The Sailors' Church

"And He has carved you on the palm of his hand."

Origins

Sometime prior to 1550, something foul was brought forth and killed in Archangel, Russia. A small, wooden church was built on the spot, probably to protect the community from the creature's spiritual remains. The spirit kept its claws in our world, but was bound within the holy earth. If the demon struggled or sought revenge, there's no indication- for centuries, it has faithfully protected the grounds of the church, and the bodies of those who worship there.

Today

The most recent church on the site, which now lies between decaying 19th century buildings, maintains an active congregation. They're all sailors, and mostly fishermen, trading crew or smugglers. The pastor is a retired French black marketeer named Andrei, who inherited the role from his late Russian lover.

The sailors have something to watch over them. Once a man's name has been written on the wall behind the altar, the spirit of the church follows him wheresoever he goes, and will always bring him back home.

Always.

Homecoming

Belonging to the spirit of the Sailor's Church isn't a guarantee you'll never die, but it's almost as close as you can get. No matter how a sailor is killed- by drowning, machinery accidents, a knife in the back- the spirit will find him and bring him home, back to town and back to the church. There, he can set things right before he goes away for good.

There's no telling how long it takes, though, so Andrei prays and waits and keeps vigil, waiting for his lover to appear one last time.

Conflicts

Obviously, Moscow (the only major Russian office so far) isn't happy that two or three undead guys come crawling through Archangel every year. Unfortunately, the local authorities have a bit of a soft spot for the "haunted" church that brings local boys back home to finish their business. And since nobody's worked out exactly what the thing under the church is (or who summoned it in the first place), the Company has been hesitant to go in guns blazing.

Moscow's had a major score, though- they intercepted one of the dead men last month, and they've got him strapped to a cot in the infirmary. They haven't identified him, but, when they do, they'll find out he's Andrei's lost love. Which would give the specialists a great place to start.