The Hunters, plural.

This jungle is diverse, grasses beneath ferns which range in height from barely a foot to at least twice my own height, about eight feet tall, with such specimens boasting leaves big enough to use as a dress, above is a thick tapestry of vines, latching onto the great behemoth trees trunks and their lower branches, and far above is the canopies, a thick carpet of leaves so large they could be beds, and branches so thick they would crush a roc beneath them if they fell.

I travel far for at least an hour, occasionally having to clean my antennae to refocus on the scent of blood, but at least the sensation of dragging my chitinous mitts across the sensitive organs is pleasant, sending a shiver through me each time I have to stop to do it, and licking my hands clean with my hollow white-green tongue is also oddly calming.

I stop when I finally find blood. I land and crouch low, wavering my antennae around the black-droplet covered fern, and then circle my way around it as I digest the meaning of these scents and pheromones.

The blood is from a beast, a boar or swine of some sort, with hints of darkness within. A monstrous boar? There are... six others. Humans. Three are menfolk, two are lighter smelling, elves probably. The last one I can't tell, their pheromones are covered up with wretched scents left on whatever they touched. I only find three sets of footprints, two of the mare sharp ovals, one of which also has some short but wide protrusion which dug further into the earth at the heels, and the third set is almost rectangular and buries far deeper into the ground then the others. There's... excitement and hunger in the air, but no fear, from humans or beast.

I've flown too far on an empty stomach to give this up. I have to keep going, if one or the other is too strong for me to take it won't matter, as long as one side loses, I get a meal. A girl can hope. I slow my breathing and guide my thoughts to The Black Night, she who is Shadows, and focus as I enter a killer's stalk, shadow wreathing my form and silencing my feet and wings.

I fly at speed on the trail left behind, the boar having left a clear path through the underbrush, I fly just high enough to avoid hitting the plants as I pass them. Without the thrum of my wings I can hear while in flight. As I drawer closer behind them I catch snippets of words, choppy pieces of laughter fair and guttural, the snapping of twigs and rustling of plants, then a porcine screech and a loud crack. I dart to the branches above, then move forward more slowly until I am directly above the party of lightborn. I crouch on a thick limb and angle my wings until I can hear the conversation below.

The largest of them wears full plate, his armor painted to show a collection of images, with a crown on his chest connecting them all. He has a sword sheathed at his side and he uses the shattered haft of some sort of spear to help himself stand before tossing it aside. The lust-grey plume atop his helmet wavering in the breeze. as I focus on him my eyes discern his Truths.

Race: Man
Sex: Male
Name and Titles: Prince Alexai Viridorn, Grand Knight of the Order of the Thunderbird, Goblin-Breaker
Age: 23
Classes: Tier IV Lvl 60 General, Tier III Lvl 30 Weapon Lord
Stats:
HP: 600
Str: 130
End: 80
Agi: 15
Wis: 30
Int: 60
Cha: 112

Goblin Breaker: For killing over a thousand goblinoids in a single day you receive a 3x multiplier to damage to goblinoid creatures, and goblins instinctually fear you, your scent on the wind enough to drive them into a panic.

Tideholder: For holding back the tide of a great swarm of enemies when all was thought lost you now have immunity to the addittive effects of many creatures with the same auras, and are only effected by the strongest such aura that could affect you.

Live by the Sword: Whenever you wield a sword with no other weapon or shield in your off hand you get +30% to both physical attack and physical defense, and your speed is increased by 50%.

Chosen of Viri: Having been Chosen by the goddess of Chivalry you gain +200% class Exp towards the knight and its variant classes, and your Charisma is treated as being three times higher by Humanoids associated with the light who have a positive view of any Knightly order you are connected with, and it is treated as twice as high by those who have a positive view of chivalric orders but are not familiar with or have no opinion of any knightly order you are connected with.

Black Dragon Slayer: For killing a dragon infused with Dark you have received a 10% damage resistance to Dark, and a 10% bonus to physical attack and defense when facing a dragon. You gain an extra 20% to each of these bonuses when fighting a dark infused dragon, and the base bonuses are improved by 10% for each dragon you slay.

Bannerlord: When you go into combat bearing a Banner, its effect on moralle is increased by 300%, it is 200% more visible to all allies and enemies, and the radius of any Enchantments it has that buffs allies is quadrupled. If it has a limit to how many allies it can affect, it's limit is improved by half.

Consumate Duelist: when you and an oponent fight and at least one of you has an audience backing you but not interfering, you can subsitute charisma in place of either strength or agility when determining physical attack with your weapon.

