Hunting Party¶
The Hunting Party was a group of mortal Drehmari and Virmari who banded together in late Av2 for various reasons to hunt and kill Greatbeast Muhs, the Aspect of Beasts. Their story is detailed in The Hunting of Greatbeast Muhs.
Members¶
The Hunting Party was made up of six Drehmari and one Virmari, listed below.
The Alchemist¶
The Alchemist joined the party in pursuit of the Great Work, hoping to move a step closer to wielding the power of the gods by slaying one. He and the arcanist had together planned to study the corpse, and he was personally responsible for the creation of the poison that seems to have turned the tide of the battle with the Greatbeast.
The Arcanist¶
The Arcanist was the only Virmari in the party, forsaken by their goddess for depraved acts of magic deemed imperfect and unfit for the Parish. They and the alchemist had together planned to study the Greatbeast's corpse.
The Berserker¶
The Berserker, a massive Drehmari named Asrihk Clearbrook, joined the party simply because he thought it would be a fun activity. He was killed by Muhs almost instantly during the confrontation, thrown into a stone wall with enough force to break his spine.
The Cultist¶
The Cultist was a disciple of Maen, Aspect of Pain, who wished to inflict massive amounts of pain on the realm's beasts by killing their father, the Greatbeast. He was taken out of the fight early, having his ankle broken by Muhs' tail, and was the last of the party to die in the battle, being slowly and painfully devoured by a Grasswolf while attempting to flee.
The Huntsman¶
The Huntsman, a Drehmari man named Gahwyn "The Serendipitous", was an extremely skilled archer who sought to kill Muhs for glory.
The Soldier¶
The Soldier was the de facto leader of the Hunting Party, a Drehmari named Nemynar. He sought revenge against Muhs, as his creations, the Grasswolves, had slaughtered the Soldier's wife and children.
The Soldier dealt the killing blow to Muhs, cutting through the Greatbeast's neck, but was the first to die in the aftermath, being decapitated by a Grasswolf.
The Tracker¶
The Tracker was a Drehmari woman who led the search to actually locate the Greatbeast, pinning down his location in the Underwood. Initially seeking to test her skills, she fled from the battle when she witnessed Muhs' power, attempting to return to quiet life as a stablehand.
When she received word of the Party's pyrrhic victory, she revealed her role in the hunting to the public, expecting glory and veneration. Instead, she received a visit from the Avsohmic military, who saw her tried for deicide, found guilty, and hung by the neck until dead in the empire's capital.
The Hunting of Greatbeast Muhs¶
The following is the full transcription of "The Hunting Of Greatbeast Muhs".
The Hunting of Greatbeast Muhs
"Sire! I’ve found a trail!” shouted the Tracker, just returning from an hour-long search for tracks. “Aye!? Saddle up the Redmounts! We got a Wyrm to find!” The Huntsman replied with vigor. "Aye, Saddle up the Redmounts!" the rest of the Hunting Party responded in chorus.
It is the one thousand seven hundredth and second year of the Second Avihm, and it is in this year that Greatbeast Muhs met his fate. Greatbeast Muhs, one of the Aspects created before the First Avihm, is the father of all beasts within Drehmal. With that title, Father of Beasts, comes certain hatreds and worships. Some worship the Wyrm as a deity of livestock and companion-beasts. Others hate the Wyrm, for he created ferocious monstrosities that have caused many a Drehmari to perish a grisly fate. The Hunting Party is on the side of hatred. They believe that by slaying Greatbeast Muhs they shall not only end the scourge of murderous beasts, but also inherit his enormous power. The Hunting Party comprises six Drehmari and one forsaken Virmari. The Tracker, the Alchemist, the Arcanist, the Huntsman, the Soldier, the Berserker, and the Cultist. A rather misfit crew, but a highly functional one. They had been tracking Greatbeast Muhs within the Heartwood for several weeks now, failing to pick up a proper trail at every turn. This time, their luck would change.
The Alchemist, like all alchemists, was in pursuit of what they call “the Great Work”. He figured that by slaying the Greatbeast, he’d be a step closer to it.
The Huntsman was in it for glory. He thought that by mounting the head of an aspect on his mantle, his services would become a valuable commodity for anyone seeking to slay a beast.
The Tracker saw the task as the ultimate test of her skills, and made the challenge that she would give up tracking and return to life as a stablehand could she not locate and slay the aspect.
The Forsaken Virmari Arcanist wished to study the corpse, and made themself a pact with the Alchemist to preserve the corpse and research it together. They had long been abandoned by Virtuo for the unsanctioned way they practiced the arcane, deemed utterly imperfect.
The Soldier’s family was slaughtered by a legion of Muhs’ beasts, a roving band of Grasswolves that took to his village and ravaged his wife and children while he was stuck at a Highfall outpost on guard duty. He took a vow of vengeance upon the Greatbeast.
The Cultist was a disciple of Abominate Maen, the Aspect of Hate. He wished to inflict pain, and the death of Muhs would bring pain to all beasts in the land. He sought to please the abominate.
