There is, as in every world, Good and Evil. Here, we see it represented by two factions, Deities that once upon a time, lived together peacefully. Then, as the age of man began and flourished, a fissure appeared between the gods in Heaven. One group, the kinder, gentler gods, loved humanity, saw it's potential for greatness! The others, however...the darker gods, they felt resentment for these spiteful, wicked creatures, that hated them, feared them, refused to worship them, save for a small number of madmen and warlords. Thus, these gods began to play tricks at the humans, torment them in the small ways that one can without actually touching, as the Gods are not allowed to venture to earth, lest they become mortal and powerless. And then the smallest, most cunning god happened upon an idea. HE took his finger, aimed it into a forest on earth and...chopped it off. By focusing magic into this digit, and removing it, he tricked the natural laws, and created the first monster. Mankind had a thousand years of misery and pain as he dealt with this great basilisk, hiding, running, until one man managed to injure it. By imbibing the blood, the golden Ichor, he grew in power, his speed, his strength, all increased. The records of this time are foggy on what happened, but considering the great snake hasn't been seen since then, it's clear it was destroyed. It was thereafter agreed that the men created by the blood of monsters, which after the Basilisk began to appear like weeds, were dangerous, too powerful to just be allowed to live among the people. Thus, a guild was established, the center of all monster hunters, an agency that regulates the hunting groups, and changes the people therein. It was discovered only later the other effects. When a human drinks this blood, the golden Ichor, he is forever changed, not only stronger and faster, smarter, more magically potent, but he becomes vulnerable to the magic released when a monster is killed, the essence of their strength. After monsters are killed, the hunter that killed them takes on their essence and power, a man who hunts dragons will grow scales, be able to breath fire, while one who kills snakes will grow fangs and spit poison. Every monster has a bounty on it, certainly, but you have to balance cash, with who and what you are, what you want to be. And thus, monster hunters become monsters themselves...so tell me, what is the price of your spirit, your humanity? How much will you accept for your soul?