INTRODUCTION:

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The Sciath Cúigear, known in modern times as the Hunter Society, were formed centuries ago as a result of repeated terrorizing caused by monsters and other supernatural creatures. It used to be that the Lycidas (the original race of werewolves) had protected the land but soon they were gone and humans had to protect themselves. A large majority of modern hunters have lineages that span generations, all with the knowledge and skills passed down from their ancestors. These hunters honed their craft, becoming deadly forces to be reckoned with. 

 

The supernatural realm is kept concealed from human eyes and hunters are tasked with making sure it remains that way.  Hunters work in the shadows, intertwined with governments, police forces, medical workers, and much more. Their main function is to protect and serve humans, ensuring that the potential threats supernatural creatures pose never come to fruition. There are , however, hunters that work purely to keep the world at peace and then there are those who are simply in it for the money. Bounty hunting can be lucrative.

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On the surface, the Hunter Society claims to be a peacekeeping organization but, as with all big corporations, there are many corrupt practices flying under the radar. Many hunters enslave and sell supernatural creatures either in one piece or for their parts on the black market. If kept alive, those who are considered “monsters” are used for entertainment. Gambling, auctioning, and underground fighting rings are some of the most common illegal practices. Most of these activities are prolific within hostile branches as they regard non-humans as inferior. 

However, there are instances where a human of the public is welcomed into the Sciaths. Usually it would have to be someone who has much to offer, such as exceptional resourcefulness, high intelligence, or tremendous skills with weapons or combat. Ideally a combination of all three will set someone apart from the crowd.
 

DEMOGRAPHICS: 

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Currently, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Japan each have their own official Hunter Branch. Each branch has their own cultural values and views on supernatural beings. In addition to the main five, there are many smaller, lesser known chapters of hunters across the world. All official hunter organizations answer to the main six; Together they are known as the Sciath Cúigear, or the “Sciaths” for short. Currently, there is only one inactive branch, the Russian Branch, due to its destruction in 1891.

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• USA Branch: Neutral/Hostile toward supernatural creatures

• Mexican Branch: Hostile toward supernatural creatures

• Brazilian: Hostile toward supernatural creatures

• Australian Branch: Lenient 

• UK Branch: Neutral toward supernatural creatures

• Japanese Branch: Neutral/Hostile toward supernatural creatures

• Russian Branch: Neutralized

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The current Branch Leaders are as follows:

• USA: Dante Powell

• Mexico: Enoch Serrano

• Brazil: Rosita Romero

• Australia: Keith Hester

• UK: Winona Caudery

• Japan: Michiko Honda

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There are also a few prominent or well-known hunter families such as the Montenegro, the Romeros, the Mirchevs, Arcanos, the Caudery and the Grants. The Montenegro and Romero families have merged recently in many aspects through the marriage of their family members, and are mainly situated within the Mexican, Brazilian and USA Branches. While the Arcanos hail from Italy to India in origin, you will find much of the family in eastern shore of the USA. The Mirchev family is what remains of the Russian branch and while there is no official Russian branch any longer, they are mostly in charge of Easter Europe. The Cauderys are within the UK Branch.

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How a person joins the Hunters: 

While most hunters are hunters through being born into the society, many hunters are also handpicked by either a family or a Branch's leaders for their skills, intelligence, and resourcefulness. For example, the Grant family of hunters are known for sponsoring talented kids into the hunter society from as young as elementary school, personally seeing to their training and traveling.

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HUNTER CULTURE: 

Hunters begin training from a very early age typically by their parents and/or hunter mentors. They don't live the traditional life of going to school and graduating, instead they are sent to the other branches to learn different techniques and get hands on experience with that region's climate and supernatural beings, learning how you use a wide array of weapons, strategies, and fighting techniques.

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Each of the five branches have their own practices and cultural influences that tie into how they treat different species of monsters and how they conduct themselves, but there are fundamentals that all the Branches follow:

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• The world of the Supernatural must be kept hidden from the rest of the human population. 

• When a human is turned into a monster, willingly or not, their humanity has been forfeited and they will no longer be protected or treated as a human.

• Supernatural creatures that mean harm to human society will be placed on the Bounty List and likely disposed of.

• Hunters who have become monsters forfeit not only their humanity but also positions and standings within hunter society. They are likely to become monster partners or be disposed of.

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Hunter Ranks 

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Hunters are categorized by rank based on their skill and seniority in each branch. Rising through the ranks is not a matter of seniority but of prowess and expertise.Those who display these traits are promoted to mid and high ranking positions within the organization at the behest of the individual’s Branch leader. Below are the ranks universal within the hunter organization.

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• Low rank: Ensign- this is the standard rank for normal hunters within a branch

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• Mid rank: Sentinel- Sentinels are the mid rank of the Hunter Association. When an Ensign is promoted to a Sentinel their duties expand beyond the typical responsibilities of a hunter. They are seen as authority figures and are expected to uphold and represent the code and customs of the Hunter Association. Often times Sentinels oversee sections of territory within their governing branch, and work together with fellow sentinels and ensigns to ensure the safety of the human populace under their care.

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• High rank: Commodore- Commodores are the highest rank within the Society, directly underneath the Branch Leaders. They oversee all the sentinels and ensigns within their branch and keep things in working order, often giving reports and advice directly to their branch’s leader. It takes great skill and accomplishments to achieve this rank, and because of this they are greatly respected amongst hunters. Their duties also include the upkeep of training facilities for potential monster partners. If a situation cannot be dealt with by ensigns or sentinels alone, a Commodore will be sent out to handle it. 

