The Compendium of Monsters, 2nd Edition

Ulbrecht Arbeit I, Birgit Gretehed, Gastón Cabello, Sabriye Avci 

Forward, by Elise Arbeit in 1732

On this, the 150th anniversary of the first publishing of this compendium, I take with great honour the opportunity to take the works that my great-great-great-great grandfather, Ulbrecht “Bright Wolf” Arbeit, and his most trusted companions undertook then with updated wisdom from a contemporary perspective. Like these heroes of yonder, I too have earned the rank of Meister among the Jaeger of The Verda Empire. I have spent the last two and a half decades honing both blade and knowledge so that I may arm those who come after me with the most up to date knowledge a Jaeger could possibly require when facing their foes.

Ulbrecht and his companions much felt the same, believing that to be forewarned is to be forearmed, and it was with this compendium that the formal tutelage of Jaegers at the first Jaegerhaus in Dolchzahnfurt could truly begin. I would like to believe that my ancestor would be proud of our school, for almost two hundred years later I write from Axeholme in Ursal, where we have this year established the sixth Jaegerhaus on the continent. It is interesting to think back on such a time, where they did not have the technology available to us today to slay the beasts of Evil detailed in this compendium. I find it fascinating to contemplate if Jaegers who read this tome in another 150 years from now will think the same. 

In this compendium, I have elected to keep the original writings unedited, as I believe it is important for Jaegers to understand how we first came to know what we do about monsters and how our views have changed thanks to study over the last century. I found it rather revealing how we may have begun so sure of a fact that has since been disproven, it is almost as though our art of monster hunting is a science that through experimentation and peer review has evolved over time.

I leave you now to enjoy the combined works of some of the Jaeger’s most experienced personnel. Study carefully, but do not be afraid to push the boundary beyond the comforts of what is known. We have achieved so much over our long history because we have challenged and defeated the darkness with every tool at our disposal, not by recalling word for word the writings of a book read as a student. You never know what innovation you may bring. 

Introduction, by Ulbrecht Arbeit I, 1582 

I, Ulbrecht Arbeit, have decided with the combined wisdom of my most trusted circle, to document the monstrosities of Evil that we have faced. Together, we have written this compendium in the hope that we may educate Jaegers of the future the information they require to efficiently and effectively destroy the forces of Evil and restore what is tainted by them. 

The first college for our profession has been established in Dolchzagnfurt, thanks to the patronage of Baron Bertolf Scholz von Wieseburg. He understood the need for formal schooling if we were to become the force that we believe we need for the years to come. Over the last few centuries, hunters have been isolated and localised, however we strongly believe that as matters in the world become more complex that a united front is required against the forces of Evil. We have called ourselves Jaegers, which simply means hunters in Verdan, to distinguish ourselves across borders. The college, or Jaegerhaus, as we have come to call it, has been running for three winters and has qualified over forty new Jaegers who have since gone out into the world as professional monster hunters. 

With our initial success, the Baron hopes that we will show that the Jaegers are an invaluable tool to the Archduke. I remain sceptical for now, but the kindness of the Baron should no doubt earn him or his heirs a dukeship in the future if we perform to the fullest extent of our abilities. 

Read on to learn of what horrors you will come to encounter as a Jaeger, and how to repel this Evil and send it back to whence it came.