TEXT: Written by Ben Counter, Bethany Culp, Stephen Michael DiPesa, Jess Hartley, 
  Martin Henley, David Hill, Filamena Hill, Howard Wood Ingham, John Kennedy, 
  Matthew McFarland, John Newman, Alex Scokel, Travis Stout, Eddy Webb  
  Developed by Eddy Webb     Audio produced by Michael Read     Edited by Genevieve Podleski  
  Layout by Jessica Mullins     Art by Aaron Acevedo, Sam Araya, Avery Butterworth, 
  Nicole Cardiff, Kari Christensen, Jim Dibartolo, dugnation, Costas Harritas, 
  Phil Hilliker, Vince Locke, Ken Meyer Jr, Jim Pavelec, Juan Serrano, Brad 
  Williams, Cathy Wilkins 
  Special thanks to our voice actors for giving up a Saturday to help us out: 
  Anna Albano, Nathan Binder, David Bounds, Natasha Bryant-Raible, Priscilla 
  Kim, Vincent Lombardo, Orrin Loria, Weston Reid, Rich Thomas, Michelle Webb
  A Storytelling Adventure System 
  anthology for Hunter: The Vigil
  White Wolf Publishing, Inc.
  2075 West Park Place 
  Blvd Suite G
  Stone Mountain, GA 30087
  Mallory couldn’t recall how she’d ended up in the middle of the woods, but she was becoming used to finding herself in strange 
  locations with no memory of how she’d arrived. She was a little more annoyed than usual about it, though. She had been in the shelter, 
  looking for the tape. It was important. If they found it, they would learn about the Clutter, and then they would come after her.
  Undoubtedly, it was the Clutter that had brought her here. They were always with her, comforting Mallory through her sickness. 
  Mallory hadn’t felt quite right for months now, and every day she felt increasingly drained from her illness. She was lucky to have 
  them. One of the Clutter, a burly, ginger tomcat she had loving named Britches, weaved in and out of Mallory’s bony, arthritic legs as 
  she shuffled stiffly forward. Weak sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the corpse sprawled on the forest floor. The body 
  was covered in hundreds of scratches, and chunks of flesh had been playfully ripped away by dozens of small feline jaws.
  “Not again!” Mallory exclaimed with the same bemused exasperation of a cat owner discovering a dead mouse carcass gift on the 
  stoop. “Whatever shall I do with all of you?”
  All around her, the Clutter moved through the trees: cats of every color, long haired and short, purring so loudly that Mallory could 
  feel it reverberate through her tired bones.
  
  © 2009 CCP hf. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of 
  reviews, and one printed copy which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire and World of Darkness are registered trademarks 
  of CCP hf. All rights reserved. Vampire the Requiem, Werewolf the Forsaken, Mage the Awakening, Promethean the Created, Changeling the Lost, Hunter 
  the Vigil, Storytelling System and Collection of Horrors are trademarks of CCP hf. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are 
  copyrighted by CCP hf. CCP North America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CCP hf. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these 
  pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and 
  supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
  Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com
  White Wolf Publishing, Inc.
  2075 West Park Place 
  Blvd Suite G
  Stone Mountain, GA 30087
  Written by Ben Counter, Bethany Culp, Stephen Michael DiPesa, Jess Hartley, 
  Martin Henley, David Hill, Filamena Hill, Howard Wood Ingham, John Kennedy, 
  Matthew McFarland, John Newman, Alex Scokel, Travis Stout, Eddy Webb  
  Developed by Eddy Webb     Audio produced by Michael Read     Edited by Genevieve Podleski  
  Layout by Jessica Mullins     Art by Aaron Acevedo, Sam Araya, Avery Butterworth, 
  Nicole Cardiff, Kari Christensen, Jim Dibartolo, dugnation, Costas Harritas, 
  Phil Hilliker, Vince Locke, Ken Meyer Jr, Jim Pavelec, Juan Serrano, Brad 
  Williams, Cathy Wilkins 
  Special thanks to our voice actors for giving up a Saturday to help us out: 
  Anna Albano, Nathan Binder, David Bounds, Natasha Bryant-Raible, Priscilla 
  Kim, Vincent Lombardo, Orrin Loria, Weston Reid, Rich Thomas, Michelle Webb
  A Storytelling Adventure System  
  anthology for Hunter: The Vigil
  Mallory couldn’t recall how she’d ended up in the middle of the woods, but she was becoming used to finding herself in strange 
  locations with no memory of how she’d arrived. She was a little more annoyed than usual about it, though. She had been in the shelter, 
  looking for the tape. It was important. If they found it, they would learn about the Clutter, and then they would come after her.
