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Old 03-14-2018, 10:40 AM   #21
tshiggins
 
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Default Re: [Game] Animate a Monster Hunters Setting

OpAnswer 16.

The Russians have quietly sought any information the British may have about creatures known in the Hindu religion as "rakshasas" (male) or "rakshasis" (female).

In Hindu folklore, these are highly intelligent, implacably hostile, powerfully magical beings with (at least in a few instances) a taste for political domination only exceeded by their taste for human flesh. Hindu stories relate that while many rakshasas or rakshasis acted as lone bandits or terrifying creatures of the night, others had enough self-control to fight as fierce mercenaries in the armies of the various empires that have duelled for control of the land now known as the British Raj.

However, the most troubling stories indicate that some of the most dangerous of these creatures used their shape-shifting abilities to infiltrate governments, seduce kings, princes, princesses or other royalty, and take control of large populations of humans -- which they promptly treated as cattle (and not sacred ones, either).

These are mostly ancient tales and apocryphal stories that date back to times when humanity was far less advanced than the EdwardIan industrial age. Also, it seems most rakshasas were, in those stories, solitary creatures who primarily perceived each other as rival predators.

Even if such creatures existed, those flaws would seem to make for manageable problems. The willingness of the tsar to reach out to his opponents in the Great Game would seem to indicate that something has changed.

Question 19. Are any monsters unique to the New World and, if so, what is their origin?
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Old 03-14-2018, 12:52 PM   #22
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Default Re: [Game] Animate a Monster Hunters Setting

Quote:
Originally Posted by Emerald Cat View Post
Question 18
Is the clan leaders' focus on protecting the gate appropriate, or paranoia?
Answer 18- Guarding the Valley
It is definitely appropriate, as it is their continued vigilance across the region that has kept the archway's location, and existence, hidden from human knowledge, at least as no more than rumour and speculation.

The first line of defence are the yeti, in small packs of 3 or 4, who scout widely across the area for incoming explorers, surveyors, investigators or mystics. They usually let regular army patrols, trading caravans and local villagers pass unharmed unless they get too close, but will attack the more suspicious targets at a greater distance from the valley. They will use weather magics, avalanches, rockfalls or animal attacks to hinder or kill intruders as a general rule, or take care of the intruders more personally if the mood takes them.

Otherwise, a number of the other clannish monsters have strongholds each guarding a separate approach to the valley, disguised or glamoured as monasteries or hill settlements or hidden in cave systems, from which they patrol the inner region and attack interlopers with little mercy.

The valley itself, declared neutral ground, is observed but unoccupied, and only entered for such occasions as greeting newcomers or holding interclan conclaves. Otherwise the clans have as little to do with each other as they can, taking care of necessities, such as 'feeding', in each of their own ways.

----
Standing questions:
Question 10 (Open Question- 1 of 5)
What are some organisations dedicated to confronting the monster menace?

Question 17
What proportion of monsters join a clan, and what proportion elect to be freelancers?

Question 19
Are any monsters unique to the New World and, if so, what is their origin?

New questions:
Question 20
Which monster clans have strongholds near the valley? This is almost a proxy to asking- which monster clans are the most organised and globally active?

Question 21
What's a name for-
a) The archway
b) The realm beyond the archway
c) The valley
d) The campaign setting

Question 22
Who was the Monster Zero (and Victim Zero) and what has become of them?
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Old 03-14-2018, 02:50 PM   #23
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Default Re: [Game] Animate a Monster Hunters Setting

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Originally Posted by Daigoro View Post
Question 22
Who was the Monster Zero (and Victim Zero) and what has become of them?
The happenings that surrounded the opening of the archway have been pieced together from the journals and letters of the late Alexander Stewart-Price. Alexander was a key member of the survey team having amassed much experience in useful areas during his career in the navy and his involvement in the Peninsula War.
While camped at what would become the archway Alexander found a lover amongst the locals. When the survey team had finished their observations they went to leave the area. Conflict arose when Alexander was forced to choose between duty and love, after a night of soul searching and gin he chose duty. The next day while passions and tensions were high, conflict escalated and Alexander's lover was shot. Cradling her body Stewart-Price carried Radha back through the archway.

The sole survivor of the survey team recounted the slaughter that followed from his cell in the Bedlam Hospital. Radha and Alexander changed into two very different creatures. The descriptions seem to indicate that Radha had become some form of undead creature while Alexander looked like a different person.

It is believed that Radha travelled for a time then found a place to settle and if the reports can be believed she is to the west of the archway.

In the years that followed letters have been arriving at Alexander's old club from all corners of the world. "....I have wrestled control of own self back, I hope I have time to send this letter...", ".... I shot myself in the head with a silver bullet this morning, apparently it didn't work....", "... Do not approach me...", "...He seeks the other three places of narrowing...." "...The other fellow is a nasty sort, I think he is killing women who work the streets at night....", "....For king and country..."

Question 23
How organised are the hunters in general? Do they cooperate and share information, equipment, resources?
[Edit]
Question 24
What manner of creature is Alexander Stewart-Price?
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Last edited by (E); 03-14-2018 at 08:41 PM. Reason: Question was poor
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Old 03-15-2018, 12:23 PM   #24
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Default Re: [Game] Animate a Monster Hunters Setting

Quote:
Originally Posted by Emerald Cat View Post
Question 17
What proportion of monsters join a clan, and what proportion elect to be freelancers?
Answer 17
All told, probably about 50/50. There's a tendency for weaker monsters to band together, and for unique, powerful entities to go it alone, but to the eye of the average Monster Hunter this makes little difference. Either takes about an equal amount of effort to investigate and then eliminate from preying on a particular territory, and they're roughly evenly distributed among territories- ignoring regional discrepancies or concentrations.