Die by the Sword: When you face an oponent who wields a similiar swor/ weapon configuration as you, you both take and deal 30% more damage, and bleeding wounds are more likely to be lethal for both sides.

Scullery Bane: you are 30% more virile, this increases by an additional 50% when you sleep with someone below you in station.

Expert Swordsman: your ability to use single and two handed swords is not unmatched, but anyone could tell that you are beyond even most professionals in skill and competency.

Knightly Endurance: SO long as your body does not break and you serve what you believe to be a righteous cause, you will not grow weary or tired in battle, but the accumulated effects of exhaustion will effect you when the threat is gone, and strain can eventually break even the most well honed of tools.

Notable Events:
Slaughter of Fort Greyfang: You led the charge against the dark when the Kingdom of Man marched upon Fort Greyfang, and you led the retreat of only a third of your people after barely driving off the Black Dragon Nerisien.

Siege of Viridorn: You were there when the Capital of Man was besieged by the Demon King, you survived his overwhelming aura and the massive army of monsters he brought with him, and the sight of the Tomoko Sakurai slaying that great foe will remain with you for the rest of your days.

Skirmish of the palace gates: you held the final defensive line between your family and the hordes of monsters who besieged Viridorn. The royal guards held the courtyard for fourteen hours before Nerisien broke their ranks. You and your Armsmen held the steps to the palace for seven days and seven nights, and many of your best friends died besides you, but not one monster set foot within the palace.

Purge of Fort Greyfang: When the time came to avenge so many of the fallen after the Demon King's ****, you lead your Armsmen, The Amazon Queen, and the Archbishop through its wretched halls, and lopped off Nerisien's head yourself.

End Stats

As I look to his companions he speaks to the man wearing a mottled green and brown cloak, some sort of ranger or huntsman with two quiver, on on his hip and one below his cloak, by the shape on his back. "Garven, do you think we have time to keep tracking it? We're losing light fast."

Race: Man
Sex: Male
Name and Titles: Garven of Blackwater
Age: 36
Classes: Tier 3 Lvl 14 Green Ranger, Tier 2 lvl 25 trapmaker

Stats
hp: 51
str: 11
end: 17
agi: 60
int: 9
wis: 45
cha: 12

Favored Terrains: Forest and plains

Vanquisher of Kobolds: the minimum damage you do on a successful attack is quadrupled against kobolds, or two thirds of your maximum damage with the weapon, whichever is lower.

Lore: You are knowledgeable in the lores of kobolds, goblins, and minotaurs

Archer of a Thousand Arrows: When you draw a mundane arrow of average construction from your quiver you can imbue it with the power of a specialty arrow you have in the same quiver. This does not affect magically created arrows. If you have no arrows in your quiver you can once per day refill that quiver with the exact same arrows as you pulled from the quiver that day.

Trap Warrior: You learned how to make more effective use of traps in combat situations, and know how to make a significant number of deadly traps with only mundane items that can be found in nature. You gain 40% of normal xp when one of your traps kills a creature, instead of the normal 20%, and instinctively know when one of your traps within 1 mile of you is set off.

Notable Events:

The Scourging of the Viridian Fields: When it was realized that the viridian fields would be lost, the king sent many to gather up the areas blessed grass, and you were one of those sent to protect them and scout the fields for enemy encroachment. Almost four hundred rangers were sent to the viridian fields, and you are amongst the seventy four that left them alive. Almost two full years of guerilla warfare with the kobolds sent to hunt you down and exterminate you.

Viridian Fields Relief Crusade: Princess Analaise and the Saintess Archbishop Elmeria Levantine herself lead a small battalion of knights and paladins to the Viridian fields to save those that remained.

End Stats

The ranger shook his head glumly "There's no way M'Lord, if it were as the villagers described it maybe, but it's definitely evolved since they last saw it, and we only have maybe an hour or two of light left, and not nearly enough of it." He shakes his head, his hair falling before his face as he does. "Even if we catch it, unless it brings us to a perfect place to set up camp before we finish it off we'll be stuck out in the dark covered in blood, something Her Majesty Alkabaduki warned us we very much don't want to be in these lands."

The other armored man speaks up, his voice echoey through his helmet. "He is right, Sir, it was far faster and tougher than the villager's described. There's a clearing we passed north of here, we should set up camp there for tonight and hunt the monster tomorrow. I'll take first watch." His armor is less ornamented than the prince's but looks even thicker. He has a blue tabbard with a golden bird upon it, presumably the thunderbird mentioned in the prince's titles? In his right hand is a short gladius, and on his left is strapped a massive tower shield.

