The Gateway Faction To A NEW Horror Western World
Who the fuck are The Questers?
In all the great fantasy worlds, there are usually a few characters or groups that act as the gateway into the rest of a series.
In Lord Of The Rings, it’s The Fellowship. In A Song Of Ice and Fire, it’s the Starks. In The Greatcoats by Sebastien De Castell, it’s Falcio Val Mond and the rest of the Greatcoats.
In the world of The Frontier, it’s the Questers and the struggle of Clay McNab, one of the order’s most accomplished warriors.
This post will act as an introduction to the Questers and what they represent in the wider context of The Frontier.
What is a Quester?
Questers are an ancient order of hunters who specialise in stopping the occult. Think of them as bounty hunters who collect contracts against supernatural creatures and over time certain individuals may develop a reputation for hunting specific things.
This is the case with Clay McNab, who has the moniker of The Hammer of The Witches for his relentless pursuit and persecution of witches.
The brotherhood as it is referred to by members is a mixture of religious dogma, rigid practices and inner secrets. It’s presided over by the High Quester, a rank that’s given based on semi-regular elections and it’s not unusual to see Questers wandering The Frontier in pairs.
This system is based on a master and apprentice relationship, with a tenured Quester responsible for the training of their apprentice over a minimum period of ten years. Even after the apprenticeship has been completed, the bond can remain and a Quester can have several apprentices over the years.
Questers are recognised by their black duster coats and black hats that bear a yellow sigil of a rowan tree. Their uniform may also consist of a dark fist pointed upwards to signify their allegiance to the God of the Underealm and chief deity, Aegnius.
Where are the Questers based?
The spiritual home of the Questers is Black Rock, a fortress city in the far western part of The Frontier. The city is lined with a massive black wall and several gates and is overlooked by Fort Myers.
The fort sits atop a dormant volcano and is where the Questers live, train and conduct their affairs. Very few people outside of the order know what goes on inside Black Rock, let alone Fort Myers, and this secrecy has added to the brotherhood’s infamy and reputation over the centuries.
What are the tools of a Quester?
The most important tool in a Quester’s arsenal is a silver chain marked with magic sigils. Silver is a powerful deterrent against many supernatural entities on The Frontier and Questers spend their life mastering how to use the chain to bind, defend and attack.
Another common tool are witch bottles for trapping and holding the essence of witches. These bottles carry sigils that keep the spirit of a witch locked inside and are activated through the use of a specific incantation.
Other weapons that Questers carry are revolvers and rifles that fire a wide range of bullets, such as iron and wood. Beyond these tools, every Quester may choose to have their own distinctive weapons.
There you have it.
A brief introduction to the Questers and their place in The Frontier and as Tales Of The Frontier expands, there will be plenty of other content that reveals the order’s history and the lives of individual characters.