The Hunts: A Dark Period of Paranoia and Distrust

Eren had multiple dark periods in it's past in which paranoia and fervor against forces not understood caused certain communities to begin hunting down specific forces viewed as strange, dangerous, and dark.

The Hunts all began in the same place, during times of mysterious calamities in Stonehall. A string of deadly attacks, unexplained deaths, and supernatural occurrences cast a shadow over the town. People fell ill seemingly at random, and even the most skilled healers were baffled by the maladies. To make matters worse, a small number of citizens were revealed to be shapeshifters, sowing further fear and mistrust. The Hunts are typically broken up into two periods of history. The First Hunt, a 100-year-long campaign occurring in 1000 BDR in which the efforts to purge sin and the infiltration of shapechangers brought about the creation of the defleo, the first superstitions around kitsune, and the real start to the poaching of unicorns recorded in history. The Second Hunt is an unfortunate resurgence that happened closer to the present time, and unlike the First Hunt, it seemed to spark in multiple different regions, urged on by the legacy of the First Hunt. It started sometime in 1000 DR and was believed to have died down by the start of the 1500s- five times as long as the first hunt, and it started almost exactly 2000 years after as well. Some argue that the scars and prejudices of the hunts continue to prevent them from actually coming to a complete close. The kitsune saw renewed danger for those who remained integrated in societies in Eren, Astana, and Lindin. However, this wasn't an exclusive fact, with more minor instances happening in other places around the world, though not well or widely as documented. At the same time, the renewed interest in research into the mythical unicorns briefly spiked during this time.

The local clergy initially sought to calm the growing panic, offering prayers, blessings, and guidance. Before the first Hunt, however, amidst the chaos rose Father Larin, a charismatic and fanatical priest. Larin preached of a dark shadow emanating from within Stonehall, turning it into a haven for wicked forces. His fiery speeches and alarming proclamations fanned the flames of paranoia, leading to the formation of the Huntsman Society of Stonehall.

The Huntsman Society was a loosely organized group of trackers, priests, amateur doctors, and rogue mages established during the First Hunt, all united by a singular mission: to root out the evils plaguing Stonehall and beyond. Armed with an array of weapons, many of them whatever weapons could be procured from home or made by the local smithies, and driven by fear rather than reason, they conducted investigations, interrogations, and hunts across the region. While their efforts occasionally uncovered genuine threats, they were far more often directed at innocent people, driven by superstition and escalating hysteria. The Hunts became infamous for its brutal tactics and tragic consequences, especially for three key groups that suffered greatly under their zealotry.

The Three Focal Victims of The Hunts

1. Kitsune: The Shapechanging Fox Folk

The Kitsune, a race of fox-like shapeshifters living peacefully among the human population, became a central target of fear and suspicion during both the First and Second Hunts. Believed to be deceptive infiltrators, they were accused of replacing citizens, sowing discord, and corrupting society. Tales of kitsune as ill omens or spies spread like wildfire, leading to their persecution. Discovery of kitsune in other regions and what might have been the doctrines of the Huntsman Society slipping into the hands of other sources led to the Second Hunts emergining in 1500, with Kitsune the largest target of interest.

Accusations and Executions: Innocent people were accused of being kitsune based on little more than hearsay or fear, often resulting in executions.
Folklore Legacy: Kitsune became cemented in Eren's folklore as bogeymen, with their presence near battlefields seen as a harbinger of betrayal or doom.

2. Unicorns: Magical Beings Hunted to Extinction

Unicorns, beings of immense magical power, became prized targets during The Hunts. Their horns, blood, and other parts were believed to hold curative properties capable of banishing curses and darkness.

Mass Hunting: Dragons razed the unicorns’ ancestral home, the Great Forest, leaving the survivors vulnerable.
Near Extinction: Unicorns were hunted to the brink of extinction, their sacred lineage reduced to myth by the greed and ignorance of the time.
Ignorance of Sentience: Most hunters treated unicorns as mere magical beasts, unaware (or perhaps uncaring) of their sentience and intelligence.

3. Defleo: The Birth of the Seven Sins

Father Larion’s doctrine that evil had infected the very souls of Stonehall’s citizens led to the development of bizarre purification rites. Citizens flocked to the chapel of Stonehall to undergo rituals meant to extract sin from their bodies.

The Ceremony: Participants underwent grueling rites, including immersion in sanctified water, prayer circles, and distilling their blood into a sacred chalice. Nearly 200 people partook in the ceremony over a month.
The Creation of Demons: On the final day of the rituals, the sanctified pool at the chapel’s center turned black and erupted with supernatural light. From the waters emerged seven humanoid entities, grotesque yet mesmerizing—the first demons.
Captured and Feared: Believed to be sin incarnate, these beings were imprisoned and studied, forced to face harm and suffering inhumanely in nature, and forever scorned and branded as nothing but abominations.

The First Hunt officially ended with the disbanding of the Huntsman Society, but their effects lingered for generations. The paranoia and violence left deep scars on the region, and many communities sought to bury the memory of this dark time. However, the folklore surrounding The Hunts persists, with tales of kitsune trickery, unicorn miracles, and the birth of the seven demons woven into Eren’s cultural fabric. It is theorized that relatives and successors of the Huntsman Society, as well as the legacy of the organization, were responsible for the Second Hunt's starting.

The Hunts remain a poignant reminder of the fragility of trust and reason in the face of fear. While Stonehall eventually grew into a thriving city, the shadows of its past serve as a somber backdrop to its success. The events of The Hunts underscore the potential for mass hysteria and misguided zeal to unleash devastation, leaving behind lessons that echo through Eren’s history.