  Undoubtedly, it was the Clutter that had brought her here. They were always with her, comforting Mallory through her sickness. 
  Mallory hadn’t felt quite right for months now, and every day she felt increasingly drained from her illness. She was lucky to have 
  them. One of the Clutter, a burly, ginger tomcat she had loving named Britches, weaved in and out of Mallory’s bony, arthritic legs as 
  she shuffled stiffly forward. Weak sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the corpse sprawled on the forest floor. The body 
  was covered in hundreds of scratches, and chunks of flesh had been playfully ripped away by dozens of small feline jaws.
  “Not again!” Mallory exclaimed with the same bemused exasperation of a cat owner discovering a dead mouse carcass gift on the 
  stoop. “Whatever shall I do with all of you?”
  All around her, the Clutter moved through the trees: cats of every color, long haired and short, purring so loudly that Mallory could 
  feel it reverberate through her tired bones.
  
  1
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  Host of the Clutter
  MENTAL • 
  PHYSICAL ••• 
  SOCIAL • 
  Overview
  Several corpses, shredded nearly beyond recognition by tooth 
  and claw, were discovered buried in shallow graves in the woods 
  outside of town. The characters, investigating the unusual 
  circumstances surrounding the murders, have begun to suspect 
  the involvement of Mallory Oakes, a veterinary assistant pre-
  viously employed at the Safe Haven Animal Shelter.  She was 
  known to have been a friend and colleague of a local hunter, 
  Bryan, an identified victim of the attacks who was investigat-
  ing cryptids resembling domestic housecats in a nearby urban 
  neighborhood. Oakes mysteriously vanished several months ago, 
  abandoning her work and leaving behind an eerie recording of 
  her last-known autopsy of one of the cryptids, requested by the 
  deceased Bryan.
  Oakes had no prior history of violent behavior before her 
  disappearance, and evidence suggests that she may be a victim 
  of supernatural influence. If Oakes is a victim of demonic pos-
  session, it may yet be possible to free her and stop the string 
  of murders in the process. The characters may have previously 
  been allies with Bryan, or may have known Oakes prior to 
  her conversion. Alternately, the cell may be doing a favor for 
  allied hunters who may have their own motives for seeking 
  out Oaks. 
  As the scene opens, vague reports of strange, nocturnal 
  feline behavior around Save Haven Animal Shelter have led 
  the characters to Oakes’ former workplace. Here, they come 
  face to face with Mallory Oakes, a frail shadow of her former 
  self, and the feline demons who have taken her as their own, 
  the Clutter.
  Description
  The feeble fluorescent lights cast a twitchy, 
  sallow light upon the dismal lobby. Safe Haven 
  Animal Shelter is clearly a misnomer: between 
  the serrated edges of rusted chain-link kennels 
  and the foul, poorly-disguised stench of fresh 
  animal piss, the place feels downright sinister. 
  The room itself is a disaster area. Several filing 
  cabinets have been overturned — drawers pulled 
  from their slots and emptied upon the floor as 
  though someone was searching for something. A 
  pair of dark corridors lead from the room, and 
  from the blackness of the hallway directly ahead, 
  two shining, yellow-green eyes stare, unblinking, 
  back at you. A cat loose from its cage? 
  “You should not be here.”
  You swivel around, startled. A stooped, pale, 
  old woman in a dingy lab coat emerges from 
  the shadows of the second corridor. Your eyes 
  travel down her withered form from her name 
  tag to the deep, festering wound on her right 
  hand. Mallory Oakes? Impossible! Although the 
  woman’s leathery, ancient face is a mask of deep 
  wrinkles, the resemblance to the pretty, young 
  vet tech in the photos remains undeniable. One 
  by one, dozens of pairs of lamplit eyes appear 
  in the darkness behind her. The shadows writhe 
  and hiss as the cats slink toward you, and you 
  catch the undeniable odor of rotting flesh. 
