The Hunter's Lodge
Greetings all, once again, and welcome back to Nefarious Knowledge, where we bring the various people, places, and things that you may have seen in our supplements (available for free download here) to life. Those of you who read Liber Vampyr closely may have seen that we quote a vampire hunter by the name of Janos Calugral. When we interviewed Janos for the book we found him to be a little less than forthcoming about his profession, so in the weeks that followed I set out to learn as much as possible about the professional slaying of the undead fiends known as vampires. In this week’s Nefarious Knowledge, I would like you to accompany me on a journey into the secret world of the vampire hunter.
Notables
Below are the results of interviews with three of the world’s top vampire hunters, including their affiliations, some advice for hunting undead, what they’re best known for, and a story of their exploits.
Harol Krystyna
Affiliation:
Harol is a citizen of Kyldor, and a member in good standing with the Brotherhood of Shadow.
Claim to Fame:
Harol is perhaps best known for the slaying of King Krulune II, former ruler of the city-state of Oszler on the Imre Peninsula. Harol spent a good deal of his youth in Oszler as a spy for the empire of Kyldor, and after years of working through the ranks he eventually gained access to the palace as a personal adviser to Krulune II. One day while sneaking about the palace, Harol stumbled upon a hidden chamber. Thinking that he had at last found the king’s fabled hall of secrets, Harol entered cautiously, expecting to find a treasure trove of political secrets. What he found instead horrified him: a hidden dungeon full of nearly dead victims, who told stories of how the king had fed upon their blood for months.
When Harol, disgusted with the king, confronted Krulune, the king made no effort to hide what he had become, and attacked Harol, hoping to add the young spy to his growing collection of victims. The battle was intense and Harol barely managed to escape with his life. Immediately following the battle Harol was accused of high treason, and he was forced to flee back to his native Kyldor. In the days following, evidence of Krulune’s vampirism was uncovered, and the independent state of Oszler sent an official apology along with a full pardon to Harol, who is now remembered as a hero of the people.
Tactical Advice
When asked for advice on dealing with vampires, here’s what Harol had to say:
“Be prepared. Fighting without knowing what you’re up against is a great way to get yourself killed. Believe me, I know how hard it is to just let that sort of evil go on unchecked while you sit around planning, but if the fiend kills you because you couldn’t wait a few days, imagine how much worse things would be. No, best to wait, deal with the problem when you’re good and ready.”
Hunting Story
“Heh, let me tell about this revenant up in Ezra. This is right after I joined the Brotherhood, still a little green. I had a rough idea of what to expect after Krulune, and I had heard of revenants before. But hearing about them and facing them are two very different things, let me tell you. I came ready to fight armed with silver weapons I didn’t need and a holy symbol that the creature just laughed at. You see every revenant is a little bit different – but of course no one bothered to tell me that. It took me almost two days to find the woman, Wilmeana, but eventually I did find her. She showed up right after I finished off her spawn. After a quick exchange of words the fight began. I attacked her with my shiny new silver sword, but if anything it seemed less effective than an ordinary blade. She quickly disarmed me and I wondered what to do next.
A colleague of mine once told me that holy water instantly destroyed undead of all kinds; well, he wasn’t quite right, though it did make her very angry with me. Things were going badly so I figured I’d use my holy symbol to hold her off while I thought of something else, but like I said before, she only laughed at the display before resuming her attack. I really thought I was going to die at the hands of some vampire tart in the sewers beneath Ezra. She had me in her clutches, her teeth inches from my throat, a look of intense hunger in her eyes, when suddenly she froze – stiff and unable to move. I pushed her off me and a weathered old man lowered his wand, picked up my sword, and promptly separated Wilmeana’s head from the rest of her body. ‘How?’ I asked him. And he replied, ‘You have a lot to learn about this business, kid. Let me teach you a thing or two. ‘ That man’s name was Stephan Donral and he taught me everything I know about vampire slaying.”
Stephan Donral
Affiliation:
Stephan is a citizen of the Empire of Kyldor, though he spends only a small portion of time there, and he has traveled throughout most of the known world. Rumors state he is one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of Shadow. Lastly, Stephan has been connected with the secret society known as the Ebon Tower.