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• Exclusive rank: Ambassador - Ambassadors are special hunters that are well-versed in both the supernatural world and hunter society. They are also well-cultured in international hunter politics and know the rules of each Branch's systems. They usually run reconnaissance and maintain relationships between branches and supernatural world.

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Monster Partners and How to Get One

Monster partners are widely used by hunters all over the world, though the treatment and view of them varies depending on the branch of hunter organization and the individuals. Werewolves are the most commonly used species for hunter partnerships; they are the most efficient trackers, and also tend to be more loyal and easier to train. However, vampires and other species are used as well.

There are different ways for a hunter to begin a partnership with a monster. Some monsters enter a partnership of their own free will, but the majority of hunters select a partner through Training Facilities, where monsters are trained specifically for the role of assisting hunters. Roles can range from anywhere to being a bodyguard, tracker, personal assistant, or whatever a hunter may need.

Monsters that cause trouble or are deemed unable to be left on their own- along with rare cases of monster children- are typically taken to these training facilities. The facilities were created and are run by various hunter branches for the sake of housing and rehabilitating different monsters before allowing them to be selected for hunter partnerships. Their practices are harsh and focus more on conditioning a monster to be subservient and obedient more than anything; combat and hunting training is largely left up to the individual hunter once they’ve selected a partner. Monster partners in general are seen as tools to the hunter organizations, sub human and are to adhere to their hunter's orders without fail. Some branches emphasize a symbiotic relationship with respect, others are practically treated as slaves. 


Branding 

Every hunter is required to have a brand, designed to designate the monster as their property and responsibility. The brand is given to a monster at the beginning a partnership as a subtle way to show the monster is claimed without revealing their true nature to the human populace, and areas which brands are placed are discrete. It represents a permanent link between the monster and hunter, but brands also double as a way to identify the monster. Branded individuals tend to have more leeway among the Hunters but can mark them as traitors in the supernatural world. Other supernatural creatures often look down upon the branded.

Hot iron brands are almost never used as the scarring and marks left behind stand out; freeze brands are the most typical route. Dry ice is used to place the brand somewhere on a part of the body, and appears pale/white on the skin (on fur the mark is pure white). Some hunters don’t practice branding their monster partners, instead using aliases or nicknames; other hunters may do this in addition to the brands. Hunters that don’t use brands for their partners, however, are vastly outnumbered by those that do. Some brand designs are passed down through generations of hunter bloodlines; others may choose to design their own unique brands. They can be as simple as the hunter’s initials, or venture into more complex designs based on the hunter’s taste.

 

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HUNTER WEAPONS:

 

There are various types of weapons at a hunter’s disposal depending on the monsters they are facing. This could include anything from machinery and technology, chemicals, or even special items bought from the Druids. Different hunters have different preferences regarding their weapon choices, and it's up to the individual to use what weapons they feel are most beneficial to their fighting style. 
 

Basic Hunter Weapons Include:

- Any type of Gun

- Any type of Blade or Crossbow 

- Shock Collars, bladed chains, tasers  

- A monster partner

More skilled hunters can use: 

- Complicated Tech gear, night vision goggles, heat vision tech, tracking devices   

- Sigils and potions bought from the Druids (must establish an alliance with a Druid) 

- Traps

- Informants
- Multiple monster partners
 

RELATIONSHIPS: 

 

Druids: When they can actually get their assistance, they are a valuable asset to hunter society, supplying them with enchanted items or information. However, this is not usually the case and Hunter Society has only a very small amount of Druids at their disposal.

 

Vampires: In general, hunter society has a strainged relationship with vampires seeing as humans are a vampire's main diet; the history they share  is stained with blood on both sides. Many hunters have a healthy level of wariness in regards to vampires, and with good reason.

Wendigos: There is no wavering on the views of these vile creatures. Their increasing numbers have been a strain on the hunters Society for years and they're a threat not taken lightly. Wendigos are abominations, wicked in their craftiness and are to be killed on sight. No exceptions.

 

Werewolves: Hunters have relied on werewolves ever since their population have been back on the rise. They are viewed largely as assets to be controlled to fit a hunter's needs. They are especially seen as valuable due to their ability to track virtually every supernatural being. However, if a werewolf goes feral they are seen as an enemy, and are promptly put down.

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Oni: Although they could have been useful assets for similar reasons as the werewolves, Hunter Society feared Oni due to the possibilities of their immense power. As a result, they began systematically killing off oni families, leaving the relationship between them and society in tatters. The Oni that are still alive have no love for the Hunter Society.

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Hunter Q/A:

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Q: How many monster partners can a hunter have? 

A: 3 maximum.

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Q: If hunters can have more than one monster partner, can a monster be partnered with more than one hunter at a time?

A: No, a monster can only be partnered with one hunter at any given time.

Q: Can hunters go rogue? 

A: Yes, they may go off on their own but they still must answer to the branch leaders. 

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Q: Can hunters switch between different Branches? 

A: Yes, just like many jobs, they are required to travel and sometimes relocate.
 

Q: Can Hunter's have romantic relations with supernatural creatures? 

A: Technically yes. Should they? No. In hunter culture across the world, it is considered disgraceful to do so. It can be punishable by death in some cases and individuals can face ridicule for a long time afterwards.