…still waiting for a clever title…

This was going to be a larger article, but I never had time to finished. I did run it in A&E when I contributed my own ‘zine, but that was the only time it appeared in public. This also marks the first, and only time, I ever wrote fiction. Anyway, I like the ideas here, I wish I finished it.

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Bounty Hunters of the Old World

Night had fallen along the Altdorf-Middenheim Road. It was Ulriczeit, and it was called. The patrons of the Ox Yoke Inn huddled in the common room nursing mugs of mulled wine trying to stay warm. Though the inn was warm, the icy fingers of the winter night had found their way in.

It was late, and most of the room was empty. In an hour Otto Tasker would close his bar and those who bought a night’s rest in the common room could finally get some sleep. Already a few patrons had found a quiet corner of the common room and were sleeping off a night of drinking, or long day of travel.

Suddenly, the front door of the inn opened, and a gust of wind filled the room. Following the wind’s wake a figure dressed in a long black hooded cloak entered. Shutting the door behind him, the man pulled the hood off, and threw it over his shoulders.

The man was trouble. His legs were covered with black leather pants, and a chain mail shirt rested easily over a thick black wool shirt.

Not very big, he was lean, toned and had the look of danger. A sword hung loosely on his left hip, and a loaded crossbow rested comfortably in his right hand. The man’s weather beaten face had a scar racing up from his chin to an eye patch covering his right eye. His black hair, streaked gray, hung like a mane to the middle of his back.

With his one good eye, he scanned the room searching for someone. No one spoke or moved, in fear that the man’s stare would stop on them.

There in the corner, near the fireplace, the man saw who he was looking for. Purposely, he walked the length of the room, never taking his eye off the man. The tread of his boots, and rattle of manacles, was the only sound heard in the room.

“Wendel Castel, you are wanted for the murder of Valentine Eschenheim, Liliane Ladengast, Isabella Pabst, and Adelheid Raab. You are wanted for the murder of two Altdorf City Watchmen, wanted for the crimes of escaping arrest, and wanted for the theft of a Road Warden’s horse. I have a signed warrant for your apprehension,” the man spoke calmly, never taking his eye off the man.

Wendel cursed himself for being complacent. After fleeing Altdorf, he thought he was safe on the outskirts of Middenheim. He would soon get past this one-eyed hunter and go into hiding again. Looking desperately for a way to make a run for it; Wendel sized up the bounty hunter and thought that he could rush past him and escape into the night.

Suddenly a sharp pain spread from Wendel’s chest to his arms. A blanket of cold covered him, he began to gulp for air, and blackness loomed on the edge of his vision. Looking down, Wendel saw a black-shafted crossbow bolt protruding from his chest, and he saw his own blood quickly darkening his chest.

“The warrant did not state you had to be alive. Dead or breathing, it makes no difference to me,” stated the bounty hunter matter-of-factly.

The last thing Wendel saw before departing for Morr’s Realms was a smile of satisfaction break across the bounty hunter’s face. With a thump, Wendel slumped to the table, his blood methodically dripping to the floor.

The hunter went to the body and produced a roll of cloth. Quickly he wrapped it around the body and tied it securely in place. With a grunt, he hoisted the body over his shoulder and walked out the door. No one in the common room spoke, or moved to stop the man from leaving.

Into the cold night the hunter left, and with him his next pay day.

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Bounty hunters are not a common site among law-abiding citizens of the Empire. Among criminals, however, bounty hunters are one of the dangers that come with the territory. Bounty hunters are a necessary evil, and if it was not for the conflicting politics of the Empire they might not be needed.

Many choose to become a bounty hunter because they see a profit tracking down bounties. Though a hunter may be well paid, the life of the bounty hunter is a hard one. It is filled with many nights sleeping on the ground and many fights in smoke-filled bars. Tracking down a bounty can cost a hunter a small fortune, and often the cost does not justify the return from the posted bounty. The life leaves its mark on a hunter, and many have scars of poorly bound wounds, or poorly set bones, to prove it. No one gets rich from bounty hunting, and those who do, are usually ones who have gone from being bounty hunters to paid assassins.

