conversations.from: system
conversations.value: These are the bleakest days in  the land of Osnain.  The land and it's people are beset by the Dark. It is a faceless, insidious, and corruptive force; capable of twisting the human heart, soul, and mind towards madness and evil, until the body reflects the corruption within, until they become Damned, and join the Darkness forever. 
  
   There is no kind and loving force in this land. Only by hiding and running have societies survived.   
  
  The Ordo Lux is years away from being founded, but there are rumors spreading through the land. Creatures slain single-handedly. A dead farmer's hired hand who seeks to bring the fight to the Dark. Whispers of power to be gained in the spilling of innocent blood. The power to slay, at the cost of a life; but power at what cost? There are already those who act as despots, holding their ability to kill the stalking evils over entire villages. 
  
  To those who have not embraced the Slayer's taint, the only methods of defense have proven to be far more barbaric than any reaver of man.
  
   ---
  Separated by hundreds of years, this game is a prequel to the already completed Hunters of the Damned; https://storium.com/game/hunters-of-the-damned/chapter-1/scene-1 as well as it's direct prequel (in progress) Hunters of the Damned: Grayfolk's Fall https://storium.com/game/hunters-of-the-damned-grayfolks-fall/chapter-1/scene-1
  
  If you are unfamiliar with either game, see Chapter 2, Scene 3, and Chapter 3, Scene 3 of the original HotD for a brief introduction to the story setting.
  ---
  
  This setting is inspired by the Grimdark nature of the Witch Hunters of Warhammer, The Witcher stories, and the Dark Souls series. Technology is limited to gunpowder weapons that are slow to reload, but effective against the unholy terrors. Several normal humans could expect to deal with a creature of the Dark, but a Slayer could do it on their own, due to the Dark’s influence over them. The Dark itself is not a tangible force, though those under its influence sometimes think they are spoken to by the Dark in their minds, either through pleas or threats. The Dark may send its minions: humans or animals that it twists to its purpose to attack and spread misery. Or it may simply work to corrupt, either a whole town, a single person, or even a section of land, until it is an unwholesome place of evil.
  
  The dynamic between characters is a large focus. The Ordo Lux does not yet exist, nor does the office of the Confessors. A Slayer's counterparts consist of common folk or Knights, though a 1:1 ratio is not sought for this story like the others.
  
  The Narrator is adaptable; there is a goal in mind, and a general plot, and end, but what occurs in between, and even the setting’s lore (within reason) is up to the players. This entry to the Hunters series is intended to be much more combat oriented, with a darker tone. That said, please don't stint on thinking out your characters! Creating your own strengths/weaknesses/subplots is highly encouraged, and please include card art.
  
  There is no magic to speak of in this setting, but Slayers are powerful fighters against the Dark, though prone to violence.
  
  Players will control a Slayer or a more reputable person to ease the tension between a potential mass murderer and the townfolk.
  
  
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: How did you learn of your ability to kill the Dark? Who did you kill, and why?
  
  Warrior, brigand, or willing volunteer.
  Whatever your background, you have committed murder which brings your soul under the sway of the Dark. Your damnation however, will give you an advantage in combat.
conversations.prefix: Slayer:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're just a member of the common folk, so why would you join yourself to one or more of these dangerous killers? For safety and protection? Do you believe that you serve some greater purpose by watching and serving the Slayers?
conversations.prefix: Peasant:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Osnain's knights have served as one of the people's primary lines of defense against the threats arrayed against them since the flight from the East. Skilled against mortal foes, but unable to stand against the unnatural servants of the Darkness. 
  
