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
  Jason Webber’s story is a tragedy. Victim of the bizarre Sendack Case. 
  Orphaned by the mysterious murder of his parents. Lost his home to fire. Now 
  he’s in state care, surrounded by kids whose futures likely lie in running the 
  streets. His caseworker tries desperately not to let him slip away, but he 
  won’t talk to her, or to anyone. Yet the boys in the home gather around him, 
  protecting him as he obsessively draws scene after scene of violence and 
  sadness. Each of his drawings has a space left noticeably blank.
  What do they mean?
  What won’t he draw?
  
  © 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
  Jason Webber’s story is a tragedy. Victim of the bizarre Sendack Case. 
  Orphaned by the mysterious murder of his parents. Lost his home to fire. Now 
  he’s in state care, surrounded by kids whose futures likely lie in running the 
  streets. His caseworker tries desperately not to let him slip away, but he 
  won’t talk to her, or to anyone. Yet the boys in the home gather around him, 
  protecting him as he obsessively draws scene after scene of violence and 
  sadness. Each of his drawings has a space left noticeably blank.
  What do they mean?
  What won’t he draw?
  A Storytelling Adventure System  
  anthology for Hunter: The Vigil
  
  1
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  Empty Space
  MENTAL ••• 
  PHYSICAL ••• 
  SOCIAL ••• 
  Overview
  Jason Webber is haunted by tragedy. He is a survivor of the bizarre 
  child abduction case known as the Sendack Case or “Row Home 
  Nightmare” (as detailed in the Horror Recognition Guide, pp. 49-72), 
  only to lose his parents a few months later in an unsolved homicide 
  and arson case. The house that marked the scene of both crimes is 
  condemned and demolished now, and Jason is in state care. His case 
  worker, Rebecca Mitchell, has been getting nowhere with the boy and 
  fears he is falling in with the wrong crowd.
  To make matters stranger, the cliques and proto-gangs of the state 
  home haven’t subjected him to the hazing or initiations typical of such 
  groups. Instead he seems to be having a positive effect on the yard, 
  despite his withdrawn nature. Significantly fewer fights and outbursts 
  rule the days and nights within the cramped and usually volatile 
  environment. How Jason is responsible is one of many unknowns sur-
  rounding the boy. 
  Jason draws constantly on every surface he has access to, and the 
  boys gather protectively around him like he’s some sort of schoolyard 
  messiah. Pictures of his dead parents, his time spent in the basement 
  dungeon, a gray mare drawing a black carriage and other macabre im-
  ages cover every available surface. One element features in every one: 
  a blank area in the picture as if he’s leaving something out; something 
  too terrible to draw.
  Rebecca is at the end of her rope and willing to try anything 
  to make some sort of inroad with the boy. Familiar with his case 
  history and the daughter of a hunter herself, she reaches out to 
  the cell. She can’t shake the feeling that something deeper and 
  more sinister is at hand. Why won’t the boy talk to her? What 
  won’t he draw?
  Sample drawings are provided and may be handed over to the players 
  by Rebecca first thing or revealed as the scene progresses, culminating 
  in a picture of the rec room with a man with a candle and a woman 
  lying on the floor – both presumably dead.
  Pursuing answers, the cell must win the boy’s confidence that they can keep 
  him safe from the horror that haunts his every moment and killed his parents: 
  Old Tom. Old Tom attached himself to Jason after the rest of his anchors 
  in this world have been destroyed. Able to communicate with children and 
  youths, he takes on the forms of nightmares to coerce and control his growing 
  flock at the State home. If the cell can get Jason to confide in them, Old Tom 
  will be revealed, hovering nearby in the chilling form of Rebecca Mitchell’s 
  mangled and crushed body. No wonder the boy won’t talk to her: every minute 
  a twisted mirror of her broken body reminds him of the consequences.
  Description
  Rebecca
  Rebecca greets you at the door with a pleasant 
  if sad smile. “Thank you so much for coming, I… I 
  couldn’t think of what else to do. I think Jason 
  – the boy I told you about – I think he’s afraid 
  of something. At first I thought it was me, but, 
  these pictures he’s drawing…” She trails off with 
  a faraway look in her eye, a handful of pictures 
  in question in her hand. Her attention snaps back 
  to the here and now. “Take a look for yourself. 
  When you’re ready, he’s right through here in the 
  rec room with the rest of the boys.”
  Jason
  The common room of the group home is crowded 
  despite the relatively small number of boys. At 
  once everyone in the room stops their card games 
  and conversations to look you over. The change in 
  atmosphere makes it clear that strangers aren’t 
  common or welcome. It doesn’t take a minute 
  to guess which one is Jason. He scratches out 
  a drawing in chalk on a brick column while a 
  thuggish-looking boy stands guard nearby.
  (introduction) Jason is obviously reluctant to 
  speak to you with Rebecca in the room. He barely 
  acknowledges you, seemingly enthralled with his 
  drawings. But you can tell from his body language that 
  he does hear you. It’s like he’s afraid to acknowledge 
  your presence at all, let alone answer your questions. 
  Rebecca gives you a look of quiet apology.
  empty spaCe
  
