"My lord, those tracks…we're not following a stag. There are Turnskins in these woods."
- —Gundred Maynir, Huntsmaster[2a]
A skilled hunter ready to unleash his bow upon his prey.
A hunter is an individual who hunts game for meat and furs in the Empire and much of the Old World.
While the Empire has come far from the primitive tribes of Men that founded it over 2,500 years ago, some things haven't changed at all. Although peasants till parts of the land, huge expanses of the Empire are still covered with forest or are hostile to agriculture. These are the lands where hunters and trappers thrive.
Role[]
Hunters use the same techniques as their ancestors to take down game, be it a trap or a well-placed shot of bow or firearm. It takes skill to stalk wild animals while avoiding the dark creatures of the woods. Hunters in their animal skin clothes and fur hats may appear uncouth to city folks, but they don't much care what others think of them.[1a]
Many members of Imperial society hunt, even if they are not professional hunters. Nobles hunt for sport, hiring particularly skilled hunters to serve as their huntsmasters. These leaders of the noble's hunting parties are expert trackers with access to all the noble's equipment -- weapons, hawks, hounds and horses.[2a]
On the other end of the social scale, some peasants hunt out of necessity. When they hunt in ways that break manorial laws, they become poachers. Poaching increases greatly during times of famine, even though the punishment for the crime under Imperial law is the removal of two fingers -- the inability to ever draw a bow again. Other hunters wind up on the other side of the law, joining the emperor's armies to serve as archers and scouts.[2a]