Keep Calm and Carry on My Wayward Sons by Shannon Lopez Not your typical sort of travelling folk, they are Hunters. The bane of every creepy, crawly, glowing-eyed monster that dares go bump in the night. As the name implies, "hunters" are (usually) humans who make it their business to track down and eliminate anything of a mystical persuasion, including, demons, ghosts, witches, vampires, shape-shifters, wendigos, etc. The Road So Far... To be a hunter is a life on the road. For a number of reasons, most hunters cannot or will not put down roots. Mobility is key. Constantly on the move, a hunter could be tracking a corpse munching ghoul in Wichita one day then have to beat feet to clear out a nest of vampires in Denver the next. The ability to put a town in their rear view mirror is also essential as the local law tends to mistake the decapitation of a supernatural man-eater for the cold-blooded homicide. This is often why a hunter tends to avoid visiting the same town twice. While a hunter dedicates his or her life to protecting mankind, the tables can turn whereby the hunter becomes the prey. In the world of the supernatural, a hunter makes quite a few enemies and sometimes that demon they exorcised back to hell takes it personally. It will makes it its business to crawl their way back up -62-
from the fiery abyss to murder a hunter in their bed. This stark reality makes it difficult and unwise to linger too long in one place. No, for the average hunter, a house with a white picket fence is out of the question, its endless hours on the road and cheap sleazy motels with roaches on the walls. Skills and Abilities: If a hunter expects to avoid becoming ghoul scat it’s generally a good idea to maintain a strong mind and body. This includes and not limited to: • A thorough understanding of mythology and lore (both world and local) • Proficiency in various forms of martial arts (or general hand-to-hand combat). • Expertise with both firearms and melee weapons • Ability to read and pronounce Latin verses and incantations (knowledge of other dead languages is strongly encouraged). • Access to research materials such as newspaper articles, journals, books, and other manuscripts (do not fear to use the local library!) • Knowledge of federal and local police procedure (a fake FBI badge and a cheap suit can open a lot of doors in a supernatural investigation).