  2
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  (gaining ground) “Can’t say.” Jason responds 
  simply, concisely. Your first instinct might be that 
  he’s blowing you off but he looks up at you for the 
  first time and repeats himself earnestly. “Can’t 
  say.” His eyes flick over to a collection of boys 
  by a recreation table before looking back down at 
  his drawing. Following his furtive line of sight 
  reveals nothing exceptional about the boys, other 
  than their intense interest in you and the cell.
  (success) Jason looks up at you again this time 
  his face is a resolute mask. He beckons you closer 
  to him and whispers “You look over there to those 
  boys. You look real hard. Not at them, but above 
  them. He’s hiding from you, but you can see him 
  if you try.” A tear tracks down his cheek before 
  he starts a new drawing on the floor.
  (losing ground/failure) Jason picks up his 
  shoebox of chalk, pencils and markers and stalks 
  across the room to where a group of boys leers 
  at you and the cell. If you try and approach, the 
  group of boys shoulder up protectively around the 
  boy. Something is definitely not right here.
  Old Tom
  (first glance) Your gaze settles on the group of boys 
  sitting on and around the table on the far side of 
  the room, but nothing about them seems out of place. 
  Looking back down to Jason reveals no new clues to 
  what you’re supposed to see here. Only by letting 
  your eyes unfocus a bit do you start to sense a blur 
  hovering slightly above the boys like a smudge on a 
  photograph. The more you try to blink and focus on 
  it, the more agitated your vision becomes, and you 
  feel the onset of a sudden and piercing pain.
  (Old Tom revealed) Finally your vision pierces the 
  gauzy veil obscuring the horror. You see Rebecca 
  – or something that has deigned to look like her – 
  with her neck bent at a harsh right angle, staring 
  from unblinkingly eyes, hovering over the boys. 
  She is crumpled, bent and crushed like a tissue 
  stuffed into an invisible box. Seeing your reaction 
  Jason points to the empty square in his drawing 
  and reveals with a harsh whisper, “Old Tom.”
  empty spaCe
  Storyteller Goals
  Confront your players with an inexplicable horror from a position 
  that they can’t do anything about immediately. If they force the 
  issue now, they put everyone present in danger, but if they wait, 
  they may be allowing a direct threat against Rebecca and Jason to 
  stand unanswered.
  Character Goals
  By request of Rebecca (or following up on leads from the Horror 
  Recognition Guide), the cell comes to Jason. As they delve deeper into 
  Jason’s situation, the horror dawns on them that they are not alone, 
  and a presence within the common room holds sway over the children 
  present. Who or what is Old Tom, and how do they deal with him?
  Actions
  Interviewing Jason
  Jason is a withdrawn preadolescent, almost autistic in his lack of 
  response. Getting answers from him will be difficult, doubly so if Re-
  becca is close by. Despite all appearances, though, he wants to tell the 
  cell that a couple yards off hovers the thing of nightmares that killed 
  his parents and holds sway over the other children. He wants this to 
  be over. The onus is on the cell to prove that they can keep him safe 
  when no one else can.
  If the interviewer is successful, Jason will give clues indicating that 
  he can’t speak to Rebecca. He’s afraid and under constant watch. If 
  the interviewer fails, Jason regresses, convinced the cell can’t help or 
  believing this is a test by Old Tom.
  Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + equipment vs. Jason’s Resolve 
  (dice pool 2)
  Action: Extended and contested 
  Hindrances: Rebecca is present (-3), interviewer appears old (-1 to 
  -3, depending on apparent age).
  Help: Familiar face (+2), interviewer appears to be in their teens to 
  mid-20s (+1), direct offer of protection for him or Rebecca (+1).
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The interviewer makes a tragic misstep, reinforc-
  ing Jason’s image of adults as untrustworthy, and incurs a -3 penalty to 
  any subsequent attempt by visibly present members of the cell. 
  
