Demon Hunters (The Servant)

The Demon Hunters, officially known as the Order of Demon Hunters is a small but elite group of humans based in the Dreadlands, fanatical warriors sworn to a single purpose: the destruction of the creatures of the Burning Hells. They specialize in bows and crossbows, which they supplement with numerous ranged attacks, traps of various types, and even a few melee range skills.

The demon hunters also make their home in the Borderlands, away from the jurisdiction of any nation. At any time, over half of them are dispatched to various parts of the world to fight hellspawn. There is something in all demon hunters that gives them the strength to resist the demonic corruption that would drive lesser men to madness. They hone this power, for their resistance to this taint enables them to use the demons' power as a weapon. But their mission and their power are not all that bind them together.

Demon Hunters are feared by some of the same people they aim to save. Some say that Demon Hunters are no better than the demons they hunt, that they bring death and destruction with them. And indeed, sometimes, a Demon Hunter loses their ability to control their fear or hatred, and consequently lose themselves to their violent impulses. Criminals among the Demon Hunters are given three days worth of food and water and banished. Many Demon Hunters' eyes glow with hellfire, due to peering into demons and seeing vengeance.

Administration
The order is structured rather loosely, due to both is young age and, for most of its history, no clear leadership. Under Valla, however, the Order was organized under her leadership and reformed to be more cohesive and united.

The leader of the order is known as the Ordermaster, currently Valla herself, who is elected from amongst the most disciplined members of the order, known as the Masters of the Order. The Ordermaster oversees the order's military efforts, and is signified by bearing the specific sigil of their office.The Ordermaster exercises their authority via the visitors-masters of the order, who were demon hunters specially appointed by the Ordermaster from Demonguard to visit the different provinces, correct malpractices, introduce new regulations, and resolve important disputes. The visitors-master had the power to exercise authority over demon hunters and even suspend the Huntmaster of the province concerned.

Despite this growing organization, most of the order is consisted of roaming demon hunters, who continue their eternal fight against the hellspawn that still plague Sanctuary. Individual demon hunters still largely operate independently, sometimes in pairs or with an apprentice. While outside the jurisdiction of other nations, each demon hunter is subject to the laws and regulations of their own order. Most of these figures continually wander throughout Sanctuary, but the order has established a select few "rest houses" and small chapterhouses in most countries, overseen by Huntmaster for the demon hunters in that region. More and more chapterhouses are being built across Sanctuary, and these serve as meeting places or local demon hunters and areas where they can rest, recuperate, and restock for the next road. Huntmasters possess authority over any demon hunter in their territory, able to exercise judgement if neccesary.

Recruitment and Training
The Demon Hunter order is currently based in the Dreadlands, though a notable minority of the order is located within the Borderlands near Kehjistan. This is so they can live and train without the interference of any nation that would worry over having such a group camped within its borders. Additionally, the abundance of demons and other foul creatures in the area gives recruits plenty of opportunities to hone their skills.

Demon hunters do not force anyone to join them. Rather, upon coming across those who have suffered from demons, their first priority is to feed, shelter, heal, educate, and train them. After that, they may choose to become a Demon Hunter. Most Demon Hunters are recruited into the order as children.

Few traditions exist within the order, as every Demon Hunter must walk their own path. However, a master can still train an apprentice Demon Hunter, and may even pass on their armor to their apprentice—an honor that few apprentices would refuse. Trainee Demon Hunters are referred to as neophytes.

Tactics and Capabilities
Demon Hunters train to hold back the darkness with unconventional combinations of weaponry and fighting styles that only they can employ. They are masters of the hand crossbow – quick-reloading, fast-firing ranged weapons that they use to turn demons into their temporary quivers. Demon Hunters are so adept in the hand crossbow’s use that they can dual wield them. Other elements of their arsenal include longbows, grenades, and hand-thrown weapons. When hunting packs of demons, Demon Hunters rely on traps to deal with their foes. Demon Hunters can also wield apocryphal magics, to sneak through the shadows and deal with their prey, or escape their foes' notice.