  Why did you join yourself to the Slayers you travel with? To stand against them if they should abuse the people? To see whether you should commit a murder, and take a Slayer's power for yourself? 
conversations.prefix: Knight:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are able to put your plans into play with your intelligence.  
conversations.prefix: Cunning:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Swift and agile, able to move with grace in any situation.    
conversations.prefix: Dextrous:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your powerful muscles allow you to fight harder and longer than most. 
conversations.prefix: Great Strength:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are used to getting your own way, and haven’t been afraid of hurting others to keep it that way.    
conversations.prefix: Brutish:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Weak of body or spirit, you are sickly, or may have a more difficult time resisting the pull of the Dark.    
conversations.prefix: Frailty:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your fear can inhibit you from acting, even in the face of danger.    
conversations.prefix: Cowardly:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The scourge of the Dark on the land must be fought at every turn.    
conversations.prefix: Defeat Evil:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You may have come from humble beginnings, or just be seeking advancement, but you want to prove that you are more than what you seem.  
conversations.prefix: Gain Recognition:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This land is harsh and full of dangers. You rely on your skill and those of others to ensure that you live another day. 
conversations.prefix: Survival:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Nolan Jinto's savage tool. A heavy chain whip, its end is threaded with fearsomely sharp blades to flay the flesh from the guilty and impure. 
conversations.prefix: Bladed Whip:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The redoubtable Thorn's enormous weapon. Nearly six feet of blackened steel, it is well suited to ending the existences of even the largest threats posed by the Dark; as long as it is wielded by one bearing the Slayer's curse. 
conversations.prefix: Greatsword:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Though its awkward handle makes it difficult to use as an effective weapon, Khaalida's bone saw can serve in a pinch. Cure or Kill.
conversations.prefix: Amputator Saw:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Although its meaning has been lost and misunderstood in these dark times, the few that still hold to the faith of the old land carry these staves as a reminder of their belief that the people's suffering was eclipsed by their Godhead.
conversations.prefix: Priest's Staff:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A Sacrificial Society. Peopled by a hopeless few, whose only fate is to act as bait to draw attacks away from Esterwinter.
conversations.prefix: Toil:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Brother Gaspire seeks to spread faith to the faithless, and hope to the hopeless.
conversations.prefix: An act of contrition:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Uncaring and cruel, they were set to watch over their charges to ensure that their sacrifice took place.
conversations.prefix: Guards of Toil:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The tentacled originator of the parasite which has plagued the lands around the area. The tough, rubbery flesh of it's body will be difficult for one who is not a Slayer to damage.
conversations.prefix: Whip Beast:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A dingy fishing village near the southern shore of the Salt Sea.
conversations.prefix: Collenville:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The former hired hand of Morgan Gaunt. First to realize the link between a murderer, and their power to kill the creatures of the Darkness. He has spent years attempting to spread the word, and to attempt to organize a way to take the fight to the Dark. 
conversations.prefix: Klay Gauth (optional):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Artyna's tool and means of defense. She keeps the blade sheathed as a reminder of the need to defend life.
conversations.prefix: Leaf blade spear:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've arrived at your destination, but something seems off.
conversations.prefix: Infiltrating Lentztern (Artyna):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A cracked and ancient rust pitted blade which shows the signs of much use.
conversations.prefix: Cleaver:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A mutilated resident of Lentztern, before the swamp began to grow corrupt.
conversations.prefix: Once-man:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A small, remote walled village located among the swamps of northern Throttlefen.
conversations.prefix: Lentztern:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're indomitable and resolute. Your great fortitude gives you advantages in many tense situations. You are not easily discouraged, and will not fall prey to cheap tricks or emotional fits.    
conversations.prefix: Unrelenting Force:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Sometimes your steadfast loyalty to the cause leaves you open before unforeseen circumstances.    
conversations.prefix: Overzealous:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Warrior, brigand, or willing volunteer.
  Whatever your background, you have committed evil which brings your soul under the sway of the Dark. Your damnation however, will give you an advantage in combat.
conversations.prefix: Slayer:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The scourge of the Dark on the land must be fought at every turn.
conversations.prefix: Defeat Evil:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your hands can heal with knowledge and you exist on grit and luck. Surgery was learned as you went and from the slips of knowledge the old healer before you gave. 
conversations.prefix: Bonesaw:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There's a stillness about you that creates that stillness in others about you. Your presence and calm nature lead to others feeling comfortable. Somehow you steal away what violence men would have and leave what kindness they need. At least, until the knife meets flesh.
conversations.prefix: Tame the Soul:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: No good deed goes unpunished, they say. Your methods are considered mad by some, evil by others. Witchcraft, they have whispered, and so they hunt you, seeking your blood for retribution of crimes in the past.
conversations.prefix: Hunted:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Beneath each illness and sickness is the cause, the spreader of disease and pain. What brings the dark? What summons it? Only in cutting away the sickness can you find the root cause.
conversations.prefix: Find the Roots:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Emotional or physical, you can spot others weaknesses a mile away. And you know just what to do to exploit them.
conversations.prefix: Weak Spot:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: If you hadn't been a noble, you'd have been jailed for arson as a boy. But as you grew larger, so did your position...and your lust for fire. Unchecked, your actions burn out of control.
conversations.prefix: Burn Them:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your whole life the flames have called to you, hungry. And you feed them. But there is something more, if you could only understand. At least, you're pretty sure there is...
conversations.prefix: Voices in the Fire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You cleanse the souls of the fallen, you cut sin from flesh.
  