Claim to Fame:
An adventurer of Stephan’s experience and renown becomes fodder for rumors and tall tales. As such, it would be best to say that the things Stephan is most known for are often outlandish legends or stories that he couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with, such as the rescue of Princess Sophia from the giant king Ragash, and the exile of the Blood College from Kyldor nearly 200 years before he was born. Still, the list of things attributed to him that can be confirmed is quite impressive, particularly, his discovery of the feral vampire, the defeat of the nosferatu Khoral, and the invention of the vampire hunter’s amulet. It is also said that no one alive knows more about vampires than Stephan Donral.
Tactical Advice
When asked for advice on dealing with vampires Stephan had this to say:
“Never go alone; bring allies, alert the authorities, hire back up, anything – just never go in cold. The other thing to remember is that vampires are tricky creatures. Never expect one to be like the next, and always prepare for any situation. There’s nothing worse than finding out that all your tools are useless, and you have no back up plan.”
Hunting Story
“Ever heard of a nosferatu? No? Well, have you ever heard of the Nitran plague? The wise ones call nosferatu plague lords, and with good reason. About 50 years ago, when I was still young and the Nitran plague was killing more people than a war with the giants and every Archlich you’ve ever heard of, then I began to see patterns in how the plague was spreading, so I investigated. The peasants all spoke of a creature who came in the night and brought plague to their town.
While many would have just dismissed this as superstition, I knew what to look for, and so set off to find the next likely target. Sure enough, in the night the fiend arrived by wagon to bring his death to the village and I knew I had my work cut out for me. See, you can’t just kill a nosferatu, or immerse them in water for a while. Only one thing works: sunlight. And so I waited until the undead terror had done his dirty work and followed his carriage to where it would come to rest. I waited until high noon, when I crept into his carriage, removed his coffin, and took it into a clearing with plenty of light. Then, using my crowbar, I pried open the lid and watched as the creature’s doom began to spread over him. After that the plague was finished, so I knew I got the right guy. The region eventually recovered and I became a household name, something that makes this job a lot harder, but with a hat of disguise…”
Pasius Rystyna
Affiliation:
Pasius is a citizen of Vitalius, though he is well traveled. He is a member of The Fist of the Exalted one, a clerical order prevalent in Vitalius.
Claim to Fame:
Pasius is best known for leading the great purge of Vitalius, which saw the expulsion of vampires from its capital city of Vitii.
Tactical Advice
When asked for advice on hunting undead Pasius had this to say:
“Don’t try to deal with something you can’t handle. If you see a vampire, the best thing is to find a professional and let them deal with the matter.”
Hunting Story
“The Fist doesn’t tell stories of its exploits, but I’ll tell you a tale about one of my free lance jobs. It was simple, some vampire Ulrich or Yarich or something like that was terrorizing a large town where he had set himself up as a merchant lord. So I hired a friend of mine to help me out in the hunt by following Yavich or whatever his name was around for while. You should have seen the vampire – he thought he was so clever, watching the man in a leather trench and wide brimmed hat following him. Always prepared for a crossbow shot from the ‘hunter’ that was after him. Never spared a look for the beggar who staked him with a concealed dagger, though. Easiest 5,000 gold I ever made.”
Organizations
Below are two of the largest and most influential organizations devoted to vampire hunting in the world: the Brotherhood of shadows, and The Fist of the Exalted One.
The Brotherhood of Shadows
The Brotherhood is a secret group of vampire hunters who banded together in the interests of eliminating their undead enemies more effectively. The Brotherhood has no headquarters or official leadership, but members usually conduct business in local taverns and inns, and follow the guidance of more senior members. Members recognize these meeting places due to a prearranged signal (an unusual but inconspicuous arrangement of cups) revealed to them upon joining the Brotherhood. In order to join the Brotherhood, one must first have slain a vampire and then be approached by an existing member.
The Fist of the Exalted One
The Fist is actually a clerical organization in service to the gods and emperors of Vitialius, whose duties include feeding the hungry, healing the sick, serving in times of war, and keeping creatures like vampires well and away from proper civilization. While the bulk of the organization are clerics and paladins, membership is open to all citizens of Vitialius who swear to serve their gods and emperor above themselves. The stronghold of the Order of Vitialius can be found in the capital city of Vitii locate beside the Grand Temple of the Exalted One.