  Storyteller Goals
  The goal of Host of the Clutter is to establish Mallory Oakes as a 
  recurring contact in a chronicle. The scene itself is versatile, and its 
  difficulty can be easily adjusted to suit novice and advanced cells alike, 
  both to establish a useful ally for future endeavors, and to provide the 
  characters with a glimpse of the supernatural world around them — 
  all the more unsettling as its darkness permeates the mundane and 
  familiar.
  Host of tHe Clutter
  
  2
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  Character Goals
  The characters’ primary goal in this scene is to free Mallory Oakes 
  from the parasitic demons that have chosen her as their host. In do-
  ing so, they may rid the city of the demons as well, ending the string 
  of murders. 
  Actions
  Saving Mallory Oakes
  Although there are many possible courses of action when confront-
  ing Mallory Oakes, an attempt will likely be made to free Oakes from 
  her connection to the Clutter. This can be achieved by killing the 
  demon cats while subduing her until she is free from their influence. 
  It should be noted that Oakes will attempt to use every resource she 
  has available to resist, and she will violently attack those whom she 
  perceives as a threat to the Clutter — to the point of throwing herself 
  directly in harm’s way to protect her “babies.”
  Each time one of the cats is killed, Mallory Oakes regains a 
  piece of her soul that was consumed by the Clutter. As each stolen 
  piece of her soul is returned, Oakes becomes noticeably younger, 
  although she will not cease resisting until every last one of the cats 
  has been destroyed.
  Subduing Mallory Oakes
  If Oakes is subdued and immobilized, she will struggle to break free, 
  and the Clutter will focus their attacks upon the character holding 
  Oakes captive.  If at any time Oakes rolls a dramatic failure when try-
  ing to escape the hold of her captor, she injures herself in the process, 
  taking one point of lethal damage.
  The Clutter
  While Mallory Oakes herself is not intended to be a particularly 
  difficult opponent, her demonic feline parasites present much more 
  of a threat due to their number and the strength of their combined 
  force. In combat, the demonic cats of the Clutter are no different from 
  ordinary house cats, apart from their tendency to relentlessly attack in 
  unison and overwhelm their foes by sheer numbers. The total number 
  of cats the characters are up against may be adjusted to suit the cell’s 
  level of ability.  
  The CluTTer
  Description: The demonic cats of the Clutter look like mangy, 
  malnourished housecats of every shape and color — they may be 
  long- or short-haired, tabby or calico. The odor of ammonia and decay 
  clings to their matted fur, and they circle and swarm about their host 
  in clumps, hissing and yowling when threatened. 
  Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 1, Resolve 2, Strength 1, Dexterity 3,  
  Stamina 2, Presence 1, Manipulation 1, Composure 1
  Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 1, Stealth 2
  Willpower: 3
  Initiative: 4
  Defense: 1
  Speed: 11 (species factor 7)
  Size: 2
  health: 3
  Weapons/Attacks:
  Type 
  Damage 
  Dice Pool
  Bite 
  0 (L)* 
  2
  Claw 
  0 (L)* 
  2
  Host of tHe Clutter
  *A cat’s attacks receive no damage bonus, 
  but still inflict lethal damage.
  
  3
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  tHe Cast
  If the Clutter’s numbers are reduced to less than a quarter of 
  what they started at, and Oakes is free and able to escape with 
  them, the Clutter will attempt to flee the scene, scattering in 
  all directions. However, they will not abandon Oakes if she is 
  still alive and being held captive, as the Clutter is bound to its 
  live host. If Oakes is immobilized without hope of release or too 
  wounded to escape along with the Clutter, the remaining cats 
  will turn their numbers against Oakes, attempting to kill her so 
  that they may break free and escape. If the Clutter succeeds in 
  killing Oakes, they will then immediately scatter from the scene 
  to find a new host. 
  Consequences
  If the characters succeed in freeing Mallory Oakes from the demon 
  cats, she completely regains her free will and reverts to her original 
  state. Oakes becomes a loyal ally and will offer to help the characters 
  in the future. 
