Post by Xander on Apr 22, 2009 22:43:06 GMT -5
1. Never expose your powers to uninitiated humans. Expos¬ing your powers exposes all of us to public scrutiny—you, me, the Apollites and Daimons, the gods and goddesses, even the exis¬tence of Atlantis itself (and you really don't want to go there). For obvious reasons—like the fate of the world as you know it—it's best if the world thinks we are all products of stories and leg¬ends, Hollywood and folktales. Never ever prove to them that you are real. More important, just weigh how badly the gods would punish you against that fifteen minutes of fame.
2. Be a part of the world, but never in it. You will be forced to interact with the human world. You can't exactly save them if you don't interact with them, right? Just remember, you are an observer, not a participant. Leave no witnesses. Stay in the background. Be discreet with your prey. Daimons turn to dust, so I here's never a body to worry about. See? Half the work's already done. Make sure you take care of the other half.
3. Never be in the presence of a god. Since you are soulless, you are an anathema to the gods. You certainly don't want to be on one's bad side, and you don't exactly want to be on one's good side. Gods fight a lot. And you know, the friend of my enemy and all that. You shouldn't come up against this too much, since all but Artemis are forbidden to lend you aid of any kind. More on that in "Great Gods All Mighty".
4. Never let sunshine touch you. This one's sort of self-explanatory, really. Thanks to Apollo, daylight equals death. If you're feeling particularly masochistic, skip straight on down to the section on "How to Die". Go on. I'll wait right here.
5. An unconscious Dark-Hunter is a dead Dark-Hunter. When you are injured, you will want to sleep. It's a natural instinct. Your body will heal in its sleep. With the aid of a Dream-Hunter, it will heal even faster. Don't fall asleep outside of your safety zone. Never leave yourself vulnerable.
6. No significant others. Your only priority is mankind. Dere¬liction of duty is grounds to be classified as a Rogue (a one-way ticket to total extinction). Keep your priorities straight. Signifi¬cant others will distract you and detract from your oath. You're on a nondisclosure agreement as it is with the whole Dark-Hunter powers thing, so any sort of long-term relationship is doomed from the start.
I'm not telling you to repress your urges, I'm just saying limit it to a one-night stand (with a human, you moron, not an Apollite for heaven's sake and, whatever you do, never a Daimon), and move on. It's safer that way for everyone involved. And don't worry about having a child, or begetting one on someone else—Dark-Hunters are sterile.
The first thing a new Dark-Hunter is quick to point out is the existence of copious modern-day exceptions to this rule. Kyrian and Amanda Hunter, Tabitha Devereaux and Valerius Magnus, Talon and Sunshine Runningwolf... yes, it does happen. (Life wouldn't be much fun if it didn't.) Just don't ever count on it happening to you. For the truly masochistic, there is more infor¬mation later on, in "The Out Clause".
7. Never touch your Squire. Squires. They may be hard to live with, but it's pretty damn hard to live without them. You rely on them to protect you while you rest and to pull your butt out of harm's way in a pinch (and in the daylight). Do yourself a huge favor and don't go falling in love with yours. Your Squire will do anything for you. If you care about yours, do this for them.
The Squire Council tries to avoid pairing up Squires and Dark-Hunters of the opposite sex (or the opposite desired partner, in case that happens to be the same sex), but it happens from time lo time. People in the workplace and all that. Just don't. Affairs of the heart inevitably lead to the death of either the Hunter or the Squire. No entanglements.
8. No family, no friends who knew you before you died. You are dead. Never forget it. It's cruel to both the Hunter and the family to know what you have become. You have loved, and now you must let go. It puts your family in jeopardy, making them prime targets for Daimon attacks. For everyone's sake, never return to your origins, your descendents, or contact any family or friends who may still live to recognize you.
9. Let no Daimon escape alive. You were created to kill them. (If for some reason you don't, when Ash comes around you gonna have some 'splainin' to do, Lucy.) Never toy with your prey. The longer they live, the greater the chance the souls they carry will die. Kill the Daimons; save the humans. Let me repeat that: Kill the Daimons; save the humans. Humans and Apollites, while they have their failings, are what you were sent here to protect. Once an Apollite turns Daimon, though, it's fair game.
