These stories first appeared in Hunt's Book of Weapons, an in-game collection of found documents curated by an unknown researcher. They are replicated here in their original format. This means that many of the stories are not presented chronologically, or in one grouping, and it is left to the reader to put together the puzzle pieces and determine to what extent they contain fact, fiction, or fable.

Prior to the launch of Hunt: Showdown 1896, the Mosin-Nagant here was named the Mosin-Nagant M1891. The Mosin Obrez was called Mosin-Nagant M1891 Obrez. Our Variant terminology has since been simplified. We have updated the names where relevant, but you may still see the more period accurate names within the lore texts.

+++

Mosin-Nagant

MOSIN-NAGANT M1891. (See also, RIFLE, RUSSIAN FIREARMS) Scandal surrounded the Mosin-Nagant M1891 from its conception. After a bloody defeat by troops armed with Winfield repeating rifles, the Russian Imperial Army realized it was in need of a more powerful infantry rifle. Three designs were submitted in a government-sponsored contest, and after much deliberation, the design created by an Imperial Army Officer named Sergei Ivanovich Mosin was chosen. However, the committee decided to combine this design with the design submitted by Léon Nagant, a Belgian. Nagant was bitter about his loss in the contest and filed a patent suit. In order to avoid a scandal, Nagant was awarded the money, though his contributions to the design of the gun were considered negligible. The gun became colloquially known as the Mosin-Nagant or Nagant-Mosin in the West, though neither are considered the weapon's official name.

The Mosin-Nagant M1891 is a five shot, bolt-action rifle that uses two front-locking lugs for the action. The rifling in the barrel is right turning, and the internal cartridge holds five rounds.

+++

Interview with John Victor
Author: F.W.B. Volunteer
Single sheets. Typewritten transcription. 8 x 11 in.
1/5

The Twins? Some said they were Hunters, drawn by the call. We all were in those days, following noble causes that is. But others said they were something worse: what we fought. In my experience both could be true. They were tied up with Lynch, I remember that much. That was why I knew I had to find them. It was a sorry chase that left me poorer.

I was given a hint. In those days I was working close with a man called Aveit. But this may have come after. He gave me a lead though, something one of his cartographers had picked up. Once I found their tracks, they were almost impossible to follow. Lynch had trained them well. Now, rumors described them as young, but they seemed too careful. I saw them once, in the first days, in the distance. Or thought I did: a flatboat crossing a bayou silhouette against the moon. I followed their ripples across the water.

I few days later, I found their camp, the fire was cold. I kicked at the coals. I remember that growing there amongst them, untouched by the fire, a single stem of wild violet. There, right in the charcoal. I picked the flower and rolled it into mush between my thumb and forefinger.

Another time, I found their prey. One lay dead, the other man still gasping, clumsily trying to close the hole in his chest. A palm was pressed to the entry, the other to the exit. He mouthed "twins" at me, spluttering blood. I took the rifle from his hands. I'd seen it before. The Russian had one. A Mosin-Nagant. You know it well today, back then though, it was cutting edge. It was bloodied. I asked the man if it was theirs, meaning the twins. He nodded with the last of his strength.

I reached for a fissure, for a rift, a means to track: but found none. I left the man for dead.

+++

Interview with John Victor
Author: F.W.B. Volunteer
Single sheets. Typewritten transcription. 8 x 11 in.
2/5

Or was that earlier? When I took the rifle, I mean. I was using it for a long time. Got to know it. The smooth action of the bolt. People called me unpatriotic. Fools, for having allegiances to firearm makers. Pay attention to the guns themselves. Because I followed them, and I came close. I even remember reading about me in one of them dime novels. At least I thought it was me. He described one particular shoot-out with a man with deadly aim, dressed all in black, with ropes dangling from his wrists. But I thought it was me because it described the way I blink. One eye at a time. You see? That's subconscious. I can't shut both of them if I try.

Well, the reality was there was no way they saw my eyes: their whites, whether they was shut. You name it. I wasn't trying to kill them, either. Another fiction for the fancy of imagination. I was trying to help them out a stitch.

My partner was a true Benedict Arnold. We'd almost gotten close to them, where, cautious of my good intentions, he got the better of me. I woke up with my hands and feet bound. My bayonet was gone. I knew he'd gone to slit their throats. I worked my way out the bindings, took my rifle, and went after him. I stopped him in the act. Raising his bayonet against the two sleeping girls. I killed him clean, but he still thrust that blade.

