( RWBY Fables ) Huntsmen

## Huntsmen and Huntresses

Huntsmen and Huntresses are licensed elite warriors dedicated to slaying the Creatures of Grimm and whose duty is to "uphold the peace" of their world.

Following the Great War's conclusion on the island of Vytal, the occupation of Huntsman was created alongside the Huntsman Academies. These academies were charged to train the elite warriors whose role was to safeguard mankind's future.

These traditions still continue in the World of RWBY Fables.

## Training

Those who wish to become Huntsmen or Huntresses often first attend primary combat schools like Sanctum Academy (of Mistral) or Signal Academy (located in Patch), which are designed to teach new students the fundamentals of combat, Weapon crafting and the applications of Dust and Aura in the battlefield. However, those who have honed their skills on their own can skip this step and apply directly, one example being Duran Raglan who was trained by Grace Taker.

Potential applicants must then pass a rigorous entrance exam, and those that pass can attend Huntsman Academies, whose sole purpose is to train the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses who will in turn live and die to defend the four Kingdoms and the lifestyles they have become accustomed to.

The primary combat schools and the Kingdoms they correspond to are:

* Vale - Signal Academy (Patch), Pharos Academy (Vale)
* Mistral - Sanctum Academy (Argus), Laguna Academy (Kuchinashi)
* Vacuo - Oscuro Academy (Coquina)

The four main Huntsman Academies and the Kingdoms they correspond to are:

* Vale - Beacon Academy
* Mistral - Haven Academy
* Vacuo - Shade Academy
* Atlas - Atlas Academy

Trainees are generally admitted at age 17 and complete a four-year course before graduating, however, some students, such as Ruby Rose, have been admitted at ages as young as 15.

Trainees are grouped into Teams of four, with the intention of fostering empathy and teamwork, as well as lasting bonds, between team members – qualities considered of great importance for future Huntsmen and Huntresses. These teams may stay intact after graduation, but teams are also known to disband as their members pursue solo careers.

The course at Beacon Academy includes history lessons and studies of the Grimm. The more active component includes field trips to potentially dangerous locations, sparring matches with other students, as well as an opportunity to participate in the Vytal Festival Tournament and spar with students from other academies. Students also go on actual missions commensurate to their skill level as part of their training; first-years are accompanied by a professional Huntsman, whilst second years and above may go on high-risk missions alone.

While some enter the Academies to become Huntsmen, many people enter them for ulterior motives. One example would be Qrow and Raven Branwen who both originally entered Beacon Academy so they could learn how to kill Huntsmen since they were the only other threat to their tribe other than the Grimm. This shows that some students are not truly willing to protect Humanity against the Grimm.

## License

Upon acceptance into one of the academies, prospective students are granted a student Huntsman License they can access through their Scrolls. Upon graduation, this student license is updated to a full professional Huntsman License.

Both student and professional licenses contain the same information. Their only difference is that a student license is labeled as a "Student License", while pro licenses bear either "Huntsman License" or "Huntress Licence" depending on the gender of the Huntsman.

A Huntsman License includes the Huntsman's:

* Photograph
* Full name, in print and as a barcode
* Fifteen Digit Huntsman ID number
* Emblem
* Kingdom which issued the license
* Huntsman Academy attended
* Any restrictions the Huntsman may have

A Huntsman can have their license revoked if they are involved with criminal activities as well as can also have their licenses removed if they cause more harm than good on the job.

Some especially gifted Huntsmen can acquire their licenses by taking a licensing exam, forgoing the need to attend the academies.

## Employment

After graduation, the founders of the academies intended that the allegiance of a Huntsman or Huntress would not be tied to a specific Kingdom. With their Huntsmen licenses, graduates are granted the freedom to choose whom they work for as well as the nature of their work. Huntsmen find employment through the use of mission boards. This approach is not without problems, however, as Huntsmen are known to be employed for disreputable purposes on occasion solely for Lien.

This separation of Huntsmen and Kingdom allegiance was intended as a measure to ensure peace.

However, the Kingdom of Atlas did not appear to uphold this distinction. Not only did Atlas Academy exist as the same entity as the government, but students were heavily pressured into enlisting in the military's Special Operatives Unit, which drew significant criticism. Winter Schnee was one notable example of a "Specialist" in the military. The Ace Operatives were a team of Special Operatives that intentionally had five people instead of four due to Ironwood's decision to prioritize efficiency over everything else.

## Missions

Mission boards detail the type of mission, a short description of the task, where the task is needed and how soon the mission will start. Mission boards also detail a mission's status after someone accepts it.

However, the mission board system is flawed; while the intent is to have it so that the board updates in real-time, multiple Huntsmen can accept the mission at the same time, making it so that they both need to complete the objective and split the reward.

Generally, rewards scale to the difficulty of the particular objective, especially with bounty missions on the Grimm. However, in some cases, as seen with Centinels, Huntsmen may avoid bounty missions on specific Grimm, and as a result make their rewards be disproportionately large compared to the difficulty ranking.

There are many different types of missions for Huntsmen and Huntresses to undertake. The currently known types of missions available to Huntsmen and Huntresses include:

* Search and Rescue - Finding missing person(s) or recovering missing supplies.
* Search and Destroy - Clearing out Grimm when their infestations grow too large.
* Perimeter Defense - Fortifying walls and defenses to keep Grimm out of the kingdom and city limits.
* Village Security - Helping a village (not established as one of four kingdoms) fight off Grimm.
* Bounty - Capturing wanted criminal(s) and Grimm.
* Escort - Helping civilians move through Grimm-infested areas

## Trivia

* The term Huntsmen and Huntresses belongs to the crew of Roosterteeth and Monty Oum.