The Thournes
#2 of The Hunter's Notes
Thournes
I doubt I'll be hunting any of my siblings but knowing that I will not always be the Hunter has inspired me to leave these notes behind for my replacement.
The Thournes--sometimes referred to as "The Outsider's Children"--are a group of roughly 15 individuals who have tasked themselves with the prolonging of peace throughout these earthly realms. Always human, and almost always male, they hold the shattered pieces of the Outsider's soul. Within each piece rests a part of the Outsider's knowledge and personality.
For Example:
The Mage is a master of all things magical; if it pertains to magic in any way whatsoever, Mage can innately understand every aspect of it with a mere glance. He alone holds the memories of the Outsider's first spell.
The Smith is a master of smithing; able to craft weapons and armor that are on par with--if not surpasses--that of the Dwarves. (see page 32) He alone holds the memories of the Outsider's tutelage under the Giants. (page 64)
This trend continues with each individual; holding the knowledge that pertains to our fields, as well as a key memory that is considered to have altered who the Outsider is.
There is also the matter of the Roses, but I will get around to those eventually. (page )
Appearance
Curiously, each Thourne is in possession of the same face, and often the same name: Simon. In my 50 years as Hunter I have only known of 2 Thournes who kept their old names after receiving a shard. While I have never met a female Thourne, there are stories of one existing, and that she chose the name Sarah to replace her old one.
It is not difficult to find a Thourne; we do not typically hide our nature, but there is no doubt in my mind that it ultimately falls on the reincarnation to decide.
Creation
Thournes are not born. When a shard loses its host, it begins searching for a new one, and usually choses a human male around the age of 17. At which point the mind of the host is tested in a sort of 'tug-of-war' scenario; until a balance between the two are established. It is not uncommon that a shard will 'win' this battle, and completely overwrite whatever personality that the host once had, but the memories of the host are always maintained.
It is not fully understood what methods a shard uses to judge a host, and it often feels completely random. Thournes have been chosen from all walks of life; the only pattern is that the shards seem to prefer human males, but this is almost certainly due to the fact that the Outsider was in human form when his soul was fractured.
There does not appear to be an end to this cycle, and while it saddens me that the Outsider's enemies finally managed to kill him; I can't help but laugh when I remember that they only multiplied their problems.
[As you read you notice a distinct change in handwriting here.]
So much for 'Always Human.' It is strange reading through these notes that I do not remember writing. Perhaps this is because the last Hunter won his tug-of-war and most of what he did was recorded in his own mind, instead of being imprinted on the shard. It would certainly explain the change in our scripts, but it is strange to think that a human managed to overpower a shard--the Hunter's especially. I wonder what he was like before he became a Thourne, but I just realized that not even those memories are available to me.
Curious.