Secrets of Hunting Monsters
What is a Monster?
A monster is more than just a dangerous creature – few would call a bear, a hellboar, or a pack of claw raptors a “monster.” The essence of a monster is something nefarious, something more. A monster does not just pose a threat – in some way, a monster defies order and the natural way of things.
Beasts like kiura, leshies, and blood-drinking bat-men are all monsters. Raksha that take on towering, malignant shapes can be monsters. Humans twisted by dark magic can become monsters as well. Whatever form a monster takes, it is in some way a violation. Monsters, by their nature, defy the natural way of things and cause harm simply by existing.
Little surprise, then, that monsters must be dealt with swiftly and effectively.
The Evening Corps
The Evening Corps are a band of monster-hunters and mercenaries that protect the Realm and her citizens from monsters. The Corps is in no way formally tied to the Realm’s government, or to the Immaculate Order, or the Legions, although it pays respect to all three. Its members who hunt and slay monsters are known as Hunters, and its members who support the hunters are known as Spotters.
Hunters of the Evening Corps exist in a strange limbo between soldier and mercenary. They hunt monsters, but operate under contracts; they defend the innocent, but demand recognition from authority. They are easily identified by their iconic demon-masks. These frightening visages are enchanted to assist in tracking monsters of all kinds.
The Creed
All members of the Evening Corps are bound by the Creed, the unwritten but agreed-upon rules that bind them. The Creed is not fixed and immutable, but many of its maxims are recited in rote form, crystalized through time.
The Creed forbids collaborating with monsters; requires that a Hunter of the Corps render aid to other Hunters in distress; demands that the hunters protect the Realm and all civilians from monsters and menaces; expects no mercy for the wicked who assist or enable monsters; and requires the Contract for client hunts.
The Contract
In the Corps’ early history, it was not an organization of contract hunters, but more of soldiers or constabulary. Individual members wandered freely, pursuing whichever rumors or monsters they desired. This quickly became a problem, as hunters tread on one another’s toes while hunting their quarry, quibbled with one another over glory, and stuck to the well-trafficked regions of the Isle where rumors were abundant. Some hunters even fell prey to the political machinations of the Houses and brought embarassment to the Corps.
To resolve this issue, the unspoken, unwritten Creed gradually gave birth to the very written Contract. Today, the Evening Corps’ hunters do not act without a contract. Any individual, able to pay the fee, can sign the Contract and hire a hunter of the Evening Corps to track down a monster. The hunter is then bound by Creed and by law to eliminate the beast.
Sometimes, hunters encounter monsters without having a contract in hand. In these cases, the hunter gathers her proof-of-termination and marches herself to the nearest authority to demand payment. Only upon payment for the slain monster does she leave her newly-found client alone.
The Contract ensures that the hunters of the Evening Corps are not called upon frivolously, that their abilities are not used without purpose, and that the hunters spend their time on tangible threats rather than chasing rumors. The Contracts have also ended up encouraging a more widespread coverage, since new clients can be found in any corner and the pay is first-come, first-serve.
Although some members of the Corps bemoan that they are mercanaries rather than soldiers, the Contract, combined with the honor of the Creed, has proved to be a valuable element of the Evening Corps.