  3
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  tHe Cast
  Exceptional Success: As success above and the observer gains a one 
  time +1 bonus on any initiative rolls made this scene.
  Consequences
  Old Tom is revealed, but what can the cell do about it? Rebecca is 
  under a standing threat from the spirit and the potential blowback for 
  Jason could prove deadly. The cell may attempt to negotiate with the 
  spirit, but all he wants is to be left alone with the children or an equitable 
  substitute. Can Old Tom offer anything the cell wants more than to free 
  these kids from his grasp: a clue to an ongoing mystery, closure with a 
  deceased colleague or a significant boost in funding for their Vigil?
  Attacking Old Tom is no easy prospect. Battling a spirit is a tricky 
  proposition under the best of conditions, and some of the boys are willing 
  to defend him. Perhaps it’s worth biding their time and coming back with 
  the proper arsenal, but are Rebecca or Jason safe in the meantime?
  Old Tom, Pied Piper
  Quotes: (stares unblinking from 
  Rebecca’s dead eyes)
  Failure: The interviewer makes no progress with Jason. For every 
  two consecutive failures, any attempt to interview Jason by any visibly 
  present member of the cell takes on a cumulative -1 penalty to interact 
  with Jason (to a maximum of -3).
  Success: The interviewer makes some headway with the boy, get-
  ting deeper into what he’s seen and what he knows. At 10 successes, 
  Jason will reveal that they are not alone and the spirit (identified as 
  Old Tom) is nearby, which is why he can’t speak freely.
  Exceptional Success: Jason wholeheartedly believes that the cell can 
  protect him. He will be specific that his parents were killed by a spirit 
  calling itself Old Tom, that the creature is with him at all times and has 
  threatened to kill Rebecca if he talks. He will point a straight line to Old 
  Tom, granting an additional +2 bonus to the Seeing the Unseen roll.
  Seeing the Unseen
  Some hunters have a way to look through the veil between the tan-
  gible world and the supernatural worlds that exist alongside it. Everyone 
  else must rely on their wits or the will of monsters to reveal themselves. 
  In the case of Old Tom, he – it – hovers somewhere between seen and 
  unseen near the boys at all times. With enough clues as to where to 
  look, anyone can see him without aid.
  Dice Pool: Resolve + Composure + equipment
  Action: Instant
  Hindrances: Openly skeptical (-2), dramatic failure on previous 
  observation rolls (-2)
  Help: Jason points to Old Tom (+2), deciphering the pictures (+1)
  Roll Results
  Dramatic Failure: The boy is severely delusional or putting the cell on. 
  Whichever it is, the attempted observer is likely to lose her patience and 
  agitate to leave this lost cause before they embarrass themselves further. 
  Only a direct confrontation with Old Tom by other members of the cell 
  or the boys will allow her to reroll with a one-time -2 penalty.
  Failure: The courtyard appears normal and occupied only by the boys, the cell 
  and Rebecca. Another attempt to detect Old Tom may be made upon further 
  evidence at a -1 cumulative penalty per successive attempt (maximum -3).
  Success: Success is marked with a chill as the observer is confronted 
  with the twisted figure of Old Tom, in the form of Rebecca broken 
  and contorted as if stuffed into an invisible box. Her head bent at an 
  unnatural angle she regards the cell with glassy eyes.
  (speaking through the boys) 
  “Old Tom doesn’t want to talk to 
  you. Leave us in peace.”
  (ghost sign) A shadow casts over 
  Rebecca’s face making her eyes look 
  like hollow sockets, and a ragged 
  line appears across her throat.
  Virtue: Charity. Old Tom 
  relishes taking care of his 
  charges, if briefly.
  Vice: Lust. Old Tom covets 
  power in the physical world, the ability to touch it and impact it.
  Background: Was Old Tom ever alive, or is he some other form of 
  spirit? Even Old Tom would be hard pressed to answer the question. His 
  oldest memories involve luring Lenapé children to a cave off the Dela-
  ware River and dashing them against rocks. Estranging the parents and 
  causing sorrow among the tribes of the Delaware seemed to be his only 
  purpose. As European settlers moved into the area, Old Tom glommed 
  
