Troll-Hunters

Go. Hunt. Kill trols.

— Troll Hunter Motto

There have always been assholes in human society - people who take delight in tormenting others for no reason other than because they think it's funny. It didn't take long for them to look at the wonderful tool of the internet, with its ability to connect people from across the world and defeat language barriers and use it for evil.
These are the Trolls, and it's only gotten worse with time.
Troll-Hunters are an specialist paramilitary vigilante group of people who are sick of the trolls shit. They specialize in finding especially obnoxious trolls and put them in their place - sometimes, that happens to be a grave.

Who Are The Hunters?

You thought you could get away with it, didn't you? You thought you'd sit there behind a fake name and face no consequence - but you were dead wrong.

— Troll-Hunter "Theta"

Not everyone's willing to pull the trigger, so the Troll-Hunters are a mix of hardened professionals and angry but highly motivated amateurs. Mercenaries form the backbone around which the rest of the Troll-Hunters can really, and when the going gets tough, the Mercs get rough.

by Richard Lyon

---

Despite usually hunting 'soft' targets, as internet tough guys are generally not the most dangerous opposition, some Trolls are harder to crack.
Either because of who their parents are or what money they've lucked into, or any corporate security in the sector, Troll-Hunters sometimes have a fight on their hands. Trolls occasionally group together in what amounts to hardened bunkers when they know they've gone too far, for mutual protection.

Though it should be mentioned that there's a definite lack of interest by Justice-Corps to investigate or prosecute the vigilantes, almost as if they've too had to deal with trolls.

The Troll-Hunters are divided into three groups, each with their own role and responsibility, united in mutual hatred.

Finders

Usually tech-savvy or at least in positions in their daily lives where they can access information, Finders do the digging to figure out who's hiding behind that stupid anime profile picture.
They're the ones who do the homework, tracking a Troll's abuse and victims across the timeline of internet histories and message threads, piecing together everything needed to find them.

Hunters

These guys and gals do the shooting, once a target has been identified. Hunters always go in groups, both to overwhelm their targets and to keep an eye on each other. Amateurs in particular can, after suffering from a troll's abuse for a long time, get... Over-enthusiastic.
Hunters also do much of the boots-on-the-ground work, like staking out locations, shadowing targets, or setting up the body-bag sites for disposal.

by Timo Peter

Sponsors

Sponsors are the support network behind the Troll-Hunters. They provide money, information, or even equipment - usually anonymously. Some do it with a specific vendetta in mind, while others liken it to communal service - improving Megacorpolis digital environment, one bullet at a time.
Troll-Hunters enjoy considerate covert support from corporations, who're just as annoyed with the Trolls as everyone else. These decisions are based on profit and emotion in equal part; trolls are bad for business, and just getting slacked off on social media one too many times.

Who Are The Trolls?

Trolls come from all corners of Megacorpolis, but there's a few generalizations you can make. Most are young, none of them lead particularly satisfying lives, and they're all terrible human beings.
Trolls have become recognized as an official sub-culture by the the Computer, who will assign people to it based on their online history. Some people join willingly, and that should tell you something about them.

Many trolls think of themselves as slick internet operators, but in reality have an above-average ability at best.

by Rich Chetwynd

Target Rich Environment

No matter how many Trolls they beat, humiliate, defenstrate, or immolate, it hasn't seemed to have much of an effect on deterring others. Youtube comments are still a cesspool of the worst kinds of online personalities, and venture into the dark side of Twitter at your own peril.
For the Troll-Hunters, that's fine. There's a certain cartharsis involved for the amateurs, and the mercs keep getting paid for relatively easy work. Everyone benefits - well, except the Trolls.

by Endgadget

Troll-Trackin'

Finders as a whole also keep a running record of trolls, infractions, potential punishments to be meted out. Whenever someone joins the Troll-Hunters, their first stop is usually a long gripe-session with a Finder about who they want to shut up.

Some mercs, going against every fiber of their being, sometimes even do work for the Troll-Hunters pro-bono... Just to nail a Troll.

Contrarians

Closely related to Trolls, the Contrarian sub-culture is one based entirely on infuriating arguments for no reason. They'll say anything and defend anyone, if it means others get riled up.
Many Troll-Hunters consider them one and the same, and the Contrarian's protests about the issue doesn't seem to stop the beatings much.

Whenever a new online game or other big product becomes host to a toxic community, the Troll-Hunters invariably get another flood of donations, often with a few names attached.