Hunter

The hunters and their toil are of great importance, both for the Ambrians and among the clans of the forest. To commoners in Ambria, they may not appear to be any different from your average rogue, but for many (especially among those living close to Davokar) they are on par with true heroes. Covered in the dirt of the wilds, eyes shining with the light of the future, the hunters are vital in the project of cultivating and taming the great forest. Among both Ambrians and barbarians, the hunters are often signified by their skillful use of ranged weapons and techniques. Exactly how they fight is primarily decided based on what they are hunting: criminals, monsters or dark-minded sorcerers.
But no matter the target, what unites the hunters is a highly developed sense for where the prey has been, how it moves and to where it is headed – a sense that borders on supernatural precision.
Hunters and the Origins
All folk have their hunters, but in general it is primarily elves, abducted humans and humans that excel in this role. Still, in Thistle Hold you may very well come across goblins and even a few ogres known as trustworthy guides through the wilds.
Dwarves are not usually seen as hunters in the forest, but some of Ambria’s most widely known bounty hunters are dwarves who for some reason have left their families in Yndaros.
Hunter Approaches
Hunters might be Bounty Hunters, who seek the most dangerous prey in city alleyways and other dark places, or Ironsworn, defenders of the Iron Pact. They might elect to become Monster Hunters and venture far into Davokar, or they might be a Witch Hunter, seeking out blighted humans on behalf of the Church or their own personal quest of vengeance.
Bounty Hunter
During The Great War there were deserters – many doubted that a victory over the Dark Lords was possible. To deal with the problem, King Ynedar, Queen Korinthia’s father, placed a permanent bounty on the heads of the runaways. In doing so, he indirectly founded the guild of the Bounty Hunters. The tradition to pay for having fugitives caught lives on and nowadays the bounty hunters are often forced to venture into the forest of Davokar, where the most desperate – and also most valuable – targets tend to seek refuge.
Ironsworn
The work of the Iron Pact is never done, which places great demands on its agents, the Ironsworn. The pact was created by elves at the time of Symbaroum’s downfall, and after a long time in the shadows its members are on the move again, trying to stop the spreading darkness. Davokar must never awaken, and it won’t, if the Ironsworn can help it. Nowadays, the Iron Pact recruits new agents from all origins and cultures; anyone sympathetic to the struggle is tested in a series of both physical and moral challenges. Those who make it with both life and loyalty intact are invited to swear the Iron Oath. After that follows a time of training and further testing before initiates become true members of the Pact – agents devoted to the fight against Corruption.
Monster Hunter
As more and more Ambrians settle down in the shadow of Davokar, it grows more common that these settlements are haunted by the famished, vindictive or even life-hating horrors of the forest. In light of this growing threat, actionable individuals have developed techniques and skills for hunting monsters – the often considerable price of monster trophies is certainly another incentive! Also the barbarian clans have their monster hunters, even though the people of the forest adhere to the witches’ taboos and seldom live or travel in monster infested areas.
A majority of the Ambrian Monster Hunters are members of monster hunting societies, established in or around places like Thistle Hold and Kastor. These groups both compete and cooperate in the never-ending work to keep the border settlements secure and the members of the societies rich. The latter part, the wealth, has attracted a growing number of barbarian Monster Hunters south, where they have turned into very successful trophy collectors, thanks to their vast knowledge of Davokar.
Witch Hunter
You have dedicated your life to fighting blight beasts, maybe as a consequence of having your own life torn apart by the growing and infectious darkness: a farm burned to the ground, the grave of your family, a friend’s horrendous transformation – something that reminds you of what will happen if the power of the blighted ones is not broken in time. You will stop at nothing in your fight against evil: you wield steel, fire and even rituals learned from defeated sorcerers. You realize that the use of mystical powers may ultimately corrupt you too, but you turn a blind eye to that and instead fight on with the fervor of the fanatic.

Hunter Shadows
The Shadows of hunters can be as dark as the forest they venture into but it depends on their quarry. Ironsworn and monster-hunters tend to be lighter shades of gray than bounty-hunters or especially witch-hunters, which have to be careful not to become what they seek.