The Devil's Advocate

Lore and fanpage for Hunt: Showdown

[the-stillwater-devil]

Dossier - Sheriff Wayne Hardin

"During the early days of the infection, Sheriff Wayne Hardin was instrumental in halting the rapid spread of the infection.

However, the inmates he recruited to be Hunters proved unreliable, and as events spiraled out of control, he found himself putting many of them back under arrest."

Few can claim responsibility and right action in this land. None can claim innocence. Sheriff Hardin claims nothing himself. But the truth is that the former sheriff was one of the first of us on the ground in this war against the Sculptor. Rumor is, Hardin was a sheriff in one of the infected towns here in the Bayou, some say Stillwater, some say DeSalle. All that's in the past, as Hardin's actions will likely prevent him from ever wearing the badge in an official capacity any more. Regardless of where he was Sheriff, Hardin was recruited like many of the original hunters by a member of the organization named Lynch. Lynch saw the calculating but resolute sheriff as an ideal candidate for the AHA, and quickly put the organization's resources at his disposal. In those dark days, fighting the infection at all cost was of paramount importance- containing the event to Louisiana was hard enough, let alone the backwaters of New Orleans. Hardin was instrumental in the affair, recruiting more hunters to the fight- by emptying the prisons of the crescent city. For some, this was a chance to do something with conviction and with dignity. For many more, this was a death sentence. Hardin gained many admirers for the ruthlessness of his methods in the era, but as many detractors due to the callous recruiting methods that saw orphanages and mental asylums conscripted into the AHA, only to be used up in half formed, unorganized posses. Whatever was thought of him, Hardin's recruitment drive did manage to contain the spread of the infection with a wall of bodies, and Hardin became an on-the-ground expert and guide for many new hunters in the bayou. This, however, led to its own set of troubles. As stated previously, Hardin was recruited by Lynch, a senior member of the AHA, without approval from Dr. Phillip Huff Jones, then Director of the AHA. Jones and Hardin managed to work together throughout 1894, but tensions between the men began to roil as 1895 approached and the growing rifts within the organization began to fracture into factions. Huff Jones cited many of the unsavory elements recruited by Hardin as a source of this infighting, and while Hardin agreed in most cases, it became clear that Hardin saw this infighting as inevitable, surrounding himself with a number of allies to form his own pact. By the time Huff was assassinated, Sheriff Hardin had withdrawn from the AHA public, preparing for the conflict that was sure to erupt. Hardin has a number of known allies, including Thomas Bridge (commonly referred to as "The Mountain Main"), Marshall Brewer, and of course the mysterious Lynch. Additionally, Hardin is known to hunt the bayou with a number of weapons, many acquired from fellow early-adopter Jason Trevors (The Carcass Gunrunner). Signatures weapons of his include the Noose, a Vetterli Karabiner, and Brass Flower, a LeMat Mark II. Descriptions of these weapons are listed below.

The Noose "The last remnant of law and order, Sheriff Hardin is spread thin, yet still reveives luxuries from those who admire his fine work. That's how Hardin tells the story of this Vetterli 71 Karabiner, though alley rumors give a much more gruesome account."

Brass Flower

"The preferred side arm of Sheriff Hardin, this was known to pack a punch when the chips were down."

[the-stillwater-devil]

Dossier - Henry Trapp - The Devil's Advocate

"Henry Trapp is a good man at a cost: When the bad in him builds up, he dons the devil´s mask to release his dark urges. All turned a blind eye because of the good Henry did, but when the Hunt began, for the sake of the innocent, they sent him to it"

Consider this an introduction to the writer of these missives. That name, though, Henry Trapp, belongs to someone else now. The hunt has seen to that. In a just world, Henry would be writing to you now; as it is, you are with the Advocate now. Henry joined the Hunt in the winter of 1895, sent from parts unknown on account of his bloodlust and sense of right and wrong, two untenable parts of the same character. In the dead of winter he made his debut when the Mr. Orwell Chary introduced his papers to the AHA, signed and sealed in his purplish ink. Like all things surrounding Mr. Orwell Chary, Henry's arrival and subsequent dealings are mysterious, if on the surface well-intentioned. Not long after his arrival in Louisiana, the Devil's Moon conflict began, an event worth detailing in its own chapter. What is known is that during this civil war within the AHA, Henry Trapp died, lost to the inferno, his name listed in the ledger of Orwell Chary's accountant, Timothy Stone, among other dead hunters. This was the price for my entrance into Mr. Chary's Infernal pact. Out with the old, in with the new. Chary wanted secrets, those that only his adversaries held. In exchange for Trapp, I gave him the fire that consumed the Bayou, which rages once again. So I was aligned with the flame, betraying the Lunar Pact and its leader, Kevin Linus. In that time, I worked towards Chary's goal of trapping the Sculptor, no matter the cost, since Henry Trapp had paid my price already. I burnt the dead, reaved souls, all for nothing now. Chary's plan had failed, leaving more dead hunters in the swamp then steps towards defeating our enemy. With the moon cycle ended, I find myself adrift, not quite who I was before, though certainly not Mr. Trapp either. I have abandoned the Infernal Pact, finding myself without common cause. This leaves me in position to be as objective as I can be when describing the forces at work in the smoldering ruins of the AHA. Some sympathy for the devils amongst us, a true devil's advocate. - The Devil's Advocate