  If the characters kill Oakes during the scene, any remaining de-
  monic cats that have fled from the shelter will find a new host. After 
  recovering, the Clutter may seek out members of the cell individually, 
  attempting to time their attack when a character is alone (and therefore 
  much easier to kill). The clutter may also seek out and kill others once 
  they have a new host, which may lead to an encore confrontation in 
  the future
  Mallory Oakes,  
  Possessed Veterinarian
  Quotes: “Heeeeerrrre, Britches!  
  Mommy has a treat for you if you 
  promise to be a good boy and not 
  kill anybody tonight!”
  “Where did we leave it? 
  Don’t you fret, my darlings, I’ll 
  remember where I left the tape 
  sooner or later. Then we’ll make 
  sure it’s never found, won’t we? 
  Yes, that’s what we’ll do!”
  Virtue: Charity. Oakes will do whatever she can to help a friend or 
  an animal in need, even if she must occasionally put herself at risk in 
  order to do so.
  Vice: Sloth. Believing she has better things to do with her time than 
  clean, Mallory Oakes lives and works in a state of perpetual disarray. 
  Her disorganization occasionally leads her to misplace important items 
  and information. 
  Background: A gifted veterinarian, Mallory Oakes spent several 
  years in medical school before turning her focus toward animals. Her 
  first brush with the supernatural occurred shortly before her disap-
  pearance several months ago, while performing an autopsy upon a 
  demonic cat-like cryptid requested by local hunter, Bryan. It was 
  during the autopsy that Mallory Oakes was marked as the new host 
  of the cat-demons, collectively called the Clutter. Subsequently, 
  the Clutter began the slow process of possessing Oakes, stealing her 
  breath and leaching her health to feed their vile essence. Super-
  naturally compelled to protect the Clutter, she no longer recognizes 
  her own face in the mirror, and her rare moments of lucidity are 
  becoming fewer. 
  “You! Stay away from us! 
  Touch one whisker on any of my 
  little ones and I’ll kill you!”
  Bryan’s Journal
  Oakes may be in possession of a journal 
  taken from Bryan before his death, containing 
  notes or valuable firsthand accounts of the 
  Clutter or other supernatural phenomena. If 
  desired, these accounts may be those found in 
  the Horror Recognition Guide (see “The Cat Lady,” 
  pp. 23-34). Alternately, the Storyteller may 
  use the journal as a means of providing new 
  information to the characters, tying the scene 
  into the story as a whole.  
  
  4
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  Description: Before becoming host to the Clutter, Mallory 
  Oakes was a mousey young woman in her mid-thirties. Her face 
  was soft and pretty in a muted, untraditional way, and she often 
  wore her long, wavy, mink-brown hair in a loose braid. Now 
  she barely resembles her former self. The Clutter have drained 
  the youth from her, transforming Oakes into a stooped, senile, 
  withered old hag. Were it not for the lab coat that she continues 
  to insist upon wearing at all times and the festering wound on 
  her right hand marking her as the host of the Clutter, Mallory 
  Oakes would look for all the world like a stereotypical lonely 
  old cat woman.
  When released from the Clutter, Oakes is soft-spoken and highly 
  intelligent; she has a soft spot for animals and humans in need, 
  and a kind, charitable nature. Despite her meek outward appear-
  ance, Oakes is a woman with strong personal values, and can be 
  jarringly blunt when she feels she must. Oakes is steadfastly loyalty 
  to those who have earned her trust, and her medical experience 
  (both with humans and animals) and keen intelligence make her 
  a useful ally.
  Storytelling Hints: When under the influence of the Clut-
  ter, Oakes is a senile old hag entirely bent on protecting the 
  Clutter, who she feels comfort and protect her as well. She is 
  not openly hostile unless she feels her “children” are in danger, 
  at which point she will use her limited strength to attempt to 
  protect them from harm. Keep in mind, however, that Oakes 
  should also be portrayed as a victim, manipulated by dark forces 
  beyond her control. 
