Bounty Hunting

Owing to a relative lack of conflict in the lands of Izal during the Era of Peace, aided in part for many years by the imposing might of the Urlak Mercenaries, there has been little need for most kingdoms to maintain massive, standing armies, with each generally only needing to retain what is required to suppress insurrections or unruly vassals factions. As such, most conflicts remain personal and small-scale in nature, resulting in many skilled (and unskilled) warriors gravitating towards the profession of bounty hunting.

In the lands of Izal, bounty-hunting tends to manifest itself in three different ways: sanctioned bounty hunting, performed under the oversight and with the approval of ruling governments and commissions; private bounty hunting, generally negotiated with similarly licenced bounty hunter groups; and, illegal bounty hunting, often done through back alley deals with unreliable actors.

## **Sanctioned Bounty Hunting**

* Each of the three major kingdoms of Izal has a sanctioned, official bounty hunting commission that posts and manages public bounties, bounties which are available for any registered organization or individuals to claim.
* Bounties managed by these organizations are generally posted within any major cities in the kingdom's borders, and registered bounty hunters are often afforded certain legal protections in pursuit of a bounty - though only within that kingdom's walls.
* In addition, some small cities/regions will offer their own bounty boards, usually managed by whatever local regional authority holds power.
* While many sanctioned bounties are posted by the kingdoms or cities themselves, with the aim of enlisting private citizen aid to supplement efforts to capture criminals and brigands by the current ruling powers or governments, a large number - particularly smaller bounties - are posted by private citizens.
* To avoid disputes, and owing to the large number of clients and potential claimants, most sanctioned bounties need to be exacting, specifying the target of the bounty and specific requirements for claiming the bounty upon apprehension or death of the target.

## **Private Bounty Hunting**

* In addition to sanctioned bounty hunting bodies, several private or independent bounty hunting organizations (of all sizes) dot the landscape of Izal. The bulk of these organizations merely chase sanctioned bounties in a way that provides more structure (and prevents more disputes) than one would see with a group of individuals; however, some organizations go even further, privately negotiating bounty jobs or offering their own internal bounty boards in a way similar to the sanctioned bodies.
* The largest private bounty-hunting organizations have the ability to pursue bounties in between kingdoms, regions, or states. As they tend to generate not insignificant amounts of revenue - for some, owing to their unscrupulous nature - they tend to be able to afford to lobby the bounty hunting commissions of individual kingdoms for this authority.
* Private bounties tend to be more costly than sanctioned bounties, depending on the nature of the target and the organization hired. As they are generally a negotiated arrangement for a fee, there is much more leeway or freedom to set terms. As private bounty hunters tend to operate within jurisdictions of bounty hunting commissions, these commissions tend to review these bounties to ensure that they fall within the laws of their lands.

### Notable Private Bounty Hunting Organizations

* Kyassa (organization), the largest and most renowned private bounty hunting group in Izal, with presence in all major population centers.

## **Illegal Bounty Hunting**

* More contract thuggery than true bounty hunting, a final option for those desperate to eliminate a target is to hire unregistered, criminal or otherwise illegal bounty hunters. Some bounty hunters masquerade under the title of 'adventurers'.
* Without any formal registration or record of their existence, transactions with illegal bounty hunters are fraught with risk - to both parties. Fraud, alterations to the deal, and non-compliance with requests for how to handle the target are not uncommon.