The Huntsmen
Structure
By and large the Huntsmen seem to operate very independent of one another, and at most form small teams to take on large threats. They only answer to their leader and the King himself.
Culture
By and large, the Huntsmen are a group shrouded in secrecy. It is said only about 50 or so members are active at this time, and they like to keep that mystery this way. Their style of recruitment is unknown, but what is known is that their recruits are highly vetted and trained. They are absolutely loyal to the King and the nation, and come from a wide variety of backgrounds. All are trained in the use of the bow, for it is their leaders primary tool of vengeance. Aside from scouting and hunting dangerous beasts, they have been known to fight injustice in their own way, launch daring raids upon the gold stores of the tyrants of foreign lands, and make sure that no one harms the kingdom from outside or within. It is even said that they punish corrupt nobles, making them something of a folklore hero in many plays the peasants tell. (while by and large noble corruption is incredibly low, it still does rarely happen. However these corrupt nobles are more often rich merchant type lords, for incredibly few knights would break their iron bound oaths, and the less morally good stewards of knights who sometimes to scheme with one another) One curious thing of note is the rumor that they are taught in ways and methods similar to the Wood Elves of the Great Dale Woods, being able to scale trees with ease and use the forest to their advantage, even using powerful nature magic. It is rumored they even worship some of the Wood Elven Pantheon, but this is unconfirmed, like most of the Huntsmen order in general.
Assets
It is said when a Huntsmen asks of something, they speak with the authority of the King himself, though people still tend to view them with suspicion.
History
No one is entirely sure on the origins of the Huntsmen. Many have heard stories, but very few know the truth of the organization. The peasants believe that they are a strange band of rangers that stlak the lands and fight monsters and dreaded Black Knights. Many nobles believe that they practice black magic and are strange pagan cultists. The truth is more strange.
During the Second Great Elven War, King Artur was separated from his group and very briefly taken hostage by a band of some of the most elite Elven Warriors in the Iadith Empire. Using a combination of honorless magic and sheer grit, they overpowered Artur and held him in a small cabin for the night. Not even a single day passed when Artur woke up to find that his bonds were cut, his gear returned, and his captors slain. A single arrow was lodged in each of the Elves heads, not a single arrow had missed its mark. Being found by his honor guard, who were estatic to see him unharmed, they revealed onto Artur that a strange cloaked man told them they would find the good king close by and disappeared. Artur would rejoin the war effort, but sent one of his trusted knights of the Round Table, Sir Perent the Swift, to search far and wide for this mysterious stranger.
High and low Sir Perent searched, but finding the stranger proved a challenge. He would eventually climb a tall hill nearby the village of Nanzon. where he witness a terrible wyvern be slain with but one glowing arrow. Riding fourth to the body of the Wyvern as quickly as he could, Sir Perent approached the corpse and studied the arrow. However he felt an arrow being pressed behind him as the stranger had finally reveled himself. He was at first cautious as to why Sir Perent had been searching for him for so long, but as Sir Perent explained he understood that the king wished to speak with the stranger. While cautious at first, he accepted, and would meet with King Artur in a secret grove mere days after the end of the Second Great Elven War.
What was discussed in that meeting has never been recorded, but what is known is that eventually there was talks of a wing under direct control of the King. While Nobles would answer the call of the king, by law they have to answer to their liege lord first unless they are apart of the royal house, but this new group known simply as the Huntsmen, were a group of unorthodox and mysterious rangers and rouges serving as both scout, hunter, and spy. Thus the legend of the hooded men spread across the land of Vebastonne, as criminals learned that a new predator hunted them at night.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Many view the Huntsmen with a mix of suspicion and awe. Outlaws and Black Knights have learned to either fear or respect them, peasants view them as creepy hooded figures who hide in the forest, and amongst the nobility they are mixed in their opinion. While some see them as strange but valuable members of the Vestoni nation, some believe they use Black Magic and are a group of strange pagan worshippers that they begrudgingly most accept are apart of their nation.
"Pour le roi, dans l'ombre" - For the king, in the shadows
Founding Date
Unkown
Type
Secret, Governmental arm
Alternative Names
The Hooded Men
Training Level
Elite
Veterancy Level
Veteran
Leader
Ruling Organization
Location
Notable Members