When I caught up, the girls were gone. But he was still there, grunting in pain, gripping that blade dripping with their blood. I made it so he wouldn't harm them again.

Mosin Obrez

MOSIN-NAGANT M1891 OBREZ. (See also, RIFLE, RUSSIAN FIREARMS) Obrez roughly translates to "cut down" in Russian, though the term has become synonymous with sawed-off shotgun barrels. In the case of the Mosin-Nagant M1891, the "Obrez" designation refers to just such a shortened barrel on what was very clearly a makeshift weapon improvised in the field. Not only the barrel is sawed-off, but also the hand guard and wooden frame have been roughly modified by hand, in evidence by the crude splintering of the wood and the use of leather belts and scrape metal to hold the remaining pieces together. This short-barreled Mosin-Nagant was likely designed for use on more discrete missions, as its size allows for easier concealment and transport. The Mosin-Nagant Obrez is also lighter than the original model, making it easier to handle. However, the weapon's fierce recoil makes it less accurate.

+++

Journal of William Salter
Severe water damage; reconstructed by archivist
Unlined paper, 3x5 in.
9/10

July?

I should not have removed the leg. She has been unconscious for a full day now, and though I moisten her lips with water, I fear she suffers for its lack. Black lines run up her body from the festering stump; her blood has surely been poisoned. I have been a fool. Now she lies on the floor of the cabin, brown hair matted with sweat, lips grimacing, limbs limp, moaning. She might have been an ally, and I have, in my madness, used her for target practice. What is wrong with me WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME, I

July

Off the porch, I saw a man out way in the woods running. Why? I tried to track him, took the day. Near dusk I came to the banks of the bayou. He was gone. But his things were not. His boots, an overcoat, and a long rifle, with a strange glass sight. Where did he go without his things? Mary is dead, but she keeps me company.

Mosin-Nagant Incendiary Ammo

RN: John Victor, Voelkel, Voelkell, all seem to refer to the same man—stalking always in the background. Whether his centrality to the events was a delusion of his, or truth, we also are not sure. It seems that his thread crosses into the Twins, and he is certainly one of the creatures said to stalk them.

Mosin-Nagant Bayonet

MOSIN-NAGANT M1891 BAYONET. (See also, RIFLE, RUSSIAN FIREARMS) The effectiveness of the Mosin-Nagant's bayonet was highly valued; Imperial Russian Military doctrine at the time required soldiers to always keep them affixed. The theory behind bayonet combat at the time placed a significant emphasis on reach, that being as longer reach constituted an apparent advantage. The standard issue Mosin-Nagant bayonet was designed with this concept in mind, as well as limited by factors, as in all Russian designs, of cost and complexity of production. Unlike American, British, and French bayonets at the time, the design is intrinsically utilitarian: rather than being a cutting blade, it instead tapers to a narrow point. This is effective when lunging, taking paramount advantage of the rifles reach. The base length of the rifle is around 1.2 meters.

The bayonet attaches via a socket onto the end of the barrel and simply twisted on. It has no handle and is in no way designed for use as anything other than a bayonet.

+++

Interview with John Victor
Author: F.W.B. Volunteer
Single sheets. Typewritten transcription. 8 x 11 in.
3/5

The trail was cold. Duke was dying, I remember that, but I also remember it took him a long time to die. He didn't know then. As soon as I reached his workshop, I produced the sample, the blood scraped from the bayonet. He worked quickly, grabbing various vials and tools without looking. The sample of dried blood was separated into a petri dish. He dripped in this dark viscous liquid, it began to boil. He went on heating, mixing, measuring, distilling, filtering, electrolyzing; I fell asleep.

It was dawn when I awoke. He presented a long syringe filled with a solution, swirling hues of red, green, and black which never mixed. I unfolded the package and dumped it out onto a silver plate. The blackened heart seemed to recoil as the dawn light touched it. I readied the Mosin-Nagant, the bayonet held forward as if cavalry were oncoming. Duke readied the syringe.

The solution flooded into the heart. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the heart began to gently bulge and bubble. Then violently it pulsed and spasmed. From the valves, black tendrils erupted, they crept toward the edge of the plate, recoiling from the cool silver. It rocked like a hatching egg, clattering to the floor along with the silver plate. The tendrils crept out again, sliding with ease through the dirt. One wrapped up around the table leg, coiling around it as it ascended.