  Notes         
  Intelligence 
  Strength 
  Presence
  Wits 
  Dexterity 
  Manipulation
  Resolve 
  Stamina 
  Composure
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  WillpoWer
  HealtH
  skills
  Merits
  Morality
  Size
  Speed
  Defense
  Initiative Mod
  Armor
  FlaWs
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  ooooo
  o o o o o o o o o o o o
  o o o o o o o o o o
  tactics
  Name: 
  Virtue: 
  Profession:
  Concept: 
  Vice: 
  Compact: 
   
   
  Conspiracy:
      Mallory “M” Oakes 
      Charity 
  Doctor
         Possessed         
   Sloth  
          Veterinarian         
  Academics 
  Computer
  Crafts
  Investigation
    (Autopsy)
  Medicine 
    (Vetrinary)
  Occult 
  Science
  Athletics
  Brawl
  Drive
  Stealth 
  Animal Ken
    (Regional)
  Empathy
  Persuasion
  Socialize
  Streetwise
  Subterfuge
           6
  5
      9
          2
                      5
    
  Derangements: Vocalization (Morality 6)
  Notes: Mallory Oakes suffers from the derangement Vocalization (p. 98, World of Dark-
  ness Rulebook) and will often talk to herself when in distress and facing an important 
  decision, considering possible courses of action out loud. This derangement becomes 
  more severe when she is under the influence of the Clutter, during which time she takes 
  a – 2 penalty to the usual Resolve + Composure roll to avoid thinking aloud. 
  Eidetic Memory
  Encyclopedic 
  Knowledge
  Holistic Awareness 
  Contacts  
   (Medical Forensics)
  Resources 
  
  5
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  Audio Prop
  Subject appears to be a gray tabby housecat, male, weighting approximately 
  9.6 pounds. Its fur is clumped and matted with debris. Other than appearing 
  slightly malnourished, the subject is unremarkable. The time of death was 
  estimated to take place around 1 A.M. this morning, approximately five 
  hours ago. There is a wound penetrating the thoracic cavity — according to 
  Bryan, the cat was shot by a CO2 pellet. 
  Preparing to make the primary incision along the ventral midline of the 
  abdominal cavity…
  [Tape stops.]
  This is unusual to say the least. I can honestly say I’ve never seen any-
  thing like it. I can’t begin to imagine what could have caused this kind of 
  damage. There are no organs present in the abdominal cavity. It’s clear 
  from the rest of the body that the cat died recently, but it looks as though 
  … I don’t know how to describe this … it’s as though something has caused 
  this cat to dissolve away from within … almost like a worm in an apple 
  — healthy on the outside, and rotten on the inside. The stench of necrotic 
  tissue is unbelievable.  
  There’s absolutely no way a CO2 pellet could have caused this kind 
  of internal damage, and I could not begin to guess what did. Bryan 
  said that it was running across a yard when he shot at it, but that’s 
  simply not possible! From the look of it, this cat should have been dead 
  weeks ago.
  It looks as though the damage may have extended past the diaphragm. I 
  am beginning the dissection of the thoracic cavity…
  [Tape stops.]
  It bit me! The damn thing bit me! It was dead! How is that possible? I 
  was cutting through the rib cage, when the fucker swiveled its head and 
  latched onto my wrist. I heard its neck crack through the rigor mortis. I 
  jerked my hand away, pulling the thing off the table and onto the floor. It 
  took a nice chunk of my skin with it when I finally got my hand loose. I saw 
  it shuddering and trying to lift itself up off the floor and I was so freaked 
  out I just I stomped on its head without thinking about it… FUCK. My 
  hand. I need to make this bleed… clean it out… Where’s the goddamn 
  rubbing alcohol?
  That’s it. I’m done. There’s no way in hell I’m completing this autopsy. 
  This thing is going straight to the incinerator. 
  audio ProP
  To listen to the audio prop of 
  Mallory Oaks’s autopsy of the cat 
  double click the poster.
  Once you start the recording 
  you will not be able to stop it 
  until it reaches the end without 
  closing the pdf.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Storyteller [multi]/World of Darkness (WoD) [multi]/CofD/Hunter - The Vigil/Collection of Horrors/Collection of Horrors 02 - Host of the Clutter.pdf