Typically people enter the profession tend to be ex-watchman or wardens who grow tired of the low pay and risks of their jobs. After a few years of risking their lives trying to enforce the law, they come to the conclusion that by tracking down bounties, which is equally dangerous, but with higher rewards . Hunters and woodsman find this profession is easy to break into, as hunting people is not much of a change from hunting animals. After all, though humans tend to be smarter then deer, it is not that different from hunting game. In short anyone with a modicum of fighting ability, and the ability to follow a trial or intimidate an informant, can make a living from hunting down bounties.

Saying you are a bounty hunter, and actually being a bounty hunter are two different things. In order to collect a bounty one must be licensed. Licenses are easy to obtain and cost 20 Crowns a year to maintain. All licenses are issued by the local government and bear the signature of a issuing judge and a representative of the local government. With the license a person is able to apprehend, and in the case of Imperial warrants, kill a bounty. If a bounty hunter is not licensed, or if they are working with an expired one, the hunter cannot collect a fee.

There are two types of bounties in the Empire: civil and Imperial. A civil bounty is one that is posted by a private individual or group. Generally if a person wants to keep something private and has the financial means to pay a bounty they will contact a bounty hunter. Civil bounties generally involve such crimes as outstanding debt, theft, and in a few cases having carnal relationships with a wealthy merchant’s daughter. These types of warrants pay very well, but the hunter has to bring the person in alive to collect the bounty. Also, because of their nature, no civil bounty can call for the bounty to be killed. Unfortunately, there is nothing to stop a person from making a civil bounty dead or alive, but the judicial system has shown a tendency to frown on this.

Imperial bounties are a different matter, however, and they are usually the last resort of the judicial system. Not only the Emperor but also by Electors, and lesser rulers issues imperial warrants. These warrants cover any criminal posing a threat to the Empire’s stability. If the authorities are unable to bring a criminal to justice, or find a wanted suspect, a bounty is issued. All that is needed is the signature of a judge, or of a representative of a local government official. Once the bounty is posted, any bounty hunter can take it and attempt to collect on it. Imperial bounties are issued for outlaws, highwaymen, and others who pose a serious threat to the safety of the Empire and her citizens. These bounties are typically paid if the suspect is brought in alive, but in the case of wanted thieves, murderers and rebels, it will be paid if the body is brought in dead.

Both Imperial and civil bounty’s will have a monetary award attached to them, and the maximum amount is usually no more than 200 Crowns. In the case of civil warrants the award has no limits and there are cases where a hunter has collected 500 Crowns. In this case the bounty is paid by a jilted lover who discovering she was being played a fool by an ex-lover having a relationship with her daughter. As mentioned only Imperial warrants can have the “Dead or Alive” stipulation attached to them, and only licensed hunters can collect on them. It has come as surprise to many unlicensed bounty hunters to find themselves arrested for murder after bring in a dead bounty.

Bounty hunters are loners, and it is rare for them to work together. The reason is that most bounty hunters are greedy, and if two hunters bring in their bounty they then have to split the award. Many do not want to do this, being reluctant to share the wealth. There are a few cases of bounty hunters working together, but this is a rare occurrence. Recently, however, is a group of bounty hunters have formed the Pallenberg Agency in Middenheim.

Six years ago, four bounty hunters who saw a market for their service founded the Pallenberg Agency. Realizing that they would never get rich from collecting Imperial bounties, the four decided to create a service for wealthy citizens in the area of security and investigating. The group specializes in hiring out agents as bodyguards for individuals who can afford to pay. Clients are guaranteed the utmost satisfaction and are given the promise that, as long as their guard is one duty, no harm will befall them. In addition agents are hired as security for private functions, and many wealthy merchants in both Middenheim and Altdorf employ Pallenberg as their security firm. The big area of business for the firm is investigations. Those with the means hire the Agency to track down conmen, and those who have wronged them. Pallenberg is expensive, but the results speak for themselves. By relying on contacts and intimidation, Pallenberg Agents have a 90% success rate.