Description
The Huntsmen are an organization within
Montbay with radical anti-monarchial views. They are highly secretive, and have gone through multiple designations throughout the years (both from within and without). Often, they are derisively referred to as the
Poachers of Man.
That name is well-earned. The Huntsmen lurk in the woodland roadsides in wait for traveling nobles, eager to execute them by arrow or bullet. They have even launched several unsuccessful attempts to assassinate
King Oliver III. The inspiration for such acts varies, but is originally believed to have resulted from hunters angered at mass extinctions in common hunting grounds because of noble excess. Today, many are peasants who support
The Declaration of the People On the Status of Inalienable Rights and oppose the crackdown which followed; others are members of Old Faith tribes, such as the
Hill-Wigs and
Valsh, or desire a return to such a way of life.
Huntsmen typically wear cloaks that mirror Forest Elven design, as it helps camouflage within the woods and pays homage to a people they consider to be most "free." Many Huntsmen regard popular, stereotypical views of
Everaldimor as a model for society abroad. Beyond the Huntsmen is a larger network of radical peasants and conspirators who aid in hiding and trafficking the assassins undetected. These are often known as "squires," "masons," or "freemen" in the Huntsmen's code, depending on their exact roles and involvement in their operations.
Obviously, it's an understatement to say that the Huntsmen have a penchant for stirring up controversy, but they have a habit of doing so even among their potential allies. Members with ties to the Old Faith, for example, have taken part in attacks on other peasants and travelers who trespass onto what they consider their native lands. These members often find rebuke even among other Huntsmen. Huntsmen launch regular attacks upon merchants, which some radical factions consider too far, though such acts
do not typically earn a similar disapproval among their fellow conspirators.
The Huntsmen are rumored to worship, or at least follow, the Mirror Queen of the
The Mirror Vale. The veracity of this rumor is uncertain.