Duke cautioned me. But the swollen heart had escaped the dawn light. It trembled and throbbed as it fattened, rocking the table, rattling the instruments. It got to the size of a wagon wheel. A crease appeared in its center and slowly opened. There, in the folds, were rows of human teeth. They yawed opened; I plunged the bayonet deep into the gullet.

Mosin Obrez Mace

MOSIN-NAGANT OBREZ MACE. (See also, MOSIN-NAGANT OBREZ) The Mosin-Nagant Obrez Mace is an extensive re-imagining of the shortened Obrez. Having lost the majority of its mass, the Obrez is poorly suited to close combat applications. However, it is of sturdy construction, and therefore makes a capable bludgeoning weapon. The Mace goes one step further, however, extensively reinforcing the barrel and then adding great bulk to the stock. This allows it to be swung like a mace of the Middle Ages, delivering on contact extensive internal trauma. A favored modification by outlaws and thugs, the sight of one carrying such a weapon is unusual, such as it is a sure indication of bad character.

+++

Journal of William Salter
Severe water damage; reconstructed by archivist
Unlined paper, 3x5 in.
10/10

July 1895

Put her corpse outside before it stiffened, strung it up against the cypress tree I nailed her hands into the bark above her head she didn't feel it shh don't worry, you won't feel a thing the sparks sparks sparks haha, well it should take down an elephant, now human flesh human flesh so delicate so easy to rip shrapnel of flesh arteries blood wet mass this is a true haunting a baptism, hers and mine.

On the prairie sky, above sky and grass in the wind. Far away that bison herd is snorting and snuffling, wandering on and on like the flies crawling on her skin.

Take off my hat. Fine piece from a fine haberdashery. The boy hands me the rifle. Gleaming. I remove the leather covering from the lens and raise the gun to my shoulder. The bison are big, I see them shake their manes. I hold my breath and squeeze the trigger.

Boy coughs. Shot ricochets—a miss. I chased the boy to give him a whooping.

Mosin-Nagant Sniper

MOSIN-NAGANT M1891 SNIPER. (See also, RIFLE, RUSSIAN FIREARMS) Scandal surrounded the Mosin-Nagant M1891 from its conception, and the addition of a sniper scope caused further legal problems. Closely following the release of the Mosin-Nagant M1891, the sniper version was released and immediately involved the firearms company in another legal battle, though in this case Léon Nagant was not involved, but another contestant in the original weapon design contest who claimed the addition of the sniper scope was stolen from his own design. Unfortunately for his case, he was killed by a drunk bicyclist several days after filing his suit.

The Mosin-Nagant M1891 Sniper mirrors the design of the original weapon in all things, adding a sniper scope for increased accuracy over long distances.

+++

Interview with John Victor
Author: F.W.B. Volunteer
Single sheets. Typewritten transcription. 8 x 11 in.
4/5

The rift created within gave me a glimpse of the Twins' location. I let the workshop burn. From it rose a greasy plume of smoke, cracks of lightning trapped within it. I left Duke awestruck and rode hard into the dawn. I crossed farmland and swamp as the sun wandered the sky.

I loved riding then, I had fine horses. I rode that day until a bank of cloud swept through, stripping the land of its color. I kept on driving that horse as the light waned. The wind picked up. Far slung rain drops heralded an oncoming storm. I rode on.

The storm was in full force when I reached a low building, deep in the backwoods. A bolt of lightning burst a Cypress into flames, the flash blinded me, I was thrown from the horse by its force. It wasn't the first time I'd almost been struck. As the thunder peeled far above, I watched my horse bolt among the trees. I knew I had money for another yet. As I said, the days were going good. The tree still burned.

I walked the last half a mile and entered the dwelling, wind flaring the hearth into life. But, despite the fire, it was empty. They must have left in a hurry though, the walls were covered with weapons. A Hunter's arsenal. Maybe it was theirs, or they'd just purchased weapons here. A snake's tail disappeared under a table, every inch of its top covered with rifle parts. I didn't know better than to disturb it. I lifted one end, the barrel, springs, and levers clattered to the ground. There was nothing underneath. There was a fine rifle scope there which I took as my own. Among the papers, I saw something to my dismay. The Mark of the Night of the Hunter.

I stepped onto the porch. The storm raged on. In the distance, by the light of the burning tree, I saw the movement of dancers. Peering through the scope, I saw immediately their long pale cloaks. Powell was leading the chant. The fools had wandered into the storm, to celebrate the omen of a burning tree. I settled into a crouch and prepared to take the first shot. The night proved to be long.

