The Hunter
CloveComet
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I am content with being unknown.
Beware of the Inner Ridge...
- Face is almost always obscured in some way, shape, or form.
- When not obviously obsucured, their face is shrouded in an odd shadow that defies the movement of light.
- The same often goes for their skin.
- Straight posture, almost millitary, if not for the warmth they have for their village.
Very little is known about the Hunter's personal life. Yet, there seems to be an unbreakable bond between the village and their protector.
The Hunter works as the "mayor" of the small, off-the-grid town on the side of the trecherous mountainside. They protect the village from wild animals and hunts for the people to eat even in the most dangerous of weather.
By now, nobody in the village finds the Hunter's appearance odd or unsettling. Their identity as a possible cryptid, or even an elderich being, is well accepted. Anyone in the village who thinks of the Hunter as frightening is often not well-liked.
...It is not safe, and never will be.
The CurseTo never be known is a soul-crushing curse. Only able to be immortalized by artwork, the Hunter is forced to be forgotten should they ever die. Even their voice is an enigma. Some claim it is rough and deep like the growl of a bear, or a sharp and shrill noise like the call of a hawk.
In truth, Franziska has seen their face. Her mind does not remember their features, no matter how hard she tries, and the curse has forced her to grapple with loss of memory of loved ones daily ever since. She does not regret seeing the telltale sign of the Hunter's shoulders slumping in relief of being percieved when she eases the mask off of their face, however. Though she can never recall their face seconds after she looks away, she is sure that they are beautiful.
Very, very few know of the Hunter's origin, even fewer remember it. According to legend, they were just a normal person once. The child of the founder of the village, even. Rumors of how rowdy and rebellious the brooding protector used to be have made their rounds between the villagers for decades, each tale as outlandish as the last.
In truth, their odd cryptic nature was a curse laid on them for the mistakes of their parents. They were cursed to "never be known". Their old name was quickly forgotten, as well as their entire identity, even by them. The Hunter was an impersonal name given to them that managed to be just distant enough to be remembered by the villagers they lived around.
Face coverings quickly became neccessary as the curse developed itself around the Hunter. If anyone dared to look them in their face when it was unshrouded, the victim would be unable to recognize the faces of anyone. Even loved ones would become strangers in a victim's eyes.
As time went on, the Hunter became content with their new life despite how distressing it was to never be allowed to be known lest they risk the sanity of their neighbors. To earn trust back, the Hunter threw themselves into their duties, unknowingly becoming the most trustworthy individual in their desperate quest to become even the slightest bit likable again.
- The sacrificial-looking knife they carry around was made by an old weaponsmith friend.
- Their plague doctor mask was handmade by the village medic, Akina, to keep their face warm while hunting in the frigid mountainside.
- The Hunter is actually quite sociable, but after years of shunning and fear from their curse, they became far more reserved and almost spooked by interaction.
- The Hunter does not know what the cross symbols on their outfit mean, and was told it was simply a symbol of protection from a distant religion.
Care to join me for a hunt?
Franziska is the Hunter's closest confidant and their chidhood friend. They knew each other before their curse was ever inflicted, and its rumored she knows what they truly look like. She does not deny nor accept these rumors.
Franziska can be a bit strict and cold and the Hunter acts as her warmer and more fatherly counterpart. They go together like a perfect pair, and it's rumored the Hunter has been the muse of quite a few of her more secret paintings.
Its unknown if Nephyrus is actually related to the Hunter by blood, neither of them give straightforward answers enough to settle the debate. For the time being, it seems the Hunter acts as his father figure.
The Hunter is a doting parent to Nephyrus, often following him around town and talking with him. The Hunter taught Nephyrus almost everything he knows today, though the village has also collectively decided to aid their leader in raising him.
