Master of the Hunt

While the graduation of an Apprentice to a Journeyman in the Guild of Ratcatchers and Associated Trades is as grounded and sober as any other guild, the ceremony by which a Ratcatcher becomes a Master is another affair entirely.
At the inception of the guild, the professions of ratcatchers and "monster hunters"  - those who dealt with arcane, esoteric, or enormous vermin - were strictly segregated. Monster hunters were regarded as a drunken, sometimes violent group who were barely fit for civil society; their guildhalls were kept outside of city walls and some towns required monster hunters to obtain a license to enter. The hunters themselves played into this reputation, and their mastering ceremony was a semi-feral affair which included a hunting party, led by the Master-appellant, stalking a large animal such as a moose. A successful hunt would culminate in the new Master being anointed in the animal's blood to mark their graduation, followed by a feast of the meat during which the new Master would receive a piece of headgear made from the beast's hide, scales, teeth, bones, and/or horns.
In response to this, or possibly out of protest at being lumped into the same guild, Ratcatchers began to host a parody of the monster hunters at their own mastering ceremonies. In these, the new Master's initation was interrupted by a pair of senior guildmembers wering a papier-mâché and sackcloth monster costume. The new Master was called on to 'slay' the beast, claiming its head a prize.
Following the integration of the two professions, the parody was revealed and gained a foothold as the more common - and less dangerous - of the two ceremonies. In the modern day, the guild and its mastering ceremonies are fully integrated and Ratcatchers' guildhalls display papier-mâché heads to show how many on their roster have reached the rank of Master.

by Dmitry Demidov

Primary Related Location

Erwā

Related Organizations

• Guild of Ratcatchers and Associated Trades