above except half of the damage inflicted is lethal (rounded down).

●●●●● Spark of LifeSpark of LifeSpark of LifeSpark of Life While Section Nine is a secular organization, with

some documents implying it is outright atheist, one of the most potent Tolls can be mistaken for a divine miracle. Like Frankenstein’s monster brought to life by lightning, an operative can resurrect a recently deceased person with an electrifying touch. Sparks visibly pass between her hands and the corpse.

Cost: Special. Spark of Life costs 1 Willpower point per roll. If the character does not have enough Willpower to continue, she may instead suffer one point of aggravated damage for each additional roll.

Action: Extended. Duration: Lasting. Range: Touch. Dice Pool: Resolve + Medicine + Tolling.

Roll Results Dramatic Failure: Instead of making progress, the

operative takes a step backwards. She loses one success from the total accumulated.

Failure: No progress is made but the operative may continue trying.

Success: Progress is made towards bringing the subject back to life.

Exceptional Success: Significant progress is made.

The operative maintains physical contact with the body until accumulating (subject’s [Size + Stamina] x 2) successes. Each roll counts as that turn’s action.

The Spark of Life may only be used on subjects with relatively intact bodies. Reviving a decapitated corpse is impossible.

The process of reviving the dead is not perfect. Subjects of the Spark of Life lose one dot from all Physical Attributes (to a minimum of one).

For whatever reason, anyone revived through the Spark of Life cannot remember the last twelve hours. This includes any time they spent in the afterlife, assuming there even is an afterlife to go to.

ModifierModifierModifierModifier SituationSituationSituationSituation

-5 Subject has died at least once before.

-1 to -5

Number of hours since the subject died, rounded down. It fails if the subject has been dead for 7+ hours.

+1 to +5 Subject has one or more Tolls from the Bell of the Soul.

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StorytellingStorytellingStorytellingStorytelling

ProtagonistsProtagonistsProtagonistsProtagonists Because of its priorities, Section will only become

involved if a situation threatens Russia or if there is a realistic chance of acquiring new knowledge on the enemy or of other hunters’ tricks and tactics.

Divisions Yu and Ya work well in chronicles involving characters from multiple organizations. Division E work in units that are deployed as needed,

meaning they are considerably less likely to form alliances with hunters from other compacts or conspiracies. Division E may be sent to assist a Division Ya operative working with other hunters, however, forcing the unit into a short-term alliance. Also, remember that Section Nine likes keeping a low profile and does not want other hunters to know who its operatives answer to. Hunters working with a Section Nine operative will probably never know their friend’s true allegiances.

A chronicle focusing on Division E will be much different than one about either of the other divisions. Division E is primarily made of soldiers from the Internal Troops. Inspiration and appropriate Merits can be found in WoD: Dogs of War. Likewise, as many Division Ya operatives are in the Militsiya, WoD: Tales from the 13th Precinct could be beneficial.

If the chronicle is set in Russia, the Storyteller and players should be aware of the local laws and regulations. Guns are harder to legally obtain in the Russian Federation than in the United States.

The Monastery A Division Yu operative employed by the

Militsiya discovered that several of his fellow cops are getting a cut from a “high class” prostitution ring run out of an abandoned Russian Orthodox monastery. No, that’s not the bad news – it’s pretty much expected that the Militsiya is involved with criminal activity. The ring has been compromised by vampires who are recruiting ghouls and blood dolls from the whores and their johns. It is safe to assume the myths about vampires and crosses are untrue considering the amount of religions iconography in the monastery-turned-brothel. There is also some concern that the vampires may be involved with the Militsiya; they’re already paying off the police, so why stop there?

The Separatists Not surprisingly, there’s trouble in the

Noxçiyn province of the Caucasus Emirate, formerly the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. This region, under any name, has been a source of violence and annoyance for Russia since the 1990s. It continues claiming independence while clearly remaining under Russian control. The Chechen people have been divided over who or what is the “rightful” ruler of their nonexistent

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country since 2007, with a government-in-exile claiming it is a republic while the local rulers insist that it is an emirate. Both sides venomously hate the Russian Federation.

One of the factions in Chechnya Noxçiyn has resorted to unconventional means of asserting legitimacy and gaining power. Section Nine learned that a small Chechen group has begun using the occult as a weapon and plans to seize control of the region. Russia would normally like to see the area suffer from in-fighting – as that keeps the locals from committing terrorist attacks in Russia – but the idea of a magic-backed separatist movement is unacceptable. The details are sketchy but their magic has distinctly Islamic undertones, even though any sane Muslim would consider such witchcraft to be heresy.

You and several other Section Nine operatives have been ordered to stop this group at any cost. A magic-backed coup d’état cannot and will not occur.

The Traitor There’s a traitor in Section Nine. A Division Ya

operative has made a deal with foreign hunters to sell out Section Nine’s secrets. There is evidence she killed her handler and captured another operative; the foreigners now have three vials of Serum 525 and a captive with a working implant, so who knows what they can reverse engineer from this. You have received orders to terminate both her and the foreign cell, rescue the kidnapped loyal operative and find out how much the enemy organization already knows.

AntagonistsAntagonistsAntagonistsAntagonists Section Nine serves Russia first and humanity

second. Even operatives working alongside other hunters are primarily after information that benefits and safeguards the Russian Federation. They must be willing to kill allies and teammates if the order comes down. The cell comes second to the greater good.

Any hunter cells working in Russia will inevitably draw Section Nine’s attention. A band of Les Mystères shamans operate in Siberia (HtV: Spirit Slayers, 110, 117). Aegis Kai Doru guards a cave in the Russian taiga with a stone altar that beats like a living heart (HtV: Rulebook, 178). Section Nine firmly believes

that all cells not under their control are potential enemies and must be infiltrated or eliminated.

All-Out War Any hunter cell that takes violent actions against a

Section Nine operative, even if the cell has no idea Section Nine exists, has effectively declared war on the Russian Federation. Depending on where the cell’s orders came from, issuing from the cell’s leader or someone considerably higher in the chain of command, this may lead to an all-out war between Section Nine and the offending compact or conspiracy.

Section Nine would prefer keeping its attacks under the radar at first and initially rely on Divisions Yu and Ya. Infiltration of enemy cells would begin or increase. Orders to assassinate by cancer or osteo-kinesis would be issued as needed.

If hostilities escalate or the enemy becomes aware of Section Nine’s activities, all bets are off. Instead of analyzing and neutralizing the enemy’s threat, Section Nine would move to eliminate it.

Division E units will receive orders to destroy entire enemy cells, launching simultaneous attacks on multiple cells to divide the enemy’s reserves and resources during the crisis. If successful, the enemy compact or conspiracy would lose their hold in one or more cities overnight.

If this war between hunters occurs on Russian soil, the attack might be more obvious and devastating. The Russians would let international media know about a military or police assault on suspected terrorists or a dangerous cult. It goes without saying that the enemy hunter organization is unlikely to win this war. The targeted cell or cells should consider escaping alive to be a victory.

This is, of course, only a general overview of how events may pan out. The specifics will vary considerably depending on who or what Section Nine is fighting. A Les Mystères cult could be eliminated without necessarily inflaming the rest of the confederation. The Union or Night Watch would not tolerate one of its cells being killed, especially if they learn it was done by a foreign military on American soil. A similar attack on Task Force: VALKYRIE or MI-18 risks becoming an international incident and spiraling into an actual war.

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