The Hunters' Guild
A group of mercenaries came into town a few days ago. Everyone was talking about them when they came looking for the local apothecary. Apparently a couple of local flora here are sparse and they wanted some. The Alderman went to see them, trying to pay them to deal with some brigands. The same ones that killed Sandal and Gregor. They refused, "We're Hunters, not Adventurers." Since when do animal hunters start making that a title? Their tune changed real quick when they heard that the brigands were working with a flock of manticores. Suddenly, they silver'd him for every last coin before they left.
Structure
The Hunters Guild are broken up between different schools and organizations, each distinct in their own right. But the general structure for them has a grandmaster at the top of the school, the most skilled and usually the eldest Hunter. This is often an administrative role that none of the Hunters really wish to have but will do it if its required. Underneath the Grandmaster are the Veteran Hunters, each taking up the role of training the younger Hunters or leading Grand Hunts. Underneath are the Fledgling Hunters, one step above novices who are able to go on Hunts on their own or in groups. And the last ones are Novices, fresh recruits who are not allowed to leave the school's grands without supervision.
Culture
Hunters view anyone that is not one of their own as potential recruits, clients, bait, or people who get in the way in that order. Hunters are often mistaken for members of the Adventuring Guild which couldn't be farther from the truth. Their main goal does not allow them to care about every small folk and even the lords themselves. Coin is what they care for most and their culture is based around the study and control of monster populations.
Any political upheaval or war is just cause to get ready to be called on. Whether it's the bodies or the destruction caused by war, monsters go up in a frenzy during that time, causing their populations to erupt which just means more work for Hunters while the armies are at war. And peace just means more time to study and train the next generation. Monsters themselves are treated like any other animal, hunted enough to keep in check but never exterminated. Intelligent monsters are different, treated with some respect as they can help hunters learn and let them get the materials they need without having to fight to the death.
Public Agenda
The goal of the Hunters is to learn about monsters, adapt to their ever changing nature, and keep their populations in check throughout the land.
Assets
The most notable assets beyond their people are their strongholds. They are places for Hunters to retreat from the world and the hunt and relax. The are also the repository of all knowledge that the Hunters have occurred over their centuries of work and the safest place for them to study and discover new ways to augment themselves and fight monsters. Of course, coin is also important and it is believed Hunters have vaults full of it to keep themselves well-stocked and their fortifications well-maintained.
History
The Hunters were born in the final days of The War for Avestra in the hearts of of those who lost everything to the X'ith'ila and their servants. they were left only pain, scars from the century-long war, and the chance to start anew. In the end, they chose to give themselves to the fight. They first used the blood of Aberrations to create the first Hunters. If the stories are to be believed, 3/10 of every candidate survived the grueling augmentations even with the aid of healers and every bit of magical at the fledgling organization's disposal. In the end enough were made to travel the land and hunt down aberrations left behind after the war. Eventually, they expanded to using the blood of beasts and other monstrous creatures. It cost lives but they beat the monsters back at every step, culling their numbers time and again
However, a major turning point was The Daemon Invasion of the 8th century. The Hunters realized how many threats came from the Outsiders and beyond. So they created the Guild as a network and used their research to create more variants of Hunters. More are born everyday and there are rumors that they are going to begin their greatest project: creating Hunters from the blood of an Immortals, either a Deity, an Eternal, or an Outer One.
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