  What you do, you do not out of malice, but love.
conversations.prefix: Apostle:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Religious authority of Osnain. Their loyalties lie first and foremost to the Archbishop, then to God, and then to the people of the land. Never are they to act in their own self-interest. They are sworn to combat the Dark, purify evil, and guide the people as they suffer under the yolk of evil.
conversations.prefix: Clergy:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A lifetime worth of suffering has made you calloused to brutalities and hardship. You will not shy away from evil, no matter what gruesome form it takes.
conversations.prefix: Faith of the Lost:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The belief that God would deliver the people of Osnain from the dark's conquest has vanished, leaving a painful hole once filled by faith.
conversations.prefix: Dark Night of the Soul:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Where once lived an ardent devotion to enlighten and cleanse the land, now resides a grim determination to witness its demise. A wish, not to deliver the world, but to be the man who presides over its requiem, to be the last man to speak before the abyss swallows everything whole.
conversations.prefix: Last Rites:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your body is twisted beyond human proportions, but you are possessed of deceptive strength and speed.
  
  The shell means nothing.
conversations.prefix: Serpent's Tooth:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The false Father and the one usurped constantly vie for control of Arliegh's body.
  
  A soul so twisted it dons a second face.
conversations.prefix: Me, Myself and I:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Existence is a struggle, and the Father wins more often than not.
  
  This coffin isn't made for two.
conversations.prefix: A Mind Overfull:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Raised within the dense forests and mountain ranges of Osnian and the unsettled north, Rangers are skilled tracker, hunters and survivalists. The forest is their home and they will do anything to defend it.
conversations.prefix: Ranger:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Spending months alone wandering through the endless expanse of sand dunes that roll and shift endlessly within the confines of the Continent, Aisi has taught its inhabitants to be resourceful and strong. The desert doesn't forgive, and neither does its people. 
conversations.prefix: Survivalists :
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Years at the top has left him unable to sympathize with those that crawl at the bottom. He judges without mercy or remorse.
conversations.prefix: Frozen Heart:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Investigate rumors of a plague spreading throughout the continent to the east across the salt sea. 
conversations.prefix: Find the Disease:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Forest is his home, he knows it like the back of his hand both the beautiful and ugly parts. He protects the forest and in return the forest provides.
conversations.prefix: Tracker:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Due to spending years at a time in seclusion away from civilization he is poor at holding conversation, and much worse at reading social cues. Unable to integrate well with others. 
conversations.prefix: Lone Wolf:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: To cure the forest of the darkness that plagues it and the animals within. 
conversations.prefix: Cure the Disease:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Death begets death. Only light, even the cold light of the forlorn stars, may ward off the darkness. This is the tenet that drives the Warders - men and women resolved to resist the Dark without the taint of a Slayer. Steeled by tragedy, united by their dogmatic refusal to take a life, they operate as vigilantes across Osnain, working against the mortal vessels of the Dark - and doing what they can for innocents in the path of the Slayers' blades. 
conversations.prefix: Warder:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It takes a certain sort to walk an inhuman path while dragging the fetters of humanity. Your iron determination and grim purpose can carry you through the darkest nights.
conversations.prefix: Dawn Will Come:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Hope dies a slow death - and painful. The deep bitterness you carry over the state of the world, and the ghosts of your own past, can affect your actions and judgment. 
conversations.prefix: The Dying of the Light:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Come the fall of night, folk look to the stars. In your own little way, you are one of these - shining far and bright ere the sun rises anew. You can do no less.
conversations.prefix: Falling Star:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Clarence was commanded to walk the land, and he did just that. For years he wandered from town to town, all the time accruing knowledge of the true nature of the world and experience that would help him survive it.
conversations.prefix: Well-Traveled:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're not a witch, but most religious types seem to think you are. And that makes you pretty much hate them. Always.
conversations.prefix: Witch:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The land grapples with a threat it does not understand. Parsing truth from rumor is key to survival, and Clarence has made it a habit of collecting and recording any and all pieces of useful information he comes across.
conversations.prefix: Learned:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The one usurped strives to right the Father's wrongs; an unending task for an expiring man.
conversations.prefix: Purity of Infection:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are noble born, chosen. Far too oft, the scum and lowly fools you encounter fail to pay you your due respect.    
conversations.prefix: Above it All: