Blood Hunter

### Skills

Choose three from Athletics, Acrobatics, Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Religion, and Survival

The **Blood Hunters** are elite warriors who are will to sacrifice everything to purge the world of evil, even their own humanity. They are well trained in the art of the blade, but are also capable of casting spells by drawing out the radiant mana that is stored in their very own blood after it has flown through the food chain. The arrival of a Blood Hunter in town is never a celebrated event, as it can only mean that unfathomable evil is afoot. Most people understand that they are a necessary part of society and are willing to lend them some food and a place to rest, although this resting place is always outside out of fear that the stain of evil has stuck to the hunter.

## The Order

Most people believe the Blood Hunter to be a creature of solitude, but this is far for the truth as almost every hunter is a member of a secret underground society called the Order. The Order is a long standing organisation which dedicates itself to opposing anyone or anything that threatens to disrupt the balance in the world. They primarily focus on threats of the monstrous nature, but have been known the also deal with political figures who threaten the balance of international power. While every Blood Hunter is or was a member of the Order, not ever Order member is a hunter and members can be found hidden away in every echelons of society. From the sulking beggar to the wizened king, everyone can be a secret member of the Order, ready to do what it takes to restore balance to the world.

Over the years several of the Order's worst foes have found their way into the Order's headquarters and desecrated them. In these raids much of the knowledge of the ancient Blood Hunters has been lost and many now have their own interpretations about what the remaining texts mean. This has left the Order heavily divided on a myriad of issues which has lead to four distinct movements or "teachings" to arise inside its walls. One of these is the way the initiation ritual known as the "Bane" is executed. While the most important steps have been preserved, a few of them have been lost to time, leading to Blood Hunters who are not as powerful as they once where. To remedy this many of the movements have created their own version of the Bane, which results in slight differences in power between hunters.

### **Teachings of the Ghostslayer**

Those following the teachings of the old Hunter Grimgo Mundungu believe that keeping the balance between the Waking world and the Dream is paramount to the survival of both sides. They also believe that the duality in the nature of the undead is a threat to this balance. As such they claim that its the Order's duty to seek out these unholy creatures and purge them from the world before it is too late.

### **Teachings of the Profane Soul**

The teachings of the Profane Soul were first put down to paper by Tom the Grimm, who saw that the balance between the ziez, the behemoths, and the leviathans was a fragile one. He claimed that the Order should ally themself with all three groups as a way to keep an eye on them. With this alliance he believes that the hunters could borrow a bit of power from the three factions and use it to oppose any one of them that has grown to powerful and threaten the balance.

### **Teachings of the Mutant**

The teachings of the mutant Jebediah Van Schagen was that with the use of the right herb, spices, and lots of makanium one could bring the Bane back to its former glory and give the Blood Hunters the strength back that they lost. Although his misshapen body proved that this was not entirely true, he might still have been up to something as his followers are known to posses almost supernatural abilities that the other hunters don't own. However these hunters have also become addicted to the concoction used in the Bane ritual and they continuously brew their own slightly altered versions in an attempt to get closer to the original recipe. These concoctions violently alter their biology, resulting in both powerful and hideous mutations.

### **Teachings of the Lycan**

Those following the teachings of the Lycan believe that the blood of dire wolves can be used in the Bane to return the Blood Hunters to their former glory. With this blood they inflict themselves with the curse of therianthropy, which turns them into beings that can transform between their canine and humanoid form. Hunters that follow this way are considered to be the most powerful of all the different hunting movements. But they are also the most dangerous of all the hunters for the Lycan hunters can be beset by a ravenous lust for blood when the taste, or sometimes even the smell of the sanguine liquid touches their senses. It is not uncommon for other Blood Hunters to be sent out to deal with Lycan hunter that has lost all control.