[h1] Wilde Jagd [/h1]

The apocalypse. The end of the world. That was the only way people who witnessed the days of the Old One, as it cut a swathe of destruction across the world. A hideous incarnation of primal destruction that rose from the depth of the earth to bring about the end of the world. 


There had always been vague stories of the apocalypse, the coming of some ancient avatar of destruction that was prophesied to one day set upon the earth. For the religious men it had always been just a little way away. Each generation was the end times. And each generation passed without incident. Technology grew and people lost interest in much of that old fear and mysticism. 

That was until the day the earth split and the great cities of man burned. 


When the moon shone red in the smoke-choked sky and humanity faced the summation of its most old and primal fears. 


It had no name. They called it many things. After the dust had settled, generations after the burning times, people would refer to it in hushed voices as The Old One.


A god of destruction and death and infinite malice, charged with taking apart the world and returning it to the days before light and life. 


And it very nearly succeeded. So many died in those times. And so much progress was lost forever. Armies set loose their greatest and most advanced weapons in hopes of destroying this horrifying thing, and in doing so they would seem to blast it apart, only to watch in dismay as it reformed, unharmed. 


Humanity stood on the verge of extinction when a man stepped forward with nothing but an ancient book in one hand.


The man's name was Gabriel Herne, and he would be responsible for saving the world. 
A man of mystic knowledge and power, Gabriel knew that The Old One could not be killed. It was a force of nature, a constant that the world could never be rid of once awoken. Something like that could not simply cease to exist. The man had pored through every source, every old text he could find until the solution had present itself before him.


The Old One could not be killed. 


But it could be split. 


He faced the horrific thing, looked into the face of madness and death, spoke the words he'd spent years of his life searching for, and tore the Old One apart. 

[hr]


That is the story told to near any child when they are young. The story of Gabriel the magician and how he saved the world from this walking death. Of course decades have passed since then. Few live who remember the burning times, and even fewer who could say they knew anything about what transpired in the epic battle that took place. 


That said, it was true enough that Gabriel Herne did manage to save the world. 


What was left of it anyway. 


The world is far from what it could have been. 


They say that once mankind had all sorta of wonderful technology that every man, woman and child could make use of. 
These days tech is a luxury. Unless you are a Lord or Lady, have cosied up to the latter, or are obscenely wealthy, the level of advancement would be little better than medieval times. 


The land it split up into provinces that the Lords and Ladies rule over. For all the regal titles, these people are essentially warlords. Either they were vicious enough to hold the lands their mothers or father took after the burning times, or they were vicious enough to take it from someone else. They range from the fair but unspeakably tough, to the out and out psychopathic. 

People aren't just more medieval in their technological level...but medieval in their attitudes. People are highly adherent to new gods and cults. They're wary of strangers. They hate and fear things that are strange or unnatural. 

Which makes the occurrence of the Witch Gene even more tragic. 

The influence of the old one, the dark energy it left in its wake, had a lingering influence, not just on the land itself, but the people. 

A few years after the burning times children began being born with horrifying deformities. Claws, sharp teeth, single wings protruding from their shoulderblades. Progressively these things also manifested as strange, dark abilities. 

People were disgusted by these tainted creatures, and shunned them. Most 'witch children' will not live past infancy, and those that do can anticipate a dangerous world. 

And then, you have the Fragments. The pieces left behind from the Old One. The stories of them are sparse...well..the true ones are. Any drunk bastard in a roadside inn would tell the story of some red-eyed fiend that they fought off in the night, one of the monsters that formed a piece of the shattered Old One itself. 
Much of it are only tall tales. 

But not all. From time to time the reports filter through of death and destruction. Entire towns levelled and dozens of soldiers torn to pieces in the most horrific ways. 

And if those stories are true then those who tell them might have run into something else. The people with guns and armour, and the silver badges that resemble a hunting hound. 

Much like the Fragments, many people talk about them, but few have actually met the people. The hunters and jailers on whom the fate of the shattered world now rests. For it's known enough that the pieces of the Old One will seek to re-unite one day, and when they do, everything will be consumed with fire and darkness. 