Demon Hunters are relentless vigilantes who execute their infernal targets with an arsenal of ranged weapons at their full disposal. They crouch and take aim far from danger, relying on bows and crossbows, deadly traps, and projectiles to swiftly bring an end to the creatures that haunt their world. With sweeping blasts of shot, wide salvos of arrows and timed explosives at their disposal, Demon Hunters excel at devastating groups of foes who cluster together. Hunters’ pinpoint accuracy also allows them to deal with stronger monsters at a distance: they can snipe at key targets or fall back while snapping off kill shots at advancing foes. However, Demon Hunters’ focus on ranged combat and limited melee-weapons training leave them in danger when they’re cornered or surrounded. Evasive skills like defensive rolls and jumps, as well as targeted attacks that hamstring and slow enemies, are as crucial to survival as any arrow or bolt in a hunter's quiver.

Fledgling Demon Hunters wear light, flexible leather to guard their wrists and throat, and hoods to hide their faces and blend in with shadows. As they grow in skill, they may don more protective armor, that also allows them to store more of the gear on which they rely to hunt their foes. Demon Hunters can also wear armor worn by demons, and can even wear demons' flesh in an effort to sow chaos and death among their foes. Fear is one of the greatest weapons in a Demon Hunter's arsenal, and whenever possible, they use this to make their foes break ranks so they can be picked off.

Precursors
As long as there have been demons, there have been demon hunters, one way or another. Several smaller groups existed before the creation of the order, but these were largely hap-hazard collections of individuals, with very little in common besides a hatred of demons.

Early History
The exact origins of the Order of Demon Hunters is tricky to define, by around the year 1270, the they modern order was just starting to form within the Borderlands. Sworn to the destruction of the creatures of the Burning Hells, the demon hunters were few in number, and largely consisted of a small gathering of like-minded individuals. Demon hunters were born from those who lost their homes and loved ones to demonspawn. When their homes are burned down and their families butchered by demons, most newly scarred refugees give up on living – but a few buried their dead, banded together, and swear vengeance. It was from one such act that the creed of the demon hunters was created. These individuals began gathering together to train, share secrets, and find a community. The core of demon hunter battle doctrines and the first headquarters for the order were established under these first generations, as well as a loose hierarchy based around experience and skill.

The early demon hunter communities were established within the Borderlands, but soon expanded, and most demon hunters found work within the Dreadlands swarming with hellspawn in the aftermath of the destruction of Mt. Arreat. By 1280, most of the main order members and headquarters were located there, and there were an estimated few hundred hundreds and do not owe their allegiance to any one king or country. By this time, demon hunters could be found all across Sanctuary.

The Great Demon War
Following the Reaping and the defeat of Diablo, the order grew rapidly and found new leadership under the now legendary Valla, who became the de fact leader of the order. Under her leadership the demon hunters were bolstered by new recruits and began a series of small reforms. With large pacts of new demons swarming Sanctuary, the order was busy for several years.

Valla would later join with the Servant in preparation for a coming conflict, which saw the demon hunters play a pivotal role in. Following the return of the Great Evils to Sanctuary, the demon hunters were more formerly organized and recognized, flooded with new members in the turmoil of the Great Demon War which saw hundreds of lives upended and causing them to turn to the order.

The demon hunters played important roles in destabilizing demon leadership and providing needed expertise in how to fight demons and defeat them, and frequently worked in small units to devastate larger demonic armies. Their most famous action was the Battle of Demonwood Pass, when the largest gathering of demon hunters used their tactics to cover a military retreat and land a major blow to a demon army.

Known Demon Hunters

 * Ordermaster Valla
 * Aidan Longcollar
 * Aoron Gunes
 * Augustine
 * Bayne
 * Bytor
 * Celsa
 * Cie Wyrtam
 * Danetta
 * Darnal
 * Delios
 * Esche Maithe
 * Greyscarr
 * Gunes
 * Josen
 * Kairo Nontooth
 * Karlei
 * Kee Morse
 * Kovan the Merciless
 * Kunai
 * Lidra (formerly?)
 * Marteks
 * Mynton
 * Natalya (formely an Assassin)
 * Oliver Manyhair
 * Tully Yates
 * Tyla Shrikewing
 * Val Amark
 * Yang
 * Zatheria
 * Zoey First-Blood