Race: Man
Sex: Male
Name and Titles: Sedric of Buckley, Knight Companion of the Order of the Thunderbird, Armsmen, Shieldbearer.
Age: 34
Classes: Tier V Lvl 90 Shieldbearer, Tier I Lvl 4 Poet

Stats:
Hp: 2,520
Str: 70
End: 140
Agi: 14
Int:23
Wis:15
Cha: 25

Shieldearer: So long as you fight in another's defense and honor your shield cannot buckle and your arm cannot break. So long as your shield is not completely destroyed or removed you will take no residual damage from attacks against your shield.

Lady's Favour: SO long as the keepsake your paramour gifted you remains close to your heart you are shielded from the worst of blows. You will survive the effects of a deathblow, including from an instant **** effect, but your keepsake shall be destroyed in the process. You can only keep one such keepsake on your person at a time. Should such a keepsake be destroyed by this ability's activation, your paramour will know instinctively that you are in grave danger, but will not know any other details.

Tideholder: For holding back the tide of a great swarm of enemies when all was thought lost you now have immunity to the additive effects of many creatures with the same auras, and are only effected by the strongest such aura that could affect you.

Bulwark: You can protect others behind your shield and still retain full mobility with it. Additionally, you get 50% more hp from endurance.

Unmoving Defense: Your armor is so thick and your Will is so enduring that rather than having to dodge the effects of area of effect spells you can stand strong and trust in your armor

The Bastion Made Flesh: For every ally within 500 ft relying on you to hold your ground your physical and magical defense are boosted by 5%.

Notable Events:
Lover's Offering: You will forever remember the day your paramour first gave you a lock of her hair. You keep it as close to your heart as her name.

Slaughter of Fort Greyfang: You stood next to the man who led the army of Man to such ruin at Fort Greyfang, and at every step of the way you thought he was making the right decisions.

Siege of Viridorn: You Witnessed the siege of Viridorn, you saw the demon king. Under the oppressive haze of his aura was your will tested, and now you know one simple truth: Your body would break before your will would. You know that nothing could get past you without turning you into a smear of viscera and rust first.

End Stats

One of the elves speaks up, and I can already see the arrogant roll of their eyes, even through the wide brim of their purple hat. "With all due respect" yeah, right. "My magic will be more than enough to keep us safe from boogey-monsters and shadows, and i'll be more than capable of lighting our path if somehow all of you have lost your torches. The fact that the monster has evolved only gives us more reason to continue the hunt, we can't let something growing in power this quickly escape to cause more **** and destruction later!" Something new appears in this one's truths, and their hat glimmers strangely under the effects of my God's Eye.

Race: Elf

Sex: Male

Name and Titles: Elzarian

Age: 56

Classes: Tier 3 Lvl 40 Cryomancer

Stats:

Hp: 18

Str: 4

End:9

Agi: 13

Int: 54

Wis:35

Cha: 20

Icegale Student: Your time studying in the reclusive Icegale College of Arcane Arts and Practices has given you greater mastery over Ice and Wind magics, both receive +200% boosts.

Icegale Sanctum Initiate: Your initiation to the order of the Northern Light's Icegale chapter gave you access to their Nexus. So long as you Attune your spirit to the Icegale Nexus for ten minutes each morning you gain +800% spellpower to all Ice spells, which is increased to +1600% if you are within the Icegale Sanctum itself.

Equipment:

Stovepipe of Illuminant Thought: While worn +200% to all magic, +400% to light magic, and radius of light created by all spells that create or shed light by 777%

End of Stats

The shortest of the group grumbles loudly from the rear, their heavy angular armor ridged at the edges of its plates as if someone saw my own form and thought they could do better if they removed the concept of curvature from it, with some sort of markings running perpendicular to edges of those plates. On their back is a long thin barreled gun with an odd shape at the end of the barrel, maybe some decorative feature, made of a shiny silvery metal, and in their hands they heft a massive diamond-shaped barrel gun which flares at the end, and its handle similar to both a sword and blunderbuss, perhaps the angles are sharpened and only the thick plates of their gauntlets protect their hands from a sword-gun's honed edge? Hard to say. No skin shows beneath their armor, and even their eyes are replaced with the white gleam of some sort of goggles beneath their shadowy helmet which hides even their skulls shape. The metal coated pockets, pouches, and satchels hanging from their form with carabiners attached at metal hardpoints built into the armor, and they reek even from here of harsh oils and fuming powders.

