Hunter
One who hunts beasts and the eldritch occult is a “hunter”, as they are commonly called by civilized society whether they belong to a notable faction or not. Hunters are defined by their efficiency in battle, they are fearless and clever warriors driven by an unending determination to destroy evils old and new. More than just soldiers, their skills represent the last wall of defense of a world fated to extinction; they are unstoppable and unbreakable. They strike fear in the heart of their foes, and bring hope to those they protect—even as they remain ever vigilant against being drawn to the darkness that consumes the monsters they hunt. Willing to suffer whatever it takes to achieve victory, these adept warriors all at one point in time forged themselves into a potent force dedicated to protecting the innocent.
A Monster to Fight Monsters
Whether driven by the wish to make a difference, the need to take vengeance, or the hope of finding a place to belong in an uncaring world, every hunter has their own reasons for undertaking the hunt that starts them on this path. In joining an order of hunters, one also joins a family bound by service to each other and a common cause. For many, this might be the only family they have left—or have ever known—making the kinship felt between hunters an all-but-unbreakable bond. Blood is thicker than water, and those that take this treacherous path know that blood is shed when the hunt rages on. Outside the camaraderie of their orders, however, the life of a hunter is not an easy one. In choosing this path, every man and woman that hunts irrevocably gives a part of themself to their cause—physically, emotionally, and sometimes morally. Each order of hunters practices its own ideals and methods, often employing techniques with dark origins that test the strength and will of those who employ them. Many wrestle with the fear of losing this struggle. And so a life of discipline and vigilance drives a hunter’s travels as they wander the countryside. They feel more comfortable in the wilds and wastes of the world, or drift through the outskirts of society, protecting the poor and defenseless from dark intention and the corrupting touch of the eldritch denizens of the dark.Order of Blood, Against the Blood
While many hunters prefer the solitude and freedom of freelance hunting, whether alone or apart of a group, these dedicated soldiers of the dark were once a militarized creation of the Ecclesiarchy. In the ease and safety that contemporary advancements bring, city dwellers frequently forget how fortunate their lives are under the protection of these warriors. They have all but forgotten the life of pain that would befall them if the system failed, which is precisely what took place in Lunarym long ago. The urbanites were left defenseless when the scourge swept the streets of the city, snapping like twigs in the face of such ferocity. While the denizens of the town struggled against insurmountable odds, the church's greatest minds and most steeled warriors didn’t remain inert, instead, concentrating their efforts to engineer the ideal weapon, something capable of annihilating the beasts plaguing the city. Through arcane rituals, psychological conditioning, and eldritch power, these weapons came to be known as the hunters. Hunters thrive in the savagery of the hunt. They are capable of superhuman feats; their reflexes more honed than that of mere mortals, they are capable of dodging the most vicious of blows, and using that momentum to plunge their blade deep into the heart of their prey. A hunter’s thirst for battle is endless - only in inaction can they experience fatigue. They are the perfect weapon against the nightmarish tides of beasts, and the sole reason Lunarym still stands. Or... so the myths say. Hunters are few and far between within this corrupted land when not under the regimented supervision of the church. And even then, they only operate where evil lurks the greatest, leading many commoners of these lands to spread their stories of hunters like folk tales from family to family, from town to town. Many common bounty hunters or lucky monster slayers may take the title of hunter as their own, but little actually compare to the great feats their orders have been able to produce over the remnants of fallen society. To be given the title of hunter by the church or a rogue order is one of the greatest honors a warrior of the eternal night can receive, perhaps even greater than salvation from Lunarym itself. As of now, the largest force of hunters belongs to that of the Ecclesiarchy, even if they act within the shadows. There, they recruit hunters of all skillsets from devout clerics and paladins to capable fighters and rangers, even blood hunters can be found within average supply utilizing the old blood against its spawn. Outside of the church, the largest group of hunters is rumored to be an organization known as the Claret Orders. Formed from a mixture of former church hunters and hardened protégés, they seek to uproot the Ecclesiarchy's ways in whatever methods they can.The Tarnished Hunt, Against the Hunters
As stated prior, the life of hunters is no easy task. Often they fight against creatures outside of their comprehension, suffer untold stress during their missions, and are forced to make difficult choices regarding the lives of the innocent. This madness may at one point become too much for a hunter to handle, or they may become afflicted by the Crimson Curse and begin to grow insane. These fallen hunters begin a path of defilement and affliction as they grow distant from both emotions and reality—descending closer to the monsters they swore to hunt. Hunters admonish those who have become addled with blood. Be they men or beasts, anyone who has threatened the pledgers of "Hunter" oath has an issue with and to-be written in blood. Often freelance, titled hunters proclaim themselves to be the "Hunter of Hunters", taking on the difficult physical and psychological task of slaying their very own.
Type
Professional
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