Hunter's Almanac: Database for Beast Hunters

Orders


Orders are the organizations of Hunters that are spread all throughout Cocyatus Down. Each Order has its own agenda and own way of operating, and not all Orders are allies.


Quicksilver Order

The Quicksilver Order is one of the oldest and most respected Orders in all of Cocyatus Down. Founded by First Hunter Erik himself, they fight purely for the protection of the people from Beasts, and only seek to stop the plague. Rag-tag yet bound by bonds of battle, they are known for their diversity in Hunters and their free spirits in the Hunt, going by gut instinct instead of protocols or orders. They are lead by the Six Hunter Chiefs, each of which were trained by direct disciples of Erik. Each Chief is a master Hunter, capable of taking down large Beasts with relative ease and commanding not only the respect of their subordinates, but their enemies as well. Each Chief operates in their own unique way, and rarely do they ever break from their Hunt to meet. Thus, day to day leadership falls to the Quartermaster, Father Law. Unlike most Orders, The Quicksilver Order recruits Hunters and Hunter-hopefuls from all walks of life, and is known to take even walk-in volunteers into their ranks. However, whether or not the new recruits survive their first Hunt is entirely up to their own individual skills. However, those that do live are welcomed into a brotherhood that has stood for generations of Hunts.



Gunpowder Raiders

The Gunpowder Raiders are a small group of Hunters that reside in the slums of Cocyatus Down. Enchanted by fire and explosions, these flashy Hunters use the power of Gunpowder and Fire to burn away those who the Plague has claimed. While boisterous and loud as well as offensive at times, these Hunters are actually incredibly loyal to those they consider friends and have been fighting alongside the Quicksilver Order for generations. They are lead by Enrico DePuccini, an eccentric from a distant land that was taken in by the old leader of the Raiders and trained to succeed him. While not particularly picky on members, they do tend to drop members who otherwise continue to ruin their festivities. Should they be encountered, it is best to speak with politeness but at the same time try not to kiss up, as they tend to hate suck-ups.



Church of Pure Blood

The Church of Pure Blood, like the Quicksilver Order, is one of the oldest and most successful of all the Orders. They believe that it is through the blood of Beasts that they can understand God's will, and they fight against the Beasts in order to push themselves closer to God. Faithful, even fanatical in some cases, the Church maintains a tight leash on its members and has them follow strict orders while on the Hunt. The Church is separated into three divisions: The Paladins, the Choir of Blood, and the Holy See. The Paladins are the main Hunters, known for cladding themselves in black, form-fitting uniforms with red scarves and broad-rimmed hats. They carry a vast assortment of weapons, and prefer using fire or Quicksilver to assist in purging Beasts. The Choir of Blood is the Church's special operations unit which specialize in hunting exceptionally powerful beasts, uncovering truths and researching Beast Blood, and most importantly killing other Hunters whom the Church has declared to be a threat to their Hunt. The Holy See is the Church's leading body, and is composed of Mont senior to Cardinal-level priests. This is also the group lead by the Saint Patron of the Church, Saint Basil Gronz, the last of Erik's living disciples. The Church, while not as extreme in their experiments as the Gaol of the Damned, has been known to experiment with the blood of Beasts that they find "unique", which occasionally leads to its members who survive such dangerous procedures to have "side effects", such as immunity to Quicksilver or enhanced size and strength. However, no Elemental abilities have presented themselves within the Church. In order to join the Church, one must study for many years and dedicate themselves to the disciplines of the Church, a grueling task that results in the deaths of many hopefuls due to the extremity of the trials.



The Gaol of the Damned

The Gaol of the Damned is a dark and secretive Order, residing in the dark Underbelly of Cocyatus Down. The members of this Order are murderers, rapers, thieves, escaped convicts, and mad heretics that wish to learn the power of Beasts so to better their own carnal desires. The Gaol is known for experimenting on its members in extreme ways, such as sewing on the body parts of Beasts to their members. Among the many horrors of the Gaol are their sinister Shadow Titans, Beasts of colossal size and power who provide the Gaol with Beast Blood and lesser Shadow Titans to act as guard dogs. Some of the Hunters in this Order were so mad, they even consumed the blood of these creatures, and were forever warped and changed into the weird beings known only as Snatchers, large humanoids with enhanced strength and speed as well as what seems to be the ability to project their mental desire to take any living thing they see in the form of a dizzying field as well as a vortex of energy. They are seen roaming the dark alleys near the Underbelly's sewer entrances, attacking and kidnapping any and all that they come across with relentless and silent ambition. To those mad enough to attempt to join, abandon all hope oh ye who enter here. To those strong and twisted enough to succeed, frolic, for now this world is your blood-soaked Eden. May you never find boredom.



The Lovecraft Academy

The Lovecraft Academy was the foremost institute of higher learning in all of Cocyatus Down before the Plague swept the kingdom. It was here the Willam the Crafter had his laboratory where he studied different materials to make different devices to better the people of the kingdom's lives, and First Hunter Erik learned his arithmetic, sciences, writings, and lectures. It was also here that the first Hunters came together to drink the Beast Blood and strike back against the Beastly Plague. Now, the Academy has all but sealed itself off from the rest of the world, taking in only scholars capable of discerning secrets of a subject known as the Truth of the World, a subject they believe may pertain to the plague and how to stop it, or worse, control it. Lately, their attention has been on the history of the Kingdom before the Industrial Revolution, an age known as the Null Era. So far, all they have uncovered are a few Relics of Old. Could these somehow be connected to the Plague, and whatever it is that started it?



The Sanguine Nobility

The Sanguine Nobility was the former aristocracy and royal family of the Kingdom, and are the most seclusive of the Orders. While none can truly join the Nobility, they can join as Knight-Hunters that protect the Nobles and act as their bodyguards and assassins. Hedonistic and self-centered, the Nobility live posh lifestyles of sleeping by day and hunting while throwing extravagant balls at night. It is unknown why or how, but when the Plague swept the Nobility during that fateful night, they were changed into a different type of Beast, one that avoids the sun and survives by drinking the blood of its victims. These Nobles, though Beasts themselves, are intelligent and sentient, and therefore among the most deadly of foes. They are known to attack and kill all those not of their faction on sight, however it is advised to not engage with their Knights, as they are Hunters boosted by this strange blood. The Nobles themselves, however, are far more deadly than their Knights and can make even the most experienced Hunter seem like a flailing boy with a stick by comparison. The Nobles are known to favor certain Knights, leading to competition for favor among the ranks, which only intensifies their ferocity to bring back blood to their masters. However, what makes this order so deadly is not its purpose, but perhaps its lack of purpose and its hedonistic lust to seek blood...