The voice that comes from beneath that armor is gravelly and deep but strangely tonally neutral "I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with the elf, we can't just let a beast of that size roam around the wilds at its own whim. This thing already has a taste for elf-flesh, the demon boars and their hordes of orcs grew more powerful when they did that, and the last thing we need is a warband appearing around one of these things." They look up at the prince with a motion like their jutting their chin up at him before they continue "And we both know that if it were men-folk children at risk of this things wretched tusks you would say to hell with aldabaduki and to hell with caution, I see no reason for you to be less brash in defense of the other human races."

Race: dwarf

Sex: male

Name and Titles: Grunhyin I̶r̶o̶n̶n̶e̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ Blackbarker, Hreysti-Horn of the Gildi-Aett

Classes: Tier V Lvl 10 Blackbarker, Tier VIIII Legendary Cleaverbus-smith, Tier 3 Lvl 60 Weapon-Lord

Stats:

Hp: 1,200

Age: 130

Str:40

End: 150 (max)

Agi: 60

Int:40

Wis: 40

Cha:3

Abilities:

Black-Powder Ranger: A Master in firearms your accuracy with such tools is far beyond what Man or Elf could achieve, with such specialized training that you may well be on a different par of warriors when it comes to your areas of expertise. You now have access to tiers 3 and above of firearm variants of classes, rather than being limited to tier 2 firearm variants like non-blackbarkers.

Living Keg: You are immune to the explosions caused by your own supply of gunpowder being set off or from the effects of your explosive ordinance being detonated on your person.

Cleaverbus Master: A warrior with few to compare yourself to with the hybrid Cleaver-Blunderbus you invented yourself when you created the masterwork Cleaverbus Reksasanist, of which all other Cleaverbus' will remain but imitations for many generations. Only the growth of your stats and rank will improve upon ability to use this weapon type effectively.

Cleaversmith Inventor: All Cleaverbus' you craft will have their quality modified by 1000%, and all other firearms you craft will have their quality modified by 200%. If you spend the time to create custom parts for them you can repair any firearm to perfect condition regardless of its condition so long as you start with at least 25% of the firearm, keeping any enchantments or other magical effects the original firearm had.

Runic Warrior: The runes imbued into your armor aid you in battle. If the materials your weapons or ammo are made from are at all capable of piercing your target's armor, it will completely pierce through their armor.

Battle Trance: When outnumbered by your foes you may enter a battle trance, increasing your instinctual reaction speed and making it impossible for you to flinch. Additionally, your Unstoppable Object ability remains active for the entire duration of the Battle Trance. You cannot reload while in a Battle Trance, nor can you flee. You are unaffected by the all but the most severe effects of exhaustion or pain while in a Battle Trance, but can still die of shock, and with enough time, exhaustion, or pain you can be knocked ****.

High Pressure Musculature: The internal pressure of your musculature leads you to being all but immune to blunt **** trauma, but makes you more susceptible to bleeding. In addition to that, you are unaffected by the weight of your armor and the recoil of your firearms.

Indomitable Strikes: So long as you do not unbalance yourself your swings can frictionlessly slice or pierce through anything they could normally pierce through, suffering only from air drag. Additionally, your attacks can only be interrupted by physical effects with enough **** to completely unbalance or topple you, this does not give you any such resistance to magical effects.

Lore of the Depths: You are an expert in the terrain underground.

Tunnel Warrior/Ranger: An improved combination of the Tunnel Warrior and Tunnel Ranger abilities, you are such an expert at tunnel warfare that regardless of the distance your attacks damage is increased by 500%, and you are capable of perfect accuracy within confined spaces which would normally restrict the movement of large weapons or the usefulness of ranged weaponry. You can reload a ranged weapon one handed so long as you behind cover or against tunnel walls. which you can prop your firearm up against.

Lores of: Goblinoids, draconics, dwarves. You can debuff the defenses of races you know the lore of, your attacks against those races eal an additional 200% damage, and if you declare a foe your Nemesis you gain +10% crit chance per Wrong they have committed against your race or clan, or per attack they have made against you. This is limited to one guaranteed crit per minute, and for every +50% chance above 100% it increases all critical hit damage against them by 10%.

Receiver of Broken Oaths: Your history of being betrayed by your own kin has hardened your heart to betrayal, and strengthens the oaths you now swear and are sworn.

Bearer of a Golden Oathstone: Those who swear oaths to you and asks for oaths sworn know that your word is all they will need, for your Oathstone is completely untarnished by dishonesty.