Daimons by nature are cowards. They talk big, and their bark is worse than their bite, literally. The courageous ones are Spathi Daimons. These are their warrior class who do hunt and pursue Dark-Hunters. Don't get cocky. Learn the difference. The Spathi have sun tattoos. They swear allegiance to Apollymi. They will face you and fight to the death and they are very good at what they do—expect it.
10. Never speak of what you are. Sometimes it is best for leg¬ends to stay legends. All Dark-Hunters are forbidden to have their likeness captured, in any medium. The last thing you need is a bunch of renegade teenage paparazzi hunting you down like Doc¬tor Who. The only time you can break this rule is in the event of dire circumstances. Humans must not know you exist. Film pro¬vides lasting proof that you don't age and it makes it easy for humans to recognize you. Those two things are bad. Very bad.
11. You cannot be in the presence of another Dark-Hunter. Just in case one of you was harboring any ill will, to prevent Dark-Hunters from combining their powers they are forbidden from ever being in each other's company. To do so is to feel an instant drain on your powers. A few minutes' company with your comrades-in-arms is fine, but any lengthy stay and you will deplete each other.
This also prevents the Dark-Hunters from banding together and going up against the gods... a nice touch on Artemis's part. Acheron is the only Dark-Hunter you will be able to walk beside for an extended period of time without passing out, but Acheron was the first. He's... different.
12. Whatever you do to another Dark-Hunter, you will feel tenfold. To help maintain the above rule, Artemis added a bonus. If you do attempt to physically harm another Dark-Hunter, the pain you inflict upon your victim you will feel tenfold. (And here you thought paganism with its threefold rule was tough.) Don't worry, you will stop long before he's even close to dead; it will be physically impossible for you to continue. That much pain is just not worth it. Think twice before striking.
13. You walk alone. You are the boogeyman. You are the scary thing that goes bump in the night. The main directive of the Dark-Hunter code is to be alone. You cannot team up, even to help oath other. It sucks, but that's the way it is. The only friend you're allowed is your Squire. Take care of them. (But don't—you know lake care of them.)
14. Keep your bow mark hidden. Never let anyone see your double bow-and-arrow mark. You are known for that, and by letting it be seen you can be exposed to humans... or Daimons. The bow mark should be guarded and protected at all times.
2. Be a part of the world, but never in it. You will be forced to interact with the human world. You can't exactly save them if you don't interact with them, right? Just remember, you are an observer, not a participant. Leave no witnesses. Stay in the background. Be discreet with your prey. Daimons turn to dust, so I here's never a body to worry about. See? Half the work's already done. Make sure you take care of the other half.
3. Never be in the presence of a god. Since you are soulless, you are an anathema to the gods. You certainly don't want to be on one's bad side, and you don't exactly want to be on one's good side. Gods fight a lot. And you know, the friend of my enemy and all that. You shouldn't come up against this too much, since all but Artemis are forbidden to lend you aid of any kind. More on that in "Great Gods All Mighty".
4. Never let sunshine touch you. This one's sort of self-explanatory, really. Thanks to Apollo, daylight equals death. If you're feeling particularly masochistic, skip straight on down to the section on "How to Die". Go on. I'll wait right here.
5. An unconscious Dark-Hunter is a dead Dark-Hunter. When you are injured, you will want to sleep. It's a natural instinct. Your body will heal in its sleep. With the aid of a Dream-Hunter, it will heal even faster. Don't fall asleep outside of your safety zone. Never leave yourself vulnerable.
6. No significant others. Your only priority is mankind. Dere¬liction of duty is grounds to be classified as a Rogue (a one-way ticket to total extinction). Keep your priorities straight. Signifi¬cant others will distract you and detract from your oath. You're on a nondisclosure agreement as it is with the whole Dark-Hunter powers thing, so any sort of long-term relationship is doomed from the start.
I'm not telling you to repress your urges, I'm just saying limit it to a one-night stand (with a human, you moron, not an Apollite for heaven's sake and, whatever you do, never a Daimon), and move on. It's safer that way for everyone involved. And don't worry about having a child, or begetting one on someone else—Dark-Hunters are sterile.
