Hunter

The Ironguard

Vampire Hunters feel at home only in the midst of battle. They belong to the Ironguard, the last of an almost annihilated force and distant successors to the warrior class that have always lived, trained and fought for one thing – the eradication of every last Vampire from Nosgoth. Dedicated, ruthless and skilled, these warriors live for the hunt.

Lore
From before their earliest recorded histories, groups of Human warriors have come together and taken up arms against their enduring enemies, Nosgoth’s race of Vampires. These ruthless men and women are known as Vampire Hunters, drawing their inspiration and their creed from the Sarafan Order, legendary warrior-priests who have long since passed into history but whose influence has taken on an almost mythic status.

When all of Nosgoth fell to the Vampire legions, the remnants of Humanity would comfort themselves by recounting legends of the Sarafan crusades. In this way, the memories of Nosgoth’s early history – a time when the Sarafan had won many victories, bringing suffering to many Vampires and decimating entire bloodlines – were passed from one generation to the next.

With Nosgoth undisputedly under Vampire control, the last of the Vampire Hunters were forced to flee Nosgoth’s heartlands, pushed to the edges of the world to avoid Kain’s vengeance. Calling themselves the Ironguard in memory of the massacres of the Iron Pass, they continued to train, sustaining their weapon-making skills and preparing for the day when they could bring the war back to their Vampire overlords.

When word reached their settlements that civil war had broken out between the Vampire Clans, the Hunters seized the chance to resume their forefathers’ mission. As Kain’s Lieutenants fought and squabbled, the Hunters began to reorganise, rearm and mount a rebellion. They were the first to take advantage of Kain's disappearance, successfully recapturing the mountain town of Valeholm. By the time the Watchers of Dark Eden had freed the first Human captives from the most vulnerable blood farms, the Vampire Hunters were ready to take charge of recruiting and training these former slaves into new warriors for the Human armies.

Once their strength and number had grown, the Hunters sent emissaries travelling from outpost to outpost and to the edges of the world; recruiting those they could while offering advice and training to others so that they could learn to defend themselves against future attack. Each new recruit swore loyalty to the Hunters’ cause, knowing that in doing so they became damned men, destined to die on a battlefield far from home.

Now, the only home the Hunters know is in the midst of battle; living and fighting for just one thing – the slaughter of every last Vampire in Nosgoth.