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, this weapon was named the Winfield 1893 Slate. Our Variant terminology was also simplified. We have updated the names where relevant, but you may still see the more period accurate names within the lore texts.

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Slate

WINFIELD 1893 SLATE (See also SHOTGUN, WINFIELD REPEATING ARMS COMPANY) The Winfield 1893 Slate shotgun leaves behind the lever-action many have become familiar with for the pump-action that allows for shots as fast as the handler can release the shell and shoot. Made with a solid frame and a magazine that holds five rounds, the production of this bottom-loading shotgun only lasted a few years before stopping due to its solid barrel design. Because of the barrel and the action, the shotgun was unable to handle the pressure of the new smokeless shells that began being produced around the same time.

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Records, Pelican Island Prison
Handwritten notes
Author: Handwriting match for Solomon Jabez

December 8, 1893

The best way to induce Ego-Dissolution, to make a puppet out of a man, is through drugs and pain. The drugs leave the participant in a state that makes them more vulnerable to coercion and the pain will make them do anything for it all to stop. To best make the participant open to coercion, it is recommended to use a Laudanum tincture that is double or triple the dose of opium normally used to treat pain. This causes the patient to not only see hallucinations but amplifies anxiety which can cause the very act of torture to have a deep psychological effect. Inmate No. 57 "Jenkins" was given 2 doses of laudanum and has been whispering about undead men that attacked his family. It seems he's still using the same alibi for his murderous rampage. I will ask some of my men to give him another dose and remove his fingernails in an hour. Let's see what he says then.

March 23, 1894

We have lost four participants to our experiments with Ego-Dissolution with very little results. I have tried everything; beatings, whippings, half-drownings, and even flaying the lower extremities. But they all stay themselves even as they take their last breath. Inmate No 33 "Simeon" almost got out of the basement and even started yelling to warn the others about what was happening down here. Smith ended up grabbing the first gun he could find, a fine Winfield Slate, and shot at No. 33's kneecap. The blow made the leg fall right off and the shock made No. 33 go comatose then die. A pity, No. 33 was an interesting challenge to break.

August 4, 1894

I've been struggling to find a proper candidate to undergo experiments. The rest of the prison population is fully aware of what happens here in the basement, and that has caused a sort of Ego-Dissolution in them all. They are all perfectly submissive, none of them willing to attract attention to participate. However, the other day I heard something strange coming from the cells. The newest guard Curtis made No. 47 "Ernst" laugh, something I hadn't heard in these walls for weeks. There's still something left to take in No. 47, that should be enough to work with.

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Medical Report, Pelican Island Prison
Author: Solomon Jabez
Recipient: Dr. Phillip H. Jones

Report #41
August 6, 1894

I regret to inform you that after many careful considerations, our personnel have concluded that subduing participants only through mental experimentation has been proved to be fruitless. If we are to support you and your father in your endeavors, Dr. Jones, we need a more efficient approach than what had been previously approved by the board members of the Louisiana State Asylum at Jackson. In that regard, I humbly ask you to read this report and consider my requests carefully.

In the light of my recent findings and arguments of many philosophers and physicians who studied the matter, I believe that the key to one's soul lies somewhere on the incontrovertible correlation between the body and the mind. Thus, expecting a satisfying result on the mind while ignoring the restrictions the body presents is nonsensical. Having discussed the subject with my personnel, I took the liberty of resorting to an unconventional method on December 8, 1893.

Although initial results bore no success, our new approach we proudly call Ego-Dissolution proved its effectiveness even in the least expected situations, so much so that not only the participants themselves, but also the prisoners in their cells displayed erratic behavior after only a few months of experimentation.

Due to excessive amounts of stress, insomnia, and ceaseless exposure to multiple stimulants, a synaptic irregularity has occurred in the Broca's area of the brain in many prisoners who haven't been subjected to the new methods. As a result, they partially lost their ability to speak which lead them to express their confusion through cell walls instead of paper, using whatever they can find to write.

One such prisoner, overwhelmed by insomnia and paranoia, bit his nails to the point where the flesh around his fingertips was exposed, and the prisoner used his finger like a soft pen to spread his blood on the walls. What started as ominous, crimson writings eventually turned into incomprehensible, shallow scratches once the flesh was gone, as the prisoner continued carving symbols on walls using his exposed finger bone.

I believe these behavioral changes are enough to prove you the potential of success our methods present. In that regard, I hereby ask for the board's permission to continue our research, and more funding to acquire the necessary equipment.

Slate Penny Shot Ammo

RN: The link between Dr. Jones and the administration at Pelican Island indicates that the AHA itself knew what was happening, or was at least aware it had happened. It was known that Jones spoke openly in private circles about his business, a dangerous trait for those with a stake in it.

Slate Riposte

WINFIELD 1893 SLATE RIPOSTE (See also SHOTGUN, WINFIELD REPEATING ARMS COMPANY) After the successful innovation of the Winfield 1893 Slate's pump-action, it would not be improved upon until the mass production of smokeless shells. In this period, the best way to improve this sturdy shotgun was to attach a bayonet to the end, making the weapon more effective in large-scale warfare or intimate combat.

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Story entitled The Song of La Llorona from the book Tales from the Bayou by Remy Jane
Undated, Bleached paper, typewritten, 8.5x11 in

Part One

Bartlett trembled from where he crouched, hidden from view, in one of the leafy bushes that lined the shores of the water between Blanchett Graves and Lockbay Docks. The scuffling noise was gone as quickly as it began, leaving him in dead silence, his arms covered in gooseflesh. The light of the moon was yellow and weak; it revealed little in the heavy darkness when he tried to peer out. "Jasper?" he whispered as loud as he dared. "You still there? Trevor?"

Neither of his partners replied. They'd all stopped to recover after barely surviving a shootout at Blanchett, each of them low on supplies and ammo, and Trevor had sworn he'd heard the ghastly wail of the Spider rising out from the rafters of Lockbay.

"We're not prepared," he'd said, encouraging them all to take shelter in the bushes. "Let's wait to see if more Hunters come along. Take 'em by surprise and strip 'em for all they're worth."
That had been about five minutes ago.

"Fellas?" Bartlett waited for either of them to reply. "What was that scufflin' sound?"

Silence.

Part Two

Suddenly, there came a flurry of gentle splashes in the water nearby. At first Bartlett thought it was a Water Devil who'd been made privy to the fact that an unwelcomed guest had stepped foot in its waters, but as he tightened his grip around his blade-tipped rifle, he recognized that it wasn't the same vicious churn that the Devils were known for, nor were there any high-pitched shrieks filling the air. Like the scuffling sound that had come before it, the splashing came to a sudden and eerie stop.

Carefully, Bartlett crawled out of the bush. Immediately he saw both of his partners floating motionless in the water before him, face down, the blood blooming around their heads as black as ink under the light of the moon. The softest hum of a woman tickled Bartlett's ear just before he was thrown by the back of the neck into the bloody water, where he struggled until the very last beat of his heart, joining Trevor and Jasper in their eternal silence.

The woman who drowned the trio came to a full stand, the edges of her wide-brimmed hat dripping. She picked up Bartlett's Slate riposte from where it lay discarded on the shore, running her finger along the edge of the blade before tracing a line down the body of the gun. Without a word, she slid it into the harness that was strapped across her back before moving on, humming gently along with the tortured groans of the bayou and disappearing into the night.

Slate Slug

RN: What happened at Pelican Island Prison belies belief, but it happened all the same. It is likely no coincidence that such evil could happen by human hands in such close proximity to the Sculptor. But we should not give too much credit to otherworldly entities. Perhaps it was first drawn here by our own wickedness.

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