Xanti: The Hunters Game

The Hunters Game is the tradition of new, potential Bounty Hunters to join the Bounty Hunter's Guild. During the merger of all Guilds by BHG: Guildmaster Abram El'Sarada, the initial influx of Bounty Hunter Teams were nigh overwhelming. While this lended itself to natural entropy due to the dangers of the position, Abram immediately instituted a policy of Limited Approval. He declared that all Bounty Hunter Teams must be personally approved by himself to gain their license. Over time, this evolved into an additional step: Each hunter must demonstrate that they have successfully completed a Hunt to be even granted an audience with Abram. The Hunters Game, or Game as it is known on Xanti, emerged from that root.

The Proven Hunt

The terms of what is worthy to be called a "Proven Hunt" has been unofficially codified on Xanti over the years. After the Outposts were established, it became policy that any Potential (hunter teams seeking the Audience), can complete this step in one of two ways.

Completion via Bounty

Potentials can be granted an audience by successfully completing a Bounty and delivering the Bounty Target to one of the Sentinels of any of the Outposts on Xanti. This task is difficult due to several factors. The Potential is not only competing against every other active, licensed Bounty Hunter Team, but they are also limited in the fact that they have no official means of accessing the official Bounty Board. A submarket has arisen of Bounty Hunters accepting payment to allow limited access to potentials, though this is discouraged, as well as a market of hackers who are specialized in cracking into the Bounty Board to provide the same service at a fair cost.
The downside of Completion via Bounty is the penalty. To discourage the practice of Hunters selling Bounties, which was originally intended to allow Hunters to assist incoming teams they trusted and supported into joining the ranks, the Guild has established a policy of Forfeited Payment for Potentials turning in Bounties. The Potential receives only the Guild Price of the Contract, safety at the Stronghold until the Mountain arrives to grant their audience, and a guaranteed audience with BHG: Guildmaster Abram El'Sarada which generally ensures a license. The guild keeps the Hunter's portion of the Bounty.

Completion via Hunt

The longer the Guild remained on Xanti, the greater the threat of the Non-Sapient Xeno became. The Apex Predators of the planet quickly became overwhelming for the hunters to deal with constantly. To counter this, BHG: Guildmaster Abram El'Sarada decreed that any Potentials that bring the freshly severed head of one of the planets many predators to one of the Sentinels be granted an audience. This is currently the most popular method of gaining the Audience. Hunter Teams scour the planet daily for the massive predators lurking within the Slush, Frozen Forests, and Mountains seeking their head. The less ethical Hunters quickly found the loophole, namely that until the head was brought into the town and presented to the Sentinel, there was no proof of who killed it. Since those first days, there has remained the Game.
Now, Xanti is comprised of Potentials seeking to slay the beasts and as many Potentials lying in wait to ambush those returning to steal their trophies (and audience). The Game is well known and encouraged both as entertainment and a forge, beating the vulnerable teams out until only the most skilled or ruthless remain.

The Audience

Once a Potential brings a trophy, whether a bounty or the head of a predator, to a Sentinel and it is recognized, they immediately gain the temporary status of Proven. They are protected under Guild Law as any other Bounty Hunter and anyone who attacks them after that point are placed under bounty by the Guild. They remain under that status as long as they remain in the Outpost until the Mountain arrives, carrying BHG: Guildmaster Abram El'Sarada, where they and all other Proven are granted an Audience. They leave the Audience as a Licensed Hunter, though few have been Rejected and exiled from Xanti per his command. Occasionally, assassins have historically gained the Audience to attempt to end Abram's life, though they have not been successful to date.
As a licensed hunter, the guild offers the hunters access to resources, bounties, and the protection of a guaranteed contract on their killer (unless killed in the pursuit of a contract, in which case the Guild will generally add an additional Vengeance Debt to the existing Bounty to raise priority on their killer).

Observance

Constantly

Primary Related Location

Planet: Xanti