Infrastructure: The Wolves

Hidden throughout the world are pieces of Infrastructure, devices and beings designed to serve the occult purposes of the Machine, a universe spanning entity working to unknown purposes.

Some serve as ways to control and corral disruptive elements, to keep them away from fragile plans and facilities.

This week's idea comes from ideas I had when I first read about Vampire: the Masquerade. The Lupines seemed so much more mysterious then, with vampires being largely clueless to their beliefs and structure. It's something I'd like see more of in the World of Darkness: scary mysterious threats.

The Wolves

There have always been monsters at the borders. Here be dragons, don't venture into the old woods, beware of sea serpents at the edge of the world. Go too far at your own peril.

Some monsters exist to contain other monsters. In the city, vampires, wizards, and fae crowd in small neighborhoods, rarely venturing to other districts let alone crossing the long stretches of highway and backroads to another settlement.

They claim they are avoiding some particular weakness of their kind. Sunlight and the daysleep, the magical retaliation of their enemies, Keepers and the Wild Hunt. But there are also the wolves.

Some say they are just normal wolves. If those naysayers return from the wilds, they know better. Others say they are werewolves so lost to their inner beast that they can never return to human form. Some say they are tools of a savage vampire or fae overlord. Those who have gotten close and survived say they are less supernatural and more unnatural, creatures forged of flesh and circuitry. Those broken monsters babble about government conspiracies and black helicopters.

A Truth

The wolves are constructs of the Machine, serving it by keeping supernatural creatures from interfering with its works. Partly mechanical, partly flesh they combine the wolves' natural senses with enhanced strength and intelligence, making them a match for any vampire or fae.

Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 4, Resolve 4, Strength 6, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5, Presence 4, Manipulation 1, Composure 4
Skills: Athletics (Running) 4, Brawl 3, Computers 1, Intimidation 3, Stealth 3, Survival (Tracking) 4
Merits: Unseen Sense

Willpower: 8
Initiative: 7          Defense: 8 (Armor 1/1)
Speed: 18 (species factor 9)
Health: 9              Size:4

Abilities:

• Bite (1 Lethal)
• Jam Electronics (Strength + Computers)
• Night Vision (thermal and low-light)
• Cybernetic speed (x3 speed for up to one minute)

The wolves work in packs of up to a dozen. Several will distract opponents (making attacks designed to lower Defense) while others work to bring them down (with All-Out attacks on arms and legs to inflict Tilts). Once softened up they devour the poor soul as a group.

Other Truths

That's one way they might exist. But other possibilities exist.

• Hunter: the Vigil: the wolves are a tool of a Conspiracy, likely Task Force: Valkyrie or the Cheiron Group. Maybe they corral monsters to make for easier hunting or perhaps they've slipped their control chips and must be put down themselves.
• Werewolf: the Forsaken: Are these wolves claimed by insane machine spirits or are wolf spirits desperately trying to feed by claiming abandoned machinery? Or is some intelligence creating these living magath?
• Night's Black Agents: these are obviously tools of conspiracy, used to defend a base of operations in the wilderness.

General Abilities: Abberance 10, Fighting 12, Health 10
Hit Threshold: 4
Alertness modifier: +4 (night vision optics and keen hearing)
Stealth modifier: +1
Damage modifier: +1 (bite)
Armor: -3 vs. bullets, -1 vs. others; Unfeeling
Other Powers: Field Effects (block electronic communication)
Banes: EMP

• The Esoterrorists: the wolves are fake, but someone is behind these reports of monsters in the woods. Maybe they use disguised dogs, mulitated wolf corpses, and trickery to create these creatures. Pretty soon though something like them will creep out of the Outer Dark.