Notable Moments:

Birth of Gertrude: When the inspiration overcame you you knew there was nothing else more important than to finish the work you saw in your mind's eye, except perhaps to keep the secrets of your work away from prying eyes. You worked in secret for weeks, sneaking into the forges and the runesmiths to take the tools and supplies you needed, and when you revealed your Masterwork the lords of your fortress home were displeased with such a non-traditional artifact. Banished from your home with naught but Gertrude, you thought you had all that you would ever need.

Oaths of the Gildi-Aett: When you joined with the like minded dwarves who would become your Oath-Kin you thought Gertrude was all you would ever need, but you learned that this Company you would keep would enrich your life a thousand fold. Around you stood inventors, craftsdwarves, warriors, all of them with stubble like yours, all of them outcast for daring, whether their beards were dark as one barely an adult or as white as the most respected elders, all were equal in the betrayal they suffered from their own kin, and oaths you swore to one another are now so complex and interconnected that betrayal would dismember any who performed it.

Release of the Hreysti-Horns: When the Kingdom of Man called for aid the other dwarven clans each sent a regiment of three hundred warriors, but the Gildi Aett could not afford to send the 500 Blackbarkers that filled their ranks. They selected the quarter of the clan that was valuable enough to honor them in the sending, but whose knowledge was well documented enough or replicable enough that they could afford to be sent. When the dwarven army was sent on its way the roads leading to Man were entrenched. While the main dwarven army and most of the Blackbarkers were **** to fight a bloody mountain war the odd 25 Blackbarkers were sent to cut their way through enemy territory to reach the desperately needy men-folk armies by their Commanders. The 13 Blackbarkers who arrived at Viridorn did so just as the siege was beginning. They sounded their Hreysti-Horns and slaughtered their way to the walls of the city, then entered via orcish siege ladders to reinforce the defenders.

Skirmish of the Saint Varin Orphinarium: You defended the small and helpless with your life and limb from the moment you were **** to abandon the walls, and long after you ran out of ammunition. You and your oath-kin stood against the tides until naught but fumes filled your guts and naught but rust filled your veins, you moved your arms and your legs only because you couldn't stop. And when the Darkness shattered and its minions fled you and your kin fell catatonic to the world, and all awoke at once thirteen days later.

End of Stats

This creature bears so many marks of the Light's interference, the advancement of technology so blatant. "Besides, ranger, lest one of you bumble into my firing lane one shot of Gertrude here would be enough to wreck that beast even at its size, just stop sprinting ahead and stand wide, neither I nor any other would wish me to splatter ye across the ferns Alexai."

The last elf interjects aggressively, her voice dripping an acidic, venomous contempt snaking its way from beneath her thick grey-green cloak "Of course the only time you would see fit to agree with an elf is when they're wrong, _good dwarf, _for what other motivations but crisis and ignorance bind us together? You should take counsel of your kin, Your Majesty. We are far from the terrain explored on this continent, and none but the dark gods know what wretched things crawl and scuttle through this thicket, -"

Race:elf

Sex:female

Age: 682

Name and Titles: Fililiel of the Grey, Culler of the Wilds, Amazon-Sister

Classes: Tier VII Lvl 70 Elite Gray Ranger

Stats:

Hp: unknown

Str:40

End: 70

Agi:250(max)

Int:30

Wis:170 (max)

Cha: 1 (min)

Abilities:

Elite Ranger Stealth: This creature is able to hide its abilities and history from others, requiring a combination of closer inspection, magical asistance, and prolonged observation to learn all their many secrets.

Lores of: Underdark, jungle, mountains

Lores of: Goblinoids, Insectoids, Draconics, Beasts, Humanoids, Demons.

End of Stats

"-a Stygian Boar may be the least of our troubles, for we may face monsters from this overgrowth and the fetid caverns and sinkholes leading into the underworld, we've already secured two such places in the north, there's no telling how many there may be that remain unknown to us."

The growling voice Grunhyin spits from beneath their helm is far more passionate than the one they used before, every syllable said with the hate of a curse as they trudge towards the elf, , moving their weapon so they hold the end of the barrel by their right hand and using the left to point at the elf to punctuate their remarks "You speak as if the Depths lead straight to hell, elf! I go to great efforts to avoid shitting all over your sensibilities and your precious nature, but if you cannot show respect for that which is sacred to me I shall feel no such obligation towards you, you Tree Hugging-"

The prince marches towards the duo and raises his voice just high enough to be heard over the arguing "Silence, Both of You!" While the dwarf takes a deep breath to calm themself and sets the strangle butt of their weapon into the foliage and loam bellow the elf simply looks down her nose at the Man in front of her "You squabble like goblins for the Light's sake, We cannot afford such nonsense at a time like this. I have already come to a decision."