I have some words of warning. After a several weeks of "investigation" (i would hardly call dowsing and a psychic premonition investigation), a few aquaintances of mine attempted to subdue an individual that they believed was some sort of vampire (they kept me updated and said i would have the proof i demanded). The followed her patterns for a few days and they finally decided to act. The rest is part of the police report. They sprayed her in the face with some sort of liquid and then attempted to put a wooden stake through her chest. The group was arrested shortly thereafter and are now being charged with murder of a 25 year old woman. The still attest to her being a vampire and claim she displayed supernatural feats of strength, though with out any eyewitness' their credibilty is questionable. I am now being subpoenaed into court to testify as to thier mental compentecy.

My question is how do all you out there hunting the supernatural truthfully know that you are hunting the supernatural? Is there any concern that you may be violating legimate laws?

Ain't no such thing as the supernatural, Jack. Reality is what is.

If I witness a kidnapping or get jumped myself it's go time, bitches, straight up.

Occasionally something odd will occur during a fugitive recovery op, but nobody's been killed.

Okay, for starters, a real vampire, when staked through the chest, tends to decay down to practically just bones in a matter of seconds. Supernatural strength does not a vampire make.

And I agree with Willie; there is no such thing as "supernatural" or "unnatural", at least not anything that I'm capable of understanding (and I'm a druid, so that should say something).

But I understand what you're asking; you're asking about the paranormal, that that exists outside an average person's daily life routines. There is the possibility, sometimes, of being wrong about our targets... That's one reason I tend not to use guns at all if I can help it (though I did just recently get some training from Ron), and why I don't go after anything with lethal force unless I'm damned sure that my target is either inhuman or is a predator, such as the dark druid who recently committed suicide on my blade. If I'm not absolutely certain, if I haven't seen with my own eyes evidence that what these things are is dangerous to the populace at large, I won't engage and attack to kill. Subdue, maybe, but only if they're any form of threat at all.

And you're right... A true investigation would've involved a great deal more than just dowsing and a premonition. Dowsing can be an effective method of finding lost items, water in a desert, or narrowing down the location of where a person might have been, but as a science for identifying supernatural creatures, it seems to be sadly lacking. The psychic premonition could've been any number of things, including the foreshadowing of that woman's death.

In all likelihood, the justice system will be justified in meeting out its brand of justice in this case. It's sad, because it's cases like these that make those of us who actually *do* know what we're talking about look bad.

Sorry to hear about your what happened and I have to agree with what KT said. I'm a former L.E.O.as well as a Psi so I tend to try and get as much info about what I'm dealing with as I can, tends to prevent such errors from happening in the first place and it gives me something to show the authoitys if I have to. Modern Forensics and technology can be your best buddy or your biggest downfall.

SensorArray wrote:My question is how do all you out there hunting the supernatural truthfully know that you are hunting the supernatural? Is there any concern that you may be violating legimate laws?

Your words of warning are welcome and appreciated. Indeed, how do we “know”? I don’t think I am the right person to answer that, though the others seem confident enough to do so. And they seem far more inclined to have an answer you seek, because they are linked in the same way all humans are. As for my knowing what is “supernatural” or not, I know the same way you “know” how to keep your heart beating. For me, it is a matter of instinct.

The law, however, is beyond me entirely. I cannot let the police get a positive ID on me. My identity as a human died long ago. I follow the law of the land to the best of my ability, though my vigilantism is especially a concern: I must never go too far.

My answer seems a paradox, does it not? But then, so is my existence. But there you are: take it as what you will. The concerns you bring up is a risk we all take in hunting the evils of this world.

For me its less of a question of "Is he/she/it Supernatural?" as it is a question of "Is he/she/it evil?"

Check out War Stories for how Celeste, Dante, and I took out that cult.

I agree with several of the statements made already. First, I tend to look to see if whatever it may be is 'supernatural' or 'paranormal'. Then I look to see if it is evil, and or a real threat. If it doesn't trip off any of those alarms, I'm not going to bother getting all riled up about it.

Sometimes, some things that register on the 'radar' as supernatural have been as simple as some creature from somewhere else that accidentally came through with something else that was summoned that is innocently looking to find a way back to its home, or is looking to find somewhere to call home.

So really, you have to know what you're dealing with before you decide to use lethal force, or any for that matter. Personally, the previously mentioned team seems like a bunch of loose-cannons, and went cowboy before they knew for certain what it was they dealt with. In truth, they are better off being out of sight, and being handled by the judiciary system. Thankfully enough, our kind of folks don't have enough credibility in the modern world to even create a ripple more than a county or three wide, so most of the state they live in won't even hear about it. People don't wan't to know about what really [i]is[/is] out there anyway for the most part. Keeps them happy, sane, safe and sound in their little world.

Because that team didn't do their homework, I'm glad that they are out of the way, so that none of the rest of us have to clean up their mess. I know it sounds harsh, but in truth... we can't always afford to be picking up after someone else. I know this though, when you get into this kind of world, and this kind of business, you have to learn somehow.

