Via Praedator, the Path of the Hunter, is a Path that branches from the Road of the Beast in Dark Ages: Vampire.
Ferals whose focus lies almost solely upon their role as a predator follow the Path of the Hunter. Hunters are uninterested in finding a balance between the Beast and their other faculties, or in the insights into the soul offered by the presence of the Beast. They hunt, and that is all.
Hunters are generally solitary, and they usually dwell alone in the deepest wilderness they can find. Of all the Ferals, they are the ones who contribute most directly to the stereotype of the mindless beast stalking the forests, killing or driving off any who intrude in its domain. They can be lured from their domains, however, by the promise of a challenging hunt and a rewarding kill. They are often recruited by other Ferals when a particular enemy is proving difficult to remove. The simplicity of the Hunters’ worldview often provides useful insights and surprising wisdom.
The path developed comparatively recently, and its founder is generally reckoned to have been Manfred, a Saxon Gangrel who reveled in the hunt both as a mortal and as a Cainite. He refused to be deflected from his greatest pleasure, and he saw the Embrace as a means by which to become an even greater hunter. Rather than become involved in the affairs of his clan or his road, he retired to the estates of his mortal ancestors and played a game of cat-and-mouse with his descendants for over a century, picking off their greatest hunters and daring them to find him. He only gave the game up when his family was driven from their land by invaders. He has since retired to the deep woods of the north, although he supposedly journeys south to run with the Schwarze Rudel in the Black Forest sometimes.
Most Cainites will never interact with a Hunter unless they are warned off a domain or witness an at- tack. Those who are aware of the path consider it little more than an excuse to give in to the Beast almost completely. As a result, Hunters are not well regarded by Cainite society (not that any Feral truly is). They do, however, command respect from followers of the Road of the Beast, who often admire the purity and simplicity of their approach, even as they acknowledge that it is not a path that they themselves might follow.
Hierarchy of Sins[]
| Via Praedator ("Path of the Hunter") | |
| Rating | Moral Guideline |
|---|---|
| 10 | Failing to hunt for your own prey. |
| 9 | Interrupting the hunt of another. |
| 8 | Failing to hunt when the opportunity presents itself. |
| 7 | Avoiding contact with the wilds. |
| 6 | Needless torture or cruelty. |
| 5 | Making a sacrifice for a stranger. |
| 4 | Refusing to kill to ensure your safety. |
| 3 | Failing to defend your hunting grounds. |
| 2 | Showing mercy to an enemy. |
| 1 | Abstaining from feeding when hungry. |
References[]
- DAV: Road of the Beast, p. 53, 68