The Wilde Jagd. The last hope we've got, and the newest class of cadets is about to begin their training to earn the title of Hound. 

But are all the cadets really human? Or did something else sneak in?

[hider=Fragments]
Fragment is the term given to the pieces of the Old One, the ancient god of death. Upon its split it was turn apart into a large number of individual entities which, left stunned by being forced suddenly into existence, were easily collected up and locked away from the world. Kept in isolation from each other, and from the outside, studied relentlessly, it's unclear if that was made some of them into killers, or whether they had always been that way. 


Regardless, one day The Rock, the fortress once used to contain all of the Fragments, experienced the chaos of a mass break-out. People were killed, the places burned, and these pieces scattered across the world. 


For ten years they've been free and walking amongst the human population. 

A few have been recovered by Hounds in that time, and a great number of Hounds have died in pursuit of them. Whilst not all Fragments are inherently evil or malicious, some far from it, their destructive capacity alone has made them hugely dangerous. 

And there are plenty of Fragments who more than live up to their name as Monsters. 

A Fragment:[list]

[*]Appears human at first glance, but this form contains small flaws. Pointed teeth, or slitted eyes, or some other subtly monstrous trait.

[*]Have a secondary, horrifying appearance that they will often revert to in order to fight.

[*]Will not naturally age, however can die of near any other cause that a mortal can (albeit a fragment tends to be considerably more durable than the average man). 

[*]Retains one unnatural ability, even as a 'human'. This is near exclusively something frightening and destructive. 

[*]Can kill and consume other Fragments in order to gain their power. This is what Wilde Jagd fears the most, as it not only makes them far harder to fight, but also brings the Old One one step closer to returning. 

[*]If a Fragment is killed, their power will dissipate and spread out between all remaining living Fragments. This is similarly unwanted for Wile Jagd.

[/list]
[/hider]

[hider= Wilde Jagd]



Wilde Jagd (lit 'Wild Hunt) was founded by the family of Gabriel Herne in the time following the escape of the fragments of the Old One as a means of retrieving them and returning them to indefinite confinement. With the burden proving too great to keep within the family, Wilde Jagd was a creation partially funded by the wealthy Lord Rodin, one of the more powerful, and relatively more benevolent, feudal lords. 


Wilde Jagd operates out of one of Rodin's fortresses in the hills north of the province's main city, and, as a result of its funding, has access to old technology most would give their right arm in order to see. Computing devices, communication, advanced medical facilities, and working firearms. 


A field agent of the Wilde Jagd is known as a Hound. 


Hounds come from all walks of life and sometimes from far provinces, with Wilde Jagd proving a surprisingly unbiased employer, to the point that they are one of the few people who will take on Witches in their ranks. A Witch is treated with no less respect that his or her peers, and as such for the often reviled class of people, it is a very attractive prospect, to the point that many young Witches that would not see adulthood otherwise and up as trainees under Wilde Jagd. 


Their kind treatment of their Hounds inspires a fierce loyalty as a result. Most Hounds have no problem putting themselves in danger in pursuit of the greater good, and that greater good is capturing the Fragments and returning them to imprisonment. This job is, of course, an extremely hazardous one. Death or severe injury on the job is a know and accepted risk. 

Training of new cadets begins on a regular basis, with experienced hounds acting as instructors.
 [/hider]


[h1] OOC Stuff [/h1]

Hi there! Vit here. Outlined the basis of a plot I've had knocking round for a while that I've elected to try and rework and revamp, focusing on the arrival of new recruits and their development as hounds, but also the Fragments opposing them and, possibly, Fragments who've managed to infiltrate the latest cadet class. 

It'll need to be a fairly diverse mix, as, say, a bunch of Fragments, or a bunch of humans, or a bunch of witches aren't going to make things anywhere near as interesting as a good assortment. Instructors would also be fab.  The whole thing is mid-rework and sorta in flux a bit, probably won't start it formally for a little while, so any ideas or potential subplots are welcome! :D