A little piece of friendly, and wise advice to all you youngbloods out there. If you are getting involved with the wierd side of reality out there, if you're not sure of something don't mess with it. If you -are- sure, make sure to check what you know against reliable sources such as the Society and the Agency. There's a wide range of experience to be found here, and a lot more resources than you are likely to have on hand on your own. Making use of that alone will be like a bulletproof vest, and give you some protection. Knowledge is power, and protection.

So apparently all the group members arrested commited ritualistic suicide while while awaiting thier trial date.

I find it kinda suspicious that they would commit suicide before it even went to trial.

I didn't believe the guys at first but in a letter they sent to me they said that they were being framed and that there were other forces at work there. I thought it was wierd that we couldn't get a copy of the autopsy of the girl through multiple channels. I accepeted the fact that none were allowed out on bail because it was a murder trial, but they would not allow any of them have a visitor the entire month. Now they commit suicide in a ritualistic fashion? I regret that I did not suspect that somone might have had it out for them from the get go. The fact the coroner has said thier bodies have been "misplaced" has driven us over the edge.

Once we review our comrades preliminary data, our team is planning a visit to this small town. Thankfully our corporate sponser has pulled some strings for us and we shouldn't have much trouble with the law to get thier bodies back. Though I suspect law as we know it ends at the town limits. I just hope it doesn't have to resort to a BLU-82 again, it raises far too many questions we we call one of those in.

Ouch... Be very, very careful. This sounds like it very probably goes a lot deeper than it seems.

Here are the possibilities as I see them, and at this time, I think they're all about equally likely...

#1: You're dealing with a mundane small town who doesn't like outsiders (including people who may have lived in the town and acted differently than others). The officials are going through a miniature conspiracy. All the deaths are mundane, the story of the ritualistic suicides is a cover for their murdering the group. The bodies have been "misplaced" while they destroy evidence that the group were severely beaten before they were killed. (Gotta love small towns...) If this is the case, proceed with extreme caution. They have official stories to stand on in case higher governments become involved, and they probably have the means to divert attention away from themselves...

#2: Just a slight variation on the above... The person they killed really was a vampire. (Hey, if her body can't be found, then it's a possibility, I guess...)

#3: The town officials are working for darker forces, one way or another, either voluntarily or not. This could be just as dangerous as #1, as it's impossible to tell at this point what they're capable of, or for what reason they would've killed that group.

In any case, be careful.

Ok to say something was off with situation is an understatement, if you would like send me the details and I could run a few checks through some contacts of mine to see if I can get you some more info. I could also look to see if anything shows up as odd in the towns past. Oh foolish question what prey tell is BLU-82? Oh and take KT's advise to heart

You should give us the location in detail in case you need bailing out.

Shadowstalker wrote:Oh foolish question what prey tell is BLU-82? Oh and take KT's advise to heart

A BLU-82 is a "dumb" bomb: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/blu-82.htm

Of course this means that the team SensorArray belongs to (or the funding corporation) has the capacity to call in air support.

Sorry I don't as a rule deal with that kind of ordanace and try to deal with things on a more pesonel level but thanks for the heads up. Now for foolish question #2 WHO THE HELL is SensorArray working for because that is not something you can just get your hands on if I'm not sorely mistaken.

A motherfuckin' air strike?

... what was you askin' us again, something about violating laws or some shit?

I wish I could still call in Air Strikes. *grumbles* I'd even settle for an artillery strike.

Shadowstalker wrote:Sorry I don't as a rule deal with that kind of ordanace and try to deal with things on a more pesonel level but thanks for the heads up. Now for foolish question #2 WHO THE HELL is SensorArray working for because that is not something you can just get your hands on if I'm not sorely mistaken.

There are some Gov't organizations authorized to exercise the "Fifth Freedom" which is outlined below.

"The central--and not very surprising--conclusion that emerges from the documentary and historical record is that the U.S. international and security policy, rooted in the structure of power in the domestic society, has as its primary goal the preservation of what we might call the 'Fifth Freedom,'understood crudely but with a fair degree of accuracy as the freedom to rob, to exploit and dominate, to undertake any course of action to ensure that existing privilege is protected and advanced." from The Culture of Terrorism, 1998 Noam Chomsky

SensorArray may be in the employ of such an organization.

Philanthropy pays off. The next persons life you save may be a very powerful person. Not everone who has influence in this world is evil.

I agree. Where not all that bad. SensorArray your name sounds vaguely familiar. Have we worked together in the past?

Talk about resources! Jeebus!

I was thinking more along the lines of overkill.

SA, an air strike shouldn't be necessary at all. You're just dealing with a small town, and a bunch of spoiled aristocrats. If you do, indeed, hold any sway with the government, I'd suggest you use it to your advantage to get the information you need.

'Sides, if you bombed 'em, you'd have no evidence to back up your claims that they were hiding stuff, and you'd be no better than any of the others who jump the gun.