Ashcroft is the setting for the console games HTR: Hunter: The Reckoning (console game) , HTR: Hunter: The Reckoning - Wayward , and HTR: Hunter: The Reckoning - Redeemer .
Overview[]
Ashcroft was founded in 1827 by William Jameson, near a coal mine.[1] By the 1920s, however, the primary employer in town was the prison, Ashcroft Penitentiary. Unbeknownst to the population, the prison was controlled by vampires, and inmates were used as food or subjected to horrific occult experiments.[2]
In 2001, the execution of Nathaniel Arkady at the prison unleashed the angry spirits of the prison's victims, but these were put down by a group of Imbued: Spenser Wyatt, Samantha Alexander, Kassandra Cheyung and Fr. Estaban Cortez. Afterwards, the prison was shut down. In 2002, on the anniversary of the closure, the prison was the site of an illicit rave, which against released numerous ghosts and other monsters across Ashcroft. The same group of hunters returned to the city to put the spirits to rest.[2]
Ashcroft rebuilt over the next two years, but the town was infiltrated by a cult who aimed to bring a Nephwrack through from the Shadowlands. Two Waywards, Joshua Matthews and Devin Montgomery Lucien, began investigating the cult's activities, but when they realized the scope of what they were facing, they put out a call for backup. Once again, the hunters managed to thwart this plot, though not without damage to the town. [3]
After these incidents, the Genefex Corporation moved into Ashcroft, establishing a factory that revitalized the economy. However, the company was secretly controlled by a powerful demon via CEO Xavier Lucien, and using mysterious toxins to allow residents of the town to be possessed. Circa 2012, the combined efforts of several Hunters — including Kaylie Winter, a survivor of the 2002 incident — and a pack of Garou finally brought down Genefex.[4]
Geography[]
Ashcroft is located in the United States, but the exact region is ambiguous.
Locations which feature in the games include:
- Ashcroft Penitentiary, the (now-defunct) prison. The prison grounds include the Warden's residence, a hospital, cell blocks and a yard.
- Catacombs below the city, which connect to the subway, the sewer system, and the prison.
- The subway station, from which characters enter and leave the town.
- Downtown, Midtown, and the Theatre District
- The River District, a commercial area that was heavily developed by Genefex.
Trivia[]
- The street map shown during level selection in HTR: Hunter: The Reckoning - Wayward is a map of Elgin, Illinois.
Gallery[]