The first thing a new Dark-Hunter is quick to point out is the existence of copious modern-day exceptions to this rule. Kyrian and Amanda Hunter, Tabitha Devereaux and Valerius Magnus, Talon and Sunshine Runningwolf... yes, it does happen. (Life wouldn't be much fun if it didn't.) Just don't ever count on it happening to you. For the truly masochistic, there is more infor¬mation later on, in "The Out Clause".
7. Never touch your Squire. Squires. They may be hard to live with, but it's pretty damn hard to live without them. You rely on them to protect you while you rest and to pull your butt out of harm's way in a pinch (and in the daylight). Do yourself a huge favor and don't go falling in love with yours. Your Squire will do anything for you. If you care about yours, do this for them.
The Squire Council tries to avoid pairing up Squires and Dark-Hunters of the opposite sex (or the opposite desired partner, in case that happens to be the same sex), but it happens from time lo time. People in the workplace and all that. Just don't. Affairs of the heart inevitably lead to the death of either the Hunter or the Squire. No entanglements.
8. No family, no friends who knew you before you died. You are dead. Never forget it. It's cruel to both the Hunter and the family to know what you have become. You have loved, and now you must let go. It puts your family in jeopardy, making them prime targets for Daimon attacks. For everyone's sake, never return to your origins, your descendents, or contact any family or friends who may still live to recognize you.
9. Let no Daimon escape alive. You were created to kill them. (If for some reason you don't, when Ash comes around you gonna have some 'splainin' to do, Lucy.) Never toy with your prey. The longer they live, the greater the chance the souls they carry will die. Kill the Daimons; save the humans. Let me repeat that: Kill the Daimons; save the humans. Humans and Apollites, while they have their failings, are what you were sent here to protect. Once an Apollite turns Daimon, though, it's fair game.
Daimons by nature are cowards. They talk big, and their bark is worse than their bite, literally. The courageous ones are Spathi Daimons. These are their warrior class who do hunt and pursue Dark-Hunters. Don't get cocky. Learn the difference. The Spathi have sun tattoos. They swear allegiance to Apollymi. They will face you and fight to the death and they are very good at what they do—expect it.
10. Never speak of what you are. Sometimes it is best for leg¬ends to stay legends. All Dark-Hunters are forbidden to have their likeness captured, in any medium. The last thing you need is a bunch of renegade teenage paparazzi hunting you down like Doc¬tor Who. The only time you can break this rule is in the event of dire circumstances. Humans must not know you exist. Film pro¬vides lasting proof that you don't age and it makes it easy for humans to recognize you. Those two things are bad. Very bad.
11. You cannot be in the presence of another Dark-Hunter. Just in case one of you was harboring any ill will, to prevent Dark-Hunters from combining their powers they are forbidden from ever being in each other's company. To do so is to feel an instant drain on your powers. A few minutes' company with your comrades-in-arms is fine, but any lengthy stay and you will deplete each other.
This also prevents the Dark-Hunters from banding together and going up against the gods... a nice touch on Artemis's part. Acheron is the only Dark-Hunter you will be able to walk beside for an extended period of time without passing out, but Acheron was the first. He's... different.
12. Whatever you do to another Dark-Hunter, you will feel tenfold. To help maintain the above rule, Artemis added a bonus. If you do attempt to physically harm another Dark-Hunter, the pain you inflict upon your victim you will feel tenfold. (And here you thought paganism with its threefold rule was tough.) Don't worry, you will stop long before he's even close to dead; it will be physically impossible for you to continue. That much pain is just not worth it. Think twice before striking.
13. You walk alone. You are the boogeyman. You are the scary thing that goes bump in the night. The main directive of the Dark-Hunter code is to be alone. You cannot team up, even to help oath other. It sucks, but that's the way it is. The only friend you're allowed is your Squire. Take care of them. (But don't—you know lake care of them.)
14. Keep your bow mark hidden. Never let anyone see your double bow-and-arrow mark. You are known for that, and by letting it be seen you can be exposed to humans... or Daimons. The bow mark should be guarded and protected at all times.