  4
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  Morality
  Aspect
  Rank
  Size
  Speed
  Defense
  Initiative Mod
  Power 
  Finesse 
  Resistance
  Notes         
  Name: 
  Virtue: 
  Concept: 
  Vice: 
    
   
  Corpus
  skills
  iNflueNCe
  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
  o
  o
  WillpoWer
  o o o o o o o o o o
  o o o o o o o o o o
  esseNCe
  NumiNa
  Dice Pool
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  o
  Control
  Children 
  Fear
        Old Tom 
      Charity 
          Pied Piper         
   Lust  
           
       
    
  5
     11
         6  
   
     10
  Dread Powers: Strange Form 4.
  onto the idea of ownership and greed. Luring children became more than 
  a way to cause grief, and he put them to work for his profit. 
  Old Tom changed many times as the years churned on, reaching 
  the height of his power during the Yellow Fever outbreaks of the late 
  18th century. Old Tom worked through a series of surrogates – often 
  through boys who survived his care into adulthood such as Doctor 
  Rush – using fear of the fever to pry wealthy and privileged children 
  from their parents. One by one, his surrogates fell to fever or fled the 
  city, depleting Old Tom’s influence. He became trapped in the form 
  of a gray mare, and he became a minor haunting at best. Even in his 
  diminished state, Old Tom was able to push others through his limited 
  influence. Everything from the disappearance of the Ross children in 
  1874 to the more recent unidentified “Boy in the Box” found brutally 
  beaten to death and stuffed in a bassinet box in Fox Chase could be-
  lievably be the handiwork of Old Tom.
  It wasn’t until very recently during the exorcism of an old colleague 
  that Old Tom was able to regain his full sense of self. Attaching himself 
  to Jason, he orchestrated the murder of his parents and destruction of 
  the row house by fire. Through Jason he is reaching other children, 
  once again growing a small army of young men where he hopes to 
  spread his influence anew.
  Description: Old Tom takes the form of nightmares or friendly faces 
  to lure kids into his dark employ. He has appeared as a voice in a cave, 
  an old chest, a young Lenapé girl, a miner, a parliament of barn owls, 
  a gray mare and coach, a faceless magistrate, a kindly old hag and 
  now the broken form of a social worker. When and if he’s confronted, 
  Old Tom will take on any form to shock or persuade the cell: a fallen 
  comrade, an estranged ex-wife, a feared animal or anything he believes 
  will give him the edge in the confrontation.
  Storytelling Hints: Be obtuse; act alien and inscrutable. Old Tom 
  does not like to deal with adults, and can only effectively communicate 
  with (in other words, manipulate) the minds of the young. His message 
  to his youthful charges is they can’t trust grownups, and reinforces this 
  with lies and threats. Everything Old Tom does to interact with the 
  cell will be conveyed through visual metaphor, shape-changing and 
  ghost sign. He will contend that he protects the children and they are 
  safe with him. Sounds good, but all anecdotal proof indicates that Old 
  Tom killed Jason’s family to “protect” him. Once it becomes clear that 
  the characters are aware of and can interact with him, he will attempt 
  diplomacy first, then fear, and finally violence.
  Animal Control 
  11
  Compulsion 
    (defend Tom) 
  11
  Ghost Sign 
  11
  Ghost Speech
    (children) 
  11
  Magnetic Disruption n/a
  Telekinesis 
  11
  Terrify 
  11
  
  5
  ColleCtion of Horrors
  prop
  Community Center Boys
  Attributes: intelligence 2, Wits 2, resolve 2, 
  strength 2, Dexterity 2, stamina 2, Presence 2, 
  manipulation 2, Composure 2
  skills: Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Weaponry 1
  Health: 6
  Willpower: 5
  morality: 6
  size: 4
  speed: 9
  Defense: 2
  initiative: 4
  Old TOm’s GanG
  The boys around the rec room have been lulled into Old 
  Tom’s employ through Jason and through the spirit’s direct 
  persuasion. If the cell causes problems, they will move to 
  defend him. abbreviated sample stats are provided.
  Props
  drawInG 1  
  - GhOsT CarrIaGe
  drawInG 2  
  - reC rOOm
  drawInG 3  
  - BedrOOm
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Storyteller [multi]/World of Darkness (WoD) [multi]/CofD/Hunter - The Vigil/Collection of Horrors/Collection of Horrors 04 - Empty Space.pdf