The Connell Group is a Hunter Organization.
Overview[]
Maximillian Connell's odd organization of hunters is an enigma to many. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the group has swelled and ebbed in size since its inception only weeks after the appearance of hunter-net online. Although the group seems to have existed for some months, precious little solid information is available on it. Few members speak openly of how the group functions, or say anything to deny or confirm rumors of the founder's strange predilections. What news has reached general hunter circles - from erstwhile members - is both disturbing and (to some) perversely alluring. Perhaps most ominous is the fact that such a young organization already has an array of former members.
What is known about the group focuses on its founder, Maxmillian Connell. This heir to an industrial fortune is known to have lived a life of luxury and indulgence, and has a passion for game hunting. His family wealth meant he could pursue his avocation across the globe, and his resources and influence allowed him to break various poaching and game laws with impunity.
Connell's life apparently changed when he was confronted by a predator of humans, one intent on making Connell a living prize - and pawn in some nocturnal game. However, it was in that confrontation that the heir was imbued and fought back against his would-be master. Further details of the event are unknown, but it turned the extravagant ne'er-do-well into a brooding obsessive. A whole new world was revealed, and Connell supposedly vowed to conquer it - and its predators - rather than be conquered.
The Connell Group was founded at some point after these events, and comprised other imbued whom the millionaire discovered, funded, protected - and made demands of. Former contributors speak of bizarre (if not frightening or outright disgusting) methods and practices: the price of privilege and protection, and the requirements of membership. Supposedly, Connell initiates normal, unimbued men and women into the hunt for unknown reasons. These people are usually the first to die at supernatural teeth and claws, and Connell dedicates enormous amounts of money to covering up their disappearances.
Other former participants whisper that the millionaire demands proof of each kill: the head and left arm of each supernatural monster destroyed, or a creature's eyes and left hand if nothing else is available. Those few imbued who have met Connell face to face (which is forbidden until a hunter has a significant roster of kills) claim that the patron is missing his left eye and that he lacks use of his left arm, perhaps as a result of his imbuing or a subsequent supernatural encounter. But even these stories go unconfirmed; "successful" group members admit only to meeting with a discreet person who rarely allows himself to be seen fully.
Perhaps current (and many former) group members are so hesitant to reveal all they know about Connell and his hunter society for fear of reprisal. The founder seems to possess a great deal of information about all the people to whom he extends offers of camaraderie, funding, allies and opportunities to strike at the unknown. His promises appeal most strongly to the recently imbued, who have no one else to turn to. But with time, Connell's freakish demands drive many people away, and knowledge of his extremes keeps them tight-lipped. Yet there are hunters who remain in Connell's spere of influence, perhaps due to fear, safety concerns or even some mutually disturbed thrill of the hunt. And, of course, Connell is always in search of new recruits.
References[]
- HTR: Hunter: The Reckoning Rulebook, p. 291