The Berserker thought it would be fun.
And so they saddled up the Redmounts, and the Tracker followed the trail to a great cavern on the Western shore of the great Heartwood. Through the whole cave, they stealthily set up runic devices, traps, snares, suppressants, anything and everything they had at their disposal. They had covered up their scent, and decided to lie in wait amidst the underground overgrowth. The Greatbeast strode past them, his snout twitching as he noticed unknown scent. Suddenly his tail whipped into the bushes, snapping at the Cultist’s ankle with a force that it split in half. He wanted pain, and so he received pain. Muhs let out a tremendous roar, and the Berserker responded with one of their own. He rushed the Greatbeast from the brush with twin serrated axes and cut deep into Muhs’ side. Verdant ichor seeped from the parallel wounds and Muhs swept an immense claw at the Berserker, knocking him into the stone wall of the cavern with such force that his spine snapped. The swipe, however, collided with invisible arcane netting in the follow-through and entangled the poor aspect’s paw. The Arcanist shouted an incantation, and a violent arc of energy overcame Muhs’ body. The smell of burning fur and wet soil filled the cavern. The Huntsman took the opportunity to fire a volley of crossbow bolts into the Greatbeast’s back. He cried out in pain as a specialized venom devised by the Alchemist began seeping into his ichorstream from the tipped bolts. Weakened, breathing heavily, and subtly whimpering in pain, the Greatbeast mustered all of his might and bellowed a final roar, piercing the ears and souls of all in the Hunting Party that still drew breath. With this, the Tracker turned and ran, entirely ready to be a stablehand once again. The Soldier, steadfast and unwavering, pushed through the head-splitting pain and charged Muhs with his greatsword. With a grand upward slash, he sliced straight through the Greatbeast’s venom-softened neck. The cut was perfect. After a short pause, a flood of deep forest green ichor poured out of the gash like a waterfall. Greatbeast Muhs fell to his side, the crash of his body kicking up dirt and dust obscuring the area. The Soldier peered down at his handiwork, triumph quickly turning to regret and sadness. "What have I done?" he thought to himself.
Greatbeast Muhs, Father of All Beasts, let out a final sigh in relief as his bright glowing yellow eyes faded pale. The Cultist groaned in pain, the Alchemist and Arcanist celebrated in triumph, the Tracker was nowhere to be found, the Berserker was dead, and the Huntsman began analyzing the corpse for the best way to start skinning it. The Soldier felt melancholy, he could do naught but stare at the sin-of-all-sins he had just committed.
Melancholy soon turned to dread, as he was the first to notice the corpse’s flesh moving and warping in impossible ways. Bones could be heard cracking and snapping within, flesh horrifically reshaping, the visage of faces of beasts began to form in flesh. In one final action as the Aspect of Beasts, Greatbeast Muhs fathered seven Grasswolves from his corpse. They melted out from the flesh, leaving behind only a skeleton of their father. Victory was cut short, and the first Grasswolf lunged at the Soldier’s neck. The beast bit down and shook its head with such force that the Soldier’s head was flung across the cavern and into the shrubbery. The other six spread out and attacked. Caught completely off guard, the Hunting Party did not stand a chance. They were swiftly dispatched and devoured by the Greatbeast’s final children. The Cultist attempted to hobble away after watching the other five be devoured, now questioning his devotion to pain. This didn’t last long, for he was soon pounced on by the seventh Grasswolf and experienced a slow and painful devouring himself. Just as Maen would have wanted.
The Tracker, in her cowardice, managed to escape unscathed. She returned to life as a stablehand for a few days, until word of the Greatbeast’s death became the news of the realm. She foolishly took credit, picked her tracking gear out of the garbage, and advertised herself as the “Aspect-Slaying Tracker”. She was soon apprehended by the Avsohmic military, tried for deicide, found guilty, and executed.
So it goes.
Other References¶
Some of the Hunting Party members are referenced in other sources, particularly artifacts.
In the Hunters' Crypt, three artifacts can be found, each belonging to one member of the Hunting Party and giving them some further characterization:
Boots of the Honorable¶
Seemingly a reference to the Huntsman, these boots read:
Gahwyn, "the Serendipitous," as he wanted to be called, was a rather vain member of the Hunting Party with unprecedented luck only outmatched by his tremendous skill with a bow.
Boots of the Ruthless¶
A reference to the Berserker, these boots read:
The Hunting Party's berserker, Asrihk Clearbrook, was a mountain of a Drehmari with strong arms and a stronger heart.
Boots of the Scheming¶
A reference to the Tracker, these boots read:
The Tracker was always full of schemes, her greatest being the slaying of the Father of Beasts. In success, she found herself tried for deicide under Avsohmic law and was ordered to swing within Av'Sal.
Rusted Sabatons¶
One more artifact found outside of the crypt references a different member, the Soldier:
These incredibly durable boots are all that are left of the Soldier Nemynar, legendary leader of the Hunting Party who perished victorious in his quest for vengeance.