[the-stillwater-devil]

The American Hunters Association

Ten years ago, few people if any outside certain arcane or obscurist circles would have heard of our organization, such as it is now. Perhaps the sudden burst in popularity is what has led to the cannibalistic cycle of violence that consumes us today. None the less, regardless of who you are or what you intend, you deserve to know what you give yourself to. The American Hunters Association was founded decades ago, when a number of occultist, religious, scientific, and frontier organizations came together in a conclave to discuss findings of a world beyond our own. Many of those present at its founding have gone on to be noted spiritualists, philosophers, philanthropists, and showmen. Many more of them are buried in unmarked graves, imprisoned on murder charges, or among the insane. However, from that first meeting the aim of the AHA has been to to study this other world, and to protect our own from its more malicious influences. This most recent period of our history was stewarded by the Jones, Dr. John Welch Jones and his son, Dr. Phillip Huff Jones. Dr. Jones senior was a intelligent and serious man with an interest in the esoteric. He organized the Hunt as an international affair, with the serious airs of a businessman or a hospital head. Under his leadership, our organization formalized, and the first of the hunters you may be fortunate to have at your side or cursed to have hounding you arrived. However, leadership would not be so easy for the son, Phillip. John Jones' tenure had been marked by change and discovery, yes, but soon after Phillip Jones took up his father's mantle, the Louisiana event transpired, right in the organization's back yard. Immediately, the AHA was on a wartime footing, and Phillip's attention drawn to the practical matters of arming and recruiting hunters. Many answered the call, as you well know being here now, but many only for the mercenary promises Jones put out, or worse yet to be closer to our unknown foe. This opening of the organization sat uneasy, and tensions began to grow between the various factions within our group. Contracting within the infected zone around New Orleans increasingly became less centralized with the organization, with hunters recruiting extra help, muddying the water even further as less scrupulous methods were used to secure our quarry. By the end, Dr. Jones knew what he had unleashed, but by then it was too late. Our organization is without a leader; Philip Huff Jones was murdered in 1895.

In the wake of his death, membership to the organization continues to grow, although what it means to be a hunter is little more than a stamp on a train ticket or an ocean liner's manifest. To be a hunter now is to be in the most dangerous place in the world, with no oversight, only those few you can trust as allies, and all promises for the rewards of the AHA left in the wind. One truth remains; the money spends still. The benefactors of the organization, perhaps some of those grandees who once stood in our ranks, still pay for the bounty. For many hunters, that prize alone is enough to kill; be sure it's them first. - The Devil's Advocate

[the-stillwater-devil]

The Louisiana Incident

To start, perhaps some context is in order. If you're here, it's because you're aware that in late 1894, something entered changed in the bayou outside of New Orleans. Residents of several outlying communities in the state of Louisiana, including Stillwater, DeSalle, and the Lawson Delta became cursed infected with a wasting disease not seen in this country since European born illnesses devastated the indigenous population. Indeed, members of some surviving tribes were among the first to note the similarities in this malady, and recognize the darkness sweeping over this land. The disease, while deadly, seemed to outside observers to be nothing more than another more aggressive form of Tuberculosis, attacking the lungs of its victims and killing them within a few days. Few recover from it. Doctors from outside the state arrived within days, centralizing care around Nicholls Prison in Lawson Delta. What ensued then is limited to guess work and scraps of journals, which I will compile and interpret here in time. All that is certain is the sound of screaming and gunfire from the swamps, and the trail of refugees clinging to the outskirts of the Crescent City. Simply put, the nature of this disease is far more insidious than a mere epidemic. Rather, the damned have returned to damn their neighbors. Some demonic, or otherwise sinister force draws a hand through the veil, spreading its poison its influence to this world. It is for this reason the American Hunters Association put out the call- a desperate attempt to stem the tide discover the truth find the source of these demonic entities. The general call was put forward in early 1895, and remains open to all- hard specie for bounty brought back to New Orleans, access to our archives for the curious, and a blind eye both to one's past and one's scruples. More context can be offered upon arrive to New Orleans, although the contradictions you will hear about our present situation will vary based on the views of the hunter you are inquiring with. Distinct factions have been forming, which may in time spark true conflict between members of the AHA, but that is a story for another time. For now, know that you are embarking into a dangerous place, but the rewards of such an undertaking are immeasurable, both in gold and in power. Hunter, welcome to the showdown. - The Devil's Advocate

[the-stillwater-devil]

A New Hunter Enters the Bayou Evening hunters. Just writing in to create a first post for this here new missive, with the intention that this will become a place you all turn for your intel about what's happening out there in the dark waters beyond the edges of New Orleans. Follow here for lore, updates, and other important information for members of the American Hunters Association. Stay tuned for further updates. - The Devil's Advocate