| “ | They say there were 40 hearts kept in that shed, not including his last victim, but of course the police didn’t arrive until all that was left of it was a grisly trophy cabinet. Whatever I had seen my father doing in there, its effects had long since vanished. I don’t know why my father did what he did, and I doubt I ever will, but the more I go over these events in my head, the more sure I am that he had his reasons. | „ |
| ~ Julia Montauk on her father. |
Robert Montauk is a minor antagonist of the Rusty Quill horror podcast The Magnus Archives.
Initially regular police officer, Robert became an infamous serial killer after the death of his wife at the hands of the People's Church of the Divine Host. After being deceived into thinking he could get her back with enough souls, Robert killed over 40 people to feed the Still and Lightless Beast for the Church. After discovering his deception, Robert would turn on the Church and set out to protect his daughter Julia from them at all costs.
Appearance[]
Robert was consistently described as a large, intimidating man. He had a somewhat flat face.
Personality[]
Robert was an exceptionally ruthless individual. While he didn't engage in pointless evil, if he felt he had to, he was willing to kill anyone, regardless of their innocence. Despite this, he was by all accounts fairly polite and pleasant to meet in person. He was also a very loving family man, who deeply cared about his wife and daughter, and enjoyed spending time with them, never allowing the cruel parts of his nature to show around them. Everything he did was ultimately to protect his family.
Biography[]
Robert Montauk was a police officer who became married in the late 1980s to a woman named Linnette, who was part of the People's Church of the Divine Host, although it is unknown how much Robert knew about the Church's activities when they married. Together, they lived in Dartford and had a daughter named Julia. When Julia was seven, Linnette was killed by her Church, who left their signature pendant in the Montauk house to alert Robert to what had happened. Robert went to the Church's leader, Maxwell Rayner, who explained that Linnette had been fed to a monster called the Still and Lightless Beast, but that if enough people were killed and sacrificed to the creature, she could be brought back. Robert agreed to kill for the Church in exchange for his wife back and promised protection for his daughter.
Over the next five years, Robert killed around 40 people seemingly at random. He would then take their bodies into his shed, where he would take out their hearts, and sacrifice them to the Still and Lightless Beast. He also set up a dark room in his guest room, where he would hang photos of his victims and draw various symbols on them, presumably to promise them to the Dark. He quit his job in order to murder full time and seemed to get paid by the People's Church. Although he killed during the night, during the day, he tried to spend as much time with his daughter as possible.
Eventually, Robert discovered that Rayner was playing him, and that he would never be able to get his wife back, no matter how many people he killed. Angry, he began targeting cultists to murder, prompting Rayner to send the Still and Lightless Beast after him. The Beast attacked the house, and Robert used the hearts he still had in the shed to banish it. However, during the attack, Julia had called the police, and they arrived at the house, finding all the human remains in the shed. Robert fled but was arrested during the subsequent manhunt.
Robert was sent to HMP Wakefield, a brutal prison, where he was kept in the most secure and unpleasant wing. He generally stayed out of trouble, and when Julia turned 18, she began to visit him, which he enjoyed. One day, he was visited by Maxwell Rayner, who taunted him, telling him that the Still and Lightless Beast could not be gone forever. Shortly thereafter, there was a blackout, and the Beast killed Robert in his cell.
Powers and Abilities[]
Although Robert did not seem to have natural paranormal abilities, he was capable of murdering over 40 people in five years without being caught, showing that he at the very least was subtle and charismatic. He seemed to have enough understanding of the power tapped into by the People's Church of the Divine Host to banish the Still and Lightless Beast, although it took significant preparation.
Trivia[]
- Robert's last name is spelt "Montork" in the episode description of MAG 9. This appears to be a misspelling as it is spelt "Montauk" in all other official instances.
