The Wrath of the Demon Hunters is a fantasy scenario of deception, betrayal, and action in five short scenes for a roleplaying game adventure or plot points for a story. The main character faces a demon hunter in this story and must escape by cunning or brawn.
Background
Demons, demon hunters and the Order of Demon Hunters play key roles in this scenario. See previous posts about demon hunters and the Rise of the Demon Lord for more background.
The Cast
The main character is someone who can be suspected of having evil magic abilities. Perhaps the signs are apparent, like carry arcane implements openly, or perhaps the suspicion is based on mere superstition. The truth is unimportant, as the Demon Hunter already is convinced of the character’s guilt.
The Demon Hunter is an ambitious, unrelenting, and zealous member of the Order of Demon Hunters. The hunter is self-righteous and will use local legislation when it is beneficial, and break local laws just as quickly when that is advantageous.
Second sight or some other magic ability may be guiding the demon hunter. The investigation is secret, and the demon hunter has kept the details of the mission from the local authorities.
The Local Lord is the ruler in the scenario setting. The lord honors the Order of Demon Hunters and has placed soldiers at the demon hunter’s disposal. The Order has the authority of the local lord, and the hunter will be favored by the law if the investigation turns violent. The lord does not know any details of the demon hunter’s investigation and has no desire to get involved.
The Demon Hunter Commander is the regional leader of the Order of Demon Hunters. The commander knows about the hunter’s general whereabouts but has no details of the current investigation. The commander gets involved if the initial investigation fails.
Finally, there may be Supernatural Powers watching the unfolding events. Angels, demons and divine servants all have roles in this story and may appear.
The Setup: The Demon Hunter’s Questions
A demon hunter suspects the character practices evil magic and contacts the character. This may be accusations on the street or a quieter approach in a more private area. The character must convince, bluff, intimidate, escape or defeat the demon hunter to avoid arrest and possible execution.
- The demon hunter and the character talk peacefully, but the demon hunter remains convinced the character is a servant of darkness and attempts to arrest the character. The demon hunter attacks if the character resists and is unlikely to take prisoners once the interrogation turns violent.
- The character is spooked or offended by questions and kills the demon hunter. The murder may alert the local lord, and the Order will notice when the hunter fails to report in.
- The character successfully negotiates or bluffs the demon hunter and is allowed to leave. The Order may regret this later, or this may end the scenario.
- The demon hunter remains convinced of the character’s guilt, figures there is no peaceful solution, and attacks.
- The character slips away and escapes, possibly after a chase. The demon hunter remains in play and will return to haunt the character.
Regrouping: Gather Information, Escape or Strike Back
The character must decide the course of action after the interrogation. The obvious choices are flight or investigate to assess the threat.
- The character chooses to flee, and Order picks up the trail, possibly requesting soldiers from the local lord.
- The character seeks to escape by skill, brawn or magic if arrested.
- The demon hunter continues the investigation and will reappear in the future.
- Alternatively, the character chooses to investigate the demon hunter, the Order, and the Order’s reasons for suspicion. The character may use many sources of information: chatty city guards, friendly bartenders, wise sages, pedantic librarians, nosy street urchins, the list goes on.
- Representatives of the local lord choose to investigate if the demon hunter’s questioning turned violent, making the situation more delicate and increasing the chance of collateral damage.
Counter-Attack: More Violence
There are several possible counter-attacks, depending on the characters’ actions:
- The Order of Demon Hunters learn of the first demon hunter’s failure and takes decisive action. The character’s resistance proves guilt to the order and requires punishment, and there will be no talking this time. The Order attacks again, now with greater force.
- The character may do a preemptive strike. Taking the offense may secure evidence and clues if successful, in addition to getting rid of some enemies.
- The sudden violence and unsettling rumors of strangers asking odd questions force the local lord to investigate. The lord’s soldiers ere prepared to use excessive force as they round up all troublemakers for questioning.
- The character may attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution.
Enlightenment: Unveiling the Conspiracy
The character has survived two potentially deadly encounters and gathered some information. Surviving opponents may talk, and the character will ask better questions as the scenario progress. It is time for the character to assess the available information:
- The names and whereabouts of the local lord and the demon hunter commander.
- The character learns the secrets of the alliance between the local lord and the demon hunters. Perhaps the lord has a more significant enemy that could be an ally for the characters?
- Who is the real threat watching from the shadows? Who is the Order of Demon Hunters’ real master?
Climax: The Final Battle
The character faces the enemy in the final battle, ending the scenario in one of at least three ways.
- The demon hunter commander tracks down the character and attacks. The commander have brought reinforcements from the Order: assassins, soldiers, or angels or devils, depending on the Order’s secret master.
- The character tracks down the demon hunter commander and storms the Order’s headquarters.
- The supernatural creatures watching from the shadows attack and the character may face demons, angels, or any other appropriate creatures.
- The character may have identified the Order’s true master and decides to attack the real threat.