Jason Andresen (order #1578489) - Jump page for Jubei

Monster Hunter Prestige Class
My daughter was one of the first to go. It wasn’t
until four more had gone that we realized we
were being hunted. We didn’t really know much
about them, except that being hunted by them
meant certain death, at least for the likes of us. Soon a stranger
passed through and told us that they were called spine rippers
and that it was unusual for a band of them to set up shop like
this. He was the sixth to go.
It wasn’t until they had killed a dozen and a half of us that
we found help. He too was a stranger in our town, but as we
came to know, he had followed
the spine rippers here.
He was an odd one. Had that
eerie silence about him, that kind of
quiet a man gets when he’s been out
alone in the wilds far too long. He had
long, ragged dark hair and more scars than
I’d seen on any man; I’m sure that each
bore an exotic tale. His dress seemed
Khadoran, but I’d say that the man was
from Cygnar based on his accent. With
him he brought a sack loaded with parts
and pieces for making traps, and he had
slung across his shoulder a rifle the
likes of which I’ve never seen in all
my days. His price was a thousand
crowns plus expenses, and
we had little choice but to pay it.
Young Brenner went with the
stranger, to show him where the
creatures had attacked and been
seen. Even in town we could hear
their cries and howls,
those feral beasts baying
as they became
the hunted, their
calls being drowned
out only by the
crack of rifle
shot as they were
hounded through
trap and ambush
alike. He came back before
the night was even through, Brenner
in tow, his face ghost white.
The man threw down a bundle of severed
heads, seven of them, their tongues all
Legendary hunter Alten Ashley
232
lolling out, their beastly faces locked in final terror. “A thousand
crowns,” he said, his face like slate, “And my horse needs reshoeing.
I leave in the morning.”
I’d much rather he sat and told us the story of how he’d slain
these seven beasts who’d plagued us for so long, but as we say
around Skirov, “When a man saves your neck, don’t expect him
to pat your back.” In either case, with enough liquor we eventually
coaxed it out of poor Brenner. Come closer, and let me tell
you of this amazing hunter. His name was Adagin Bracht…
—Morgov Kelmak, Wailing Stars Inn of
Skirov
Description
Most people
run away from
monsters. Call it
fear, call it common
sense, call it what
you will, running to safety is the
first thing most people think to do
when threatened by a wild beast (or
worse). Well, monster hunters tend
to have just the opposite reaction.
They make their living hunting
down the beasts of the wild. They
are expert trackers and able warriors,
and they tend to be far more at home
out on the trail, sleeping in the mud
and cold, than in some cushy inn or
study. Needless to say, they are also
some of the most fearless
fighters in all the land.
Just what motivates
the individual monster
hunter varies quite
a bit. Some live or
grew up in areas
where wild creatures
of some sort were a
constant threat, and they took up arms
to fight the predators. Many suffered
some sort of trauma early on at the
hands of a wild beast and have dedicated
themselves to eliminating such
threats. Still others are adventurers with
an indomitable wild streak who thrive on
themselves becoming the greatest predators.
Jason Andresen (order #1578489) 9