Mosin-Nagant Spitzer Ammo

RN: Significant among his papers were the seeming verification of multiple other events. On top of that, the confirmation of early prototypes of automatic weapons. Many greenhorn Hunters lived in fear of these, rattling out, and originally we mistook their accounts to be intimidation by disciplined fire—until the very same schematics noted here turned up once more.

Mosin Obrez Drum

MOSIN-NAGANT M1891 OBREZ DRUM (See also MOSIN-NAGANT M1891, RIFLES). The barrel magazine Drum modification of this shortened Russian rifle boasts an increased capacity, making it an incredibly effective support arm, made the more reliable for its but occasional necessity to reload.

+++

Journal of William Salter
Severe water damage; reconstructed by archivist
Unlined paper, 3x5 in.

Appended, undated, uncertain in continuity.

Tricky Trevor, torn innards. Out of a belly came a bigger belly full of lead. He sold me the piece all the same. Now burning through bullets faster than a scalded haint.

I like this one. Small but deadly. Like the smaller brother. The runt grown big. Out of Pa's litter now. Big pig. Ain't a runt now, now a haint. Ha.

Went back. All the pigs're dead. Charlie too. We used to play amongst the pigs but now we would be playing in the corpses. Carcasses. Ready for The Butcher.

They know where to get me. The docs put up a letter. Fresh, as nothing else. Pretending to be Charlie. Charlie's grown now though, halfway 'cross the world. Not looking for the runt. The runt grown fat on feasting. Big belly, full of lead.

On the way back, I ran into a man. Knew me for a Salter. Salt of the earth, earth all rubbed and smoked. I let him have it. Bang, bolt, bang, bolt, bang, bolt. Dear journal, I won't waste your time. Fifteen bangs and bolts and Trevor's belly full of lead empty and belly of Pa's pigs full. A scalded haint running.

Mosin-Nagant Avtomat

MOSIN-NAGANT M1891 AVTOMAT. (See also, RIFLE, RUSSIAN FIREARMS.) The original Mosin-Nagant rifle may be one of the most difficult—bordering on the impossible—bolt-action rifles to modify into a fully automatic firearm. No sane engineer would even consider such a thing, and the design of the Mosin-Nagant Avtomat clearly indicates that its creator was an adept, if mentally unstable person. It would have taken extraordinary gunsmithing skills to modify the Mosin-Nagant in this way, making it one of the rarest automatic weapons of its time. As such, it never gained traction among conventional military forces, going to far against the grain of contemporary military theory, and was never mass produced. The Avtomat improves upon the original Mosin-Nagant design primarily with the addition of a gas driven receiver. A larger cartridge drum magazine that can be reloaded five at a time or individually, should one have fewer than five cartridges available. The speed of fire can cause the weapon to overheat, as such the barrel has been modified for cooling.

+++

Interview with John Victor
Author: F.W.B. Volunteer
Single sheets. Typewritten transcription. 8 x 11 in.
5/5

I barely escaped the Night with my life. Powell was still alive, but I'd burned his arsenal, and had with me his journal. Sometimes, you just stumble into your target. I couldn't read it. The first half was delirious scrawling. Most was our own alphabet, some Russian, and some in characters beyond my comprehension.

But, the second half was covered in highly detailed, intricately drawn plans. Metal parts with dimensions carefully labeled: lengths, circumferences, diameters, and depths. Different screws and angular plates marked. It all tied in, somehow, to a larger blueprint. I suspected then that this wasn't in fact Powell's journal. More likely, his gun smith's. The plan spread over many pages, each narrow one containing a tiny section of the whole. On each page, arrows protrude in the four cardinal directions, showing on which page the picture continued. But the pages weren't numbered or marked in a way I can understand. I wish I had it now, it was a work of art.

What I could understand were the words "Mosin-Nagant" and, hastily underlined, the word "Avtomat." I was struck by the coincidence, that I was carrying the very same rifle. Now that I'm wiser, I know something had transpired to deliver this to me.

Yuri was the one to put it together. Had the blueprint in his head. I helped where I could, but he was a master with lathes and saws, bringing together new elements as according to the strange design in the journal.

Our working relationship was as profitable as it was brief. With the rifle done, we tested it briefly in the woods. One squeeze of the trigger, the mechanism juddered violently, threatening to burst apart as every crack sent a bullet downrange. I'd fired a Maxim Gun before, but this lacked that one's elegance. It was crude, but it worked. Something told me, this was a sign of things to come.

+++