Question 25 Open question- Aim for 5 answers
Describe a notable Monster Hunter.
What do they do?
Do they have a public persona?
Where do they operate?
What successes and failures have they had?
Who do they run with?
Whose scent are they currently on the trail of?
Which breed of monster do they specialise in?
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Old 03-16-2018, 01:12 AM   #25
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Default Re: [Game] Animate a Monster Hunters Setting

Answer 25, 1/5
Describe a notable Monster Hunter.

Gilbert "Gil" Weaver
Gil is tall and well built and is missing his left hand as a result of a bite from a Preta* that went bad. Impeccably dressed when ever possible Gil is to most outward appearances the very model of a retired and gentrified military officer. In addition to his military pension Gil operates a group of mercenary hunters who provide their services under the name of "The Weaver detective agency".

The Weaver detective agency provides it's services to european companies operating in the coastal cities between Port Said on the suez canal and Japan.

Gil's biggest failure as a hunter happened on his first outing. The former captain was recruited straight out of the army to command a boatload of rough customers from the notorious port of Russel. The group was recruited to deal with some strange goings on in the gold fields of Otago. The funding the operation figured a boat load of hardy whalers and near do wells would be sufficent to deal with some chinese superstitious nonsense. He was wrong, of the sixty or so under Captain Weaver's command four survived their encounter with something that resembled a Chinese Ogre or Oni. These four survivors are the core of Gil's group. They include Honi Hikura a Moari whaler whose greenstone mere was used to finally dispatch the creature, Francis Shufhousen a huge dutch Canadian man, Catriona Amel an early female doctor and Nelson Roberts a professional hunter. These days the crew is better prepared than those early days due to a couple of large payouts and several well placed contacts in Europe. When going into a dangerous situation the team is well armed, Francis carries a modified machine gun that resembles an MG08/15. Limited by his single hand Gil carries numerous pistols including a fully automatic luger with a large magazine and pair of .577 Lancaster pistols. Browning shotguns and grenades are carried by Catriona and Nelson. Though in the past they have had to make use of a Flammenwerfer when dealing with Pishachas. With their background in Whaling many of his group are skilled in the use of a Harpoon which proves handy from time to time.

Currently the group is in New Holland following the route of a ship load of Pretas, a creature that holds Gil's attention since the loss of his hand.

*an Indian "Hungry Ghost", they look like starving people and can crave any one of a number of things, including blood or human flesh.
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Last edited by (E); 03-16-2018 at 02:58 AM.
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Old 03-20-2018, 08:58 AM   #26
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Default Re: [Game] Animate a Monster Hunters Setting

"It's not dead, it's just resting."

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daigoro View Post
Question 10 (Open Question)
What are some organisations dedicated to confronting the monster menace?
Answer 10b
Lady Burton's Oriental Teahouse and Reading Rooms
From a small establishment on Baker St, Marylebone, the Lady Isabel Burton, widow of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, provides a worldly selection of beverages for the delectation of a wide clientele. The main parlour is warmly decorated in an oriental aspect, provided with steeply cushioned divans draped over with Bedawin rugs of fine, colourful weaves. Customers are offered a variety of narghilehs or chibouques to partake of, lending the room an exotic fragrance, while exquisite Turkish desserts are served on plates of shell-thin porcelain. The walls and sconces bear Eastern pictures, Moroccan urns, Persian enamels and mementos from a dozen lands. The far wall is dominated by a full-size portrait of Sir Richard, dressed in a loose white hunting blouse and sporting a wild growth of whiskers. Surrounding the portrait almost amounts to a shrine to the memory of the man, with busts, stacks of his books, photographs and other relics.

Taking a narrow staircase to chambers above the shop, visitors may peruse the substantial collection the Burtons amassed in Trieste, comprising some 8000 volumes, as well as copious notes and manuscripts of Sir Richard's own hand.

It is from here that Lady Burton pursues the invidious invaders of our mortal realm. From a sheaf of Burton's notes made decades before, such statements as, "This desires further investigation," or, "Sources lack specifics," or perhaps, "Such a manifestation demands immediate attention," may be the only clues to the existence of infernal dens or hidden cabals that need to be addressed.

When Lady Burton's research of her husband's manuscripts turns up new avenues of investigation, she engages parties of appropriately talented individuals to lead expeditions to wherever is necessary around the globe.

She further administers a world-spanning network of informants, explorers and academics that tracks the emergence of inhuman and astral entities in far and disparate locales, collating their leads and rumours for deeper investigation or elimination.

The expeditions are funded from sales of her husband's literature as well as her own writings, and by donations from high society benefactors that she can convince of her cause.

Personally, Lady Burton fell seriously ill in the mid 1890's, such that work on her autobiography was taken over by a colleague, WH Wilkins. Of her work pursuing monstrous entities, he wrote:
The conflict between the powers of light and the powers of darkness, between good angels and evil angels, between benign influences and malefic forces, is no figure of speech with her, but a reality. In these past years of her life more especially the earthly veil seems to have fallen from her eyes. She seems to have grasped something of the vision of the servant of Elisha, for whom the prophet prayed: "Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."

Fortunately for said good work, however, she recovered from her illness and seems to have found new vigour, often remarking that she feels as spry as when she first met her dear Richard. Any eagle-eyed investigators that she employs, however, would find it diplomatic not to mention the reddish hue that they might notice in her complexion.


----

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantasm View Post
Answer 3: The monsters run the gamut from the classics of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and Frankenstein creatures...
Question 26
Who is it that is making Frankenstein-like creations, and by what means?

Question 27
How did Lady Isabel Burton recover from terminal cancer and regain a youthful vigour? Has she compromised herself to "malefic forces" or not?
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