#astarion be like: so let's see if i understood it correctly. these people want to kill you - but you consider them family?

[fangsandfeels]

So, after Jerra's encounter with the Hunters of Vengeance became pretty much a certainty in her personal story, I started thinking about all the edgy characters I could create because the lore gaps enable me.

My main headcanon for Hunters of Vengeance is based on the fact that they're not a traditional order, don't have an HQ, and roam the lands. That which probably means the following:

They aren't very rigid in their structure aside from following Hoar's main tenets and requiring all new members to be approved or initiated by most renowned members.

Their order includes a wide range of fighters and warriors: as long as you follow Hoar and his teachings, you're fine.

They keep tabs on the fellow Hunters just to make sure they aren't shaming the order with their deeds - and to avenge colleagues if they met an unjust death.

In Jerra's quest, both of the abovementioned things have happened. As a result, her unexpected reunion with her mentor's colleagues may either end in a tragedy...or not. It all depends on her choices and what she believes in.

Anyways, with all that said, meet the crew:

Grim Greycastle. Doombringer (battle cleric of Hoar). Leads the hunt and the investigation to keep matters orderly and gather as much information as possible to carry out the verdict.

In charge of key rituals and ceremonies, generally keeps tabs on the order members through the ways known only to him.

Was pals with Jerra's mentor, and tries not to let this fact affect his judgment.

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Ethra Mistburn. Warlock, proficient in Necromancy and Medicine (which makes her the top forensic pathologist in the group). Cold, calculating, and suspiciously ageless. Nobody really knows who her patron is and just what kind of boons she got, but it certainly has something to do with her lifespan because after meeting her once again in nearly a decade Jerra is astonished to find out that she hasn't changed at all.

Ethra is the one who puts a very quest-relevant Revenant into stasis, preventing it from wandering aimlessly and falling apart due to losing its mark.

Was too, pals, with Jerra's mentor, but has no issues with not letting it affect her judgment. If the kid wants to prove her innocence and worth, she better not hope for indulgences born out of sentiment. This is not how true justice happens.

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Ciro. Assassin. Wood elf on his father's side, violently denies having freckles. Looks like he bullied Jerra when she was a child, but not really because all conflicts between Hoarites are solved through duels, which don't last very long for obvious reasons.

Also, throwing hands with a 15-year-old is the opposite of cool. Is side-eyed by colleagues for being a show-off; at times looks like he isn't treating Hoar's dogmas seriously, but he manages to toe the line.

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Leta. Shadow monk. Smiles and talks like the most optimistic, cheerful and playful person you've ever known, but will kill you with her bare hands, horns, and tail. Prefers to disarm her opponents and kill them with their own weapons, just like the Poet of Justice intended.

Hasn't met Jerra before, but is excited to fight her because she heard a lot about her mentor and the prospect of testing her skills against his student is delicious.

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Sagar T'Yog. Secretive, talented, and always hungry for more knowledge.

If you find yourself in a hard fight while he found a neat tome to study, his only reply to your "Help us, we're dying!" will be "And I'm reading?...".

Don't worry though, he won't let you die. His time management skills are immaculate and if there is anything he learned by being around Hoarites is that being polite is the best way to avoid unnecessary duels.

Rumor has he joined the order because he is on the run from Thay and his worship of the Poet of Justice stems from hoping to settle personal grievances. Nevertheless, he is good at what he does and seems to care little about glory, power, or immortality. However, the true goal of his pursuit remains unknown. Jerra has only seen him a couple of times and found him to be a surprisingly patient and pleasant storyteller.

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Selise Calabra. She has been there, she has done that, she can give you a detailed lecture on various martial styles and nearly any part of Faerun and even some of the Astral Plane. Practical, pragmatic, and always unbiased despite her chill attitude.

A mean cook and scary good with poisons. Actually has hobbies, and interests outside bounty hunting, apparently does gardening, and bought a neat home somewhere in Heartlands. Good like finding it though, she ain't telling where it is.

She is ready to kill Jerra if her guilt is proven but provides a supporting voice once she realizes Jerra is an Oathsworn (which means her vision and principles are literally engraved into her very being, to the point of gaslighting the Weave, which has to mean aomething). She is all about the spirit of the law and just retribution and she will always remind that.

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Nym. Elven (???) ranger (???). Probably, certainly, is like that because he got fucked up by the Fey folk (particularly fey hunters who worship both Hoar and Sylvanus) in a classic "give us your firstborn we'll teach him our ways" scenario. No one is even sure that he is still just an elf.

Nobody knows anything about him or what the fuck he is even doing or what kind of bounties he is after. He just pops up, does his thing, and goes away, not to be seen or heard of in years. Has to speak in riddles and ambiguous meanings whenever he feels like speaking. Generally, he just stands there. Smiling. He is definitely aware of the effect he has on people and it amuses him.

Jerra had seen him only once in her life -- and remained unsure whether he was even real or a figment of her imagination.

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Jhessail Malheur. Used to be a Flaming Fist but she quit shortly because if upholding justice or punishing actual criminals is secondary compared to the whims of the Upper City nobles or The Guild-puppeteered members of the Parliament of Peers then what's the fucking point.

Loves constructing traps and turning the terrain into her personal hunting grounds -- while that's the skill all Hunters of Vengeance have, she is very passionate about it. It's quite possible that first, she created several very ironically unfortunate accidents for the people her former Flaming Fist superiors ordered to leave alone - and then she found out she could make a living out of it while following her remaining convictions.

Another Hunter Jerra hasn't encountered before and probably the first one of the Hunters she comes across, probably by the end of Act I. Whether Jhessail survives the encounter depends on a successful